Friday, March 31, 2006
Mitchell Has Multimillion-Dollar Link to Baseball
Former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell of Maine, tapped to oversee an investigation of steroid and other illegal drug use in baseball, is not only a member of the Boston Red Sox board, as has been widely publicized, but also is chairman of Disney Corp., parent company of ESPN. The network connection means that Mitchell has a proprietary interest in Major League Baseball's eight-year, $2.4 billion broadcast contract, which entitles ESPN to present a number of games throughout the season. U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning of Kentucky, a Hall of Fame ex-major league pitcher, has criticized the selection of Mitchell on grounds that the former senate minority leader has a potential conflict of interest. Bunning contends baseball would have been better served by a more neutral individual.
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Doctor X -- the 'Baseball Medic' -- is an anonymous U.S. government trauma specialist with a Duke University sports medicine background and more than 20 years experience in emergency medicine. From time to time he considers MLB rumors, events and news reports as they pertain to baseball players' injuries, illnesses and various other disabilities, both on the field and off.
MLB Rumors editor Greg Fieg is a former sports news editor and award-winning writer whose bylines have appeared on the wires of the Associated Press and in numerous publications, including San Antonio Express-News, San Antonio Light, Houston Chronicle and Philadelphia Bulletin. He formerly was posted in various positions on the U.S.-Mexican border with Freedom Newspapers, and was a regular, independent contributor to United Press International.