Pujols Speaks about Mitchell Report

Before the Mitchell Report officially came out at 2PM ET on December 13, 2007, there were many leaks in the media and on the internet about the players who were cited in the Mitchell Report. One of the media outlets that spread the rumors was WNBC-TV in New York.  The early rumor included a list of names of players who allegedly would be cited in the report, and one name in the initial list was Pujols’. Pujols, one of the best players in the game, came out with the following statement:

“It has come to my attention that several national and local news outlets have published false reports that associated my name with the Mitchell Report. I have never disrespected, nor cheated the game of baseball and knew without a doubt that my name would not be mentioned in the official investigation. I would like to express how upset and disappointed I am over the reckless reporting that took place this morning. It has caused me and my family a lot of senseless aggravation due to their inaccurate information.

“What concerns me, is the affect this has had on my family and that my character and values have now been questioned due to the media’s lack of accuracy in their reporting. I have never had a problem with the media when they do their job correctly, whether it is positive or negative — just as long as they report truthfully.

“I would like to thank my fans for their continued support and never doubting my integrity. God has blessed me and allowed me to play a game that I would never take for granted.”

I believe Albert Pujols is one of the best players in the game because he works out and has natural ability. He is a genuine player who has a great sense of morals.

It’s sad to see all these leaks occurring before the actual names were released. What was the point? It’s not a competition. It’s always better to get accurate information to the public, rather than hasty information. Yesterday, I tuned into ESPN coverage starting at around 1PM. For about one hour, Buster Olney and company speculated on the players’ names, what the report implicates, who should and shouldn’t be in the Hall of Fame, etc. Most of the discussions were pretty drab and narrow-minded (not to mention speculative). ESPN reporters did discuss Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte being included in the report, but those names were validated one hour later.  But they could have just begun the coverage at 2PM; the world wouldn’t have stopped if the public received its information just an hour later.

~ by mlb2007playoffs on December 14, 2007.