Report Finds 'Widespread Steroid Use in Baseball'

Mar. 23 -- THURSDAY, Dec. 13 (HealthDayNews) -- New York Yankees pitchers Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte, Houston Astros All-Star shortstop Miguel Tejada and home run king Barry Bonds are among the big-name players cited in a highly anticipated report into the use of performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball.

The report climaxed a 20-month probe by former U.S. Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, who was hired by baseball Commissioner Bud Selig to examine the use of performance-boosting drugs during the so-called "steroids era," which began in the mid-1990s and was marked by record-shattering performances by many players.

"For more than a decade, there has been widespread anabolic steroid use in baseball," Mitchell said, adding that all 30 major-league teams have players involved with drugs, ESPN.com reported.

"Everyone involved in baseball over the past two decades -- commissioners, club officials, the players' association and players -- shares to some extent the responsibility for the steroids era,'' said Mitchell, who called for stricter drug testing. "There was a collective failure to recognize the problem as it emerged and to deal with it early on."

It was not clear if the report would result in any penalties or suspensions, the Associated Press reported.

Clemens was one of the most prominent names in the report. Others include Most Valuable Player award-winners Barry Bonds, the late Ken Caminiti, Jose Canseco, Jason Giambi, Juan Gonzalez, Mo Vaughn and Tejada. The report also includes the names of three of the top 10 home-run leaders of all time: Bonds, Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmiero, The New York Times reported.

Anabolic-androgenic steroids are man-made substances that help build muscle tissue and increase body mass by acting like the body's natural male hormone, testosterone. But they can produce a variety of dangerous side effects, including heart trouble.

According to the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse, the major side effects can include high blood pressure; increases in LDL (bad cholesterol) and decreases in HDL (good cholesterol); liver tumors and cancer; kidney tumors; severe acne; and trembling. There are also some gender-specific side effects: