Republican and Conservative political analysis and commentary

It's never a good day when politics and sports mix. So when the Commissioner of baseball tapped a former U.S. Senator to do an in depth investigation into the drug abuse in his sport, we knew a storm was on the horizon. The Mitchell Report, presented yesterday, called out players by name and revealed a disturbing drug subculture that exists within baseball:

"Everyone involved in baseball shares responsibility," Mitchell said during a news conference at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. "Commissioners, club officials, the Players Association and players. I can't be any clearer than that."

In all, 89 players were named in the report, including free agent Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte of the New York Yankees, Miguel Tejada of the Houston Astros, Eric Gagne of the Milwaukee Brewers and Paul Lo Duca of the Washington Nationals, as well as a list of players like Barry Bonds who have already been publicly associated with steroid use.

Now keep in mind these aren't the kind of recreational drugs that your average politician like Barack Obama or George W. Bush has used, but performance enhancing drugs. Performace enhancing drugs undermine the sport by giving a competitive advantage to its user. Up against performance enhanced opponents, average players feel the pressure themselves to use such substances.

And of course, the real victim in this whole scandal are the children. When professional athletes who are role models to student-athletes of all ages break the rules to get ahead, it sends one clear message: The best way to get ahead in life is to cheat.