The Major League Baseball Players Association sent a letter to George J. Mitchell yesterday in which it contended that statements he made about his investigation were misleading, the union’s general counsel said. þþMitchell, who began his investigation into the use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball in March 2006, said Friday in a statement that he had asked to meet with players in order to provide them with evidence about the allegations of their drug use and to give them a chance to respond. He also said players had been told they were implicated in doping and were given the years of their alleged drug use.þþMitchell said, in the statement, that providing the evidence was consistent with statements he made in March. The union, however, said yesterday that this appeared to be a change in policy for the Mitchell investigation. þþ“I cannot find anywhere in any of our correspondence throughout the investigation where he says it has been his position to allow players to examine the evidence held against them,” Michael Weiner, the union’s general counsel, said. þþ“The union has asked him to clarify his position and provide us with a time frame for a completion of the investigation.”þþMitchell did not return calls seeking comment yesterday.þþTo this point, the union has not encouraged players to meet with investigators. The only active player known to have met with Mitchell is Jason Giambi of the Yankees, who did so after threats of disciplinary action by Commissioner Bud Selig when Giambi tacitly admitted in a published report to having used steroids. þþWith the opportunity to view evidence, however, the union could change its position and advise players directly linked to documentary evidence to go before the investigation in an effort to clear their names. þþLast week, Thomas F. Carlucci, a lawyer working as a liaison between the investigators and the teams, told the clubs to be prepared for Mitchell’s final report to include the names of significant numbers of players linked to banned substances. þþMitchell has had the cooperation of Kirk Radomski, a former Mets bat boy who said he had provided dozens of players with performance-enhancing drugs. Representatives for Mitchell also met with the Albany district attorney’s office, which is leading an investigation into an Orlando- based compound pharmacy that illegally provided patients with performance-enhancing drugs. þþSTONEMAN RETIRES Bill Stoneman retired yesterday as general manager of the Los Angeles Angels, and he was replaced by Tony Reagins, the team’s director of player development. Stoneman, 63, became the general manager in November 1999. He will remain with the team as a senior adviser. Reagins, 40, joined the Angels as an intern in 1992. þþAfter making the playoffs only three times previously, the Angels advanced to the postseason four times after Stoneman took over. They won their only World Series championship in 2002. Los Angeles won the division this season for the third time in four years but was swept by Boston in the first round. (AP)þþ
Source: NY Times
