After Mitchell rolled out, I gave you my takes from a major league, and player perspective on Mitchell. After a couple weeks of sifting and digging, my reporter Christopher Hadorn and myself have figured out why, unless there is radical change in the politics of baseball, performance-enhancing substances (PES) are here to stay.
Bud Selig rolled out a minor league plan for tough PES testing in 2001 that was supposed to be the standard in substance testing done right. MLB touted the .36% positive rate in the minors in 2006 as proof that the system was working.
Until Mitchell found a whole bunch more.
We did too. We also spoke to the experts about PES testing, and players in the minors who know how it gets evaded. We'll tell you about the double standard that actually encourages PES use, and the bigger picture that Mitchell was too chicken to touch in his report.
Who gives a damn about whether the minor system works? You should, if you want to see PES gone from the game. Usage starts somewhat in high school and college, with the majority of the juicers who make it to the Show launching in the minors.
Selig created the system for MiLB because they're not part of the players union, the MLBPA. So the question is: If he can't stop it where he can act unilaterally, how is he going to get Don Fehr and the PA to do any better when their collective bargaining agreement (CBA) blocks the Commissioner's office and mires the process down with stonewalling lawyers?
armchairgm gets a nod in the article and two of you are quoted for fan sentiment in the story.
(Putting on my Ty Flame-resistant suit): You are welcome to check it out, if you like.