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PCMitchell press conference highlights:
(1) Mitchell made a direct connection between the widespread use of illegal performance enhancing drugs in major league baseball, and the rampant steroid use among high school athletes ("hundreds of thousands" of high school athletes).
(2) He noted that almost none of the active players responded to the invitation to cooperate with the investigation.
(3) Regarding the MLB drug-testing program, adopted in 2003 and which began in 2003 -- many players received advance notice of testing. While the program has improved, it falls short of "current best practices" in drug testing. Some improvements suggested in the report can be unilaterally implemented by the commissioner, and others will require players' union support.
(4) The report will recommend that: (i) MLB form a department of investigation to detect steroid use, (ii) improve educational programs about the danger of use, and (iii) implement a "state of the art" drug testing program (administered exclusively by a completely independent organization, with results transparent to the public, with unannounced year round testing).
(5) An effective drug-testing program was actively delayed by the players' union, although ownership did not force the issue.
(6) Regarding disclosure of names, the goal of the investigation is to bring "this troubling chapter to a close", and prevent the future use of such substances. Goal is not to start numerous disciplinary proceedings, which will not be productive. Many of the incidents discovered occurred long ago -- some 9 years ago, and many before 2005, when there was no penalty for testing positive.
(7) The problem can only be solved with cooperation of everyone in baseball. Commissioner should give most a chance for a "fresh start", except where the integrity of the game is implicated. Giving most a pass now will give the commissioner the basis of imposing strong discipline for future violations.
(8) Players who used illegal performance enhancers put others at a competitive disadvantage, and were wrong, but the commissioner, players' union and owners are all to blame -- a collective failure to act, which gave rise to an environment where such substances were used.
(9) The public's focus should be on the report's recommendations, not the players named.
[edited to fix typos]