No more David Justice in YES studio, just on website--NY Times

"David Justice, who was cited in the Mitchell report as having purchased human growth hormone, will no longer be a studio analyst for the YES Network but will contribute columns and participate in chats on the channel’s Web site. Justice, whose house was destroyed in the San Diego wildfires last year, said his departure was based on wanting to be with his family during the rebuilding and not on being named in the Mitchell report on performance-enhancing drugs in baseball.

• “I don’t want my wife to go through the strain of the building process alone,” he said in a phone interview. Justice is in the last year of his contract with YES, which was expecting him to return in his studio role this season. He made 40 appearances in 2007.

Eric Handler, a YES spokesman, said Justice requested that his role be cut earlier this month. “We understand his decision,” said Handler, who added that YES “had no reason to doubt” Justice’s denial of the allegations in the Mitchell report.

• ...The (Mitchell) report does not offer any evidence about purchases by Justice, like a canceled check, as it did with some other players. “At least have something tangible,” Justice said. “They had nothing.”...

According to the report, Justice provided the names of “many players” he suspected of using steroids, but said he had no direct knowledge about their use."

• From NY Times article by Richard Sandomir, "Analyst's Role With YES Shifts Away from the Studio," 1/16/08

***Congrats to a NY Times writer (Sandomir) who accurately and completely describes the circumstances surrounding David Justice's name in the Radomski/McNamee report which was passed along to George Mitchell's group. Noteworthy is the last sentence, which took place when Justice met with Mitchell's group when they called him. Most reports erroneously state 'Justice never met with' Jesus Christ Superstar Mitchell. (sm)

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