The Mitchell Report was released today, and Major League Baseball took a big 'ol shiner to the face.

More than 75 players were named as linked to steroid or Human Growth Hormone (HGH) use, and club managers, officials and owners were all named as accomplices.

And suddenly, as I listened to Sen. Mitchell's comments on the radio, I was brought back to a simpler time, when our national pastime was not under fire, but our national leader.

Visions of Ken Starr's report on President Bill Clinton's shenanigans flew in front of me: press conferences, around-the-clock coverage, talking heads analyzing the contents.

And most of all, I remember that nothing really came of it.

Clinton finished out his term, and as it is beginning to look now, may go down as one of the better presidents in the history of the United States.

Canoodling with an intern will not go down in history in the same category as The Teapot Dome Scandal and Watergate.

So hearing some of Mitchell's comments on the two-plus year investigation made me wonder what the effect really will be on baseball.

Bud Selig has had the intestinal fortitude of an earthworm when it comes to punishing players, so I'm curious to watch his actual response (not press conference response) to Mitchell's recommendations.

Mitchell basically gave a Mark McGwire-like response; "The past is in the past."

He suggested future testing policies, which can only be instated when the collective bargaining contract is up … in 2011.

Are we going to remember the hoopla around this report by then? I'm not sure.

And is anyone really shocked by the list of players? Many of them have already retired, and it has been documented that HGH and steroids were used to elongate their careers, not vault them into the upper echelon of players.

I am interested in seeing which players miraculously lose 30 pounds of muscle, and begin to look like they did in high school.

I'm also interested in seeing the future of league leaders, and the average career length of players if the recommended testing practices are put into place.

I agree with Mitchell in that high school players have been influenced by the juiced generation, especially since many players are drafted out of high school.

And I hope education for non-English speaking players is more readily available, because not knowing or understanding the rules is the fastest way to getting kicked out of the sport.

But I'm not sure the steroid era will be looked down upon as much as Pete Rose's fall from grace, or the Black Sox scandal at the beginning of last century.

Time will have to tell.