Terms of "Amnesty" were given by Selig on 12/6/07 as reported in the Mitchell Report

Terms of "Amnesty" were already set by Selig with players such as Glaus, Ankiel, and Schoeneweis and were in the Mitchell report. Guillen and Gibbons have no worries if whatever they did was before Jan. 13, 2005. Guys in the "alleged internet" group such as Glaus, Schoeneweis and Ankiel had been declared by the commissioner's office to be exempt from future discipline. From the Mitchell Report:

• "Glaus reportedly met with officials from the Commissioner's Office in September 2007.⁴⁸¹ On December 6, 2007, the Commissioner's Office announced that there was insufficient evidence of a violation of the joint program in effect at the time of the conduct in question to warrant discipline of Glaus." ⁴⁸⁰ Luis Fernando Llosa and L. Jon Wertheim, Glaus Received Steroids; Pipeline Pharmacy Provided Drugs to All-Star 3B, SI.com, Sept. 7, 2007."

• There was plenty of evidence. But the 'wording' here says evidence "OF A VIOLATION OF THE JOINT PROGRAM IN EFFECT AT THE TIME."

Therefore, no one can be suspended who did anything that was covered by the agreement at that time. THIS WAS IN THE MITCHELL REPORT AND SHOULD HAVE TOLD PEOPLE NO ONE ELSE COULD BE SUSPENDED FOR ANYTHING OUTSIDE OF THE AGREEMENT.

• Note, the commissioner's office made that decision, not Mitchell. Selig didn't require certain players to meet with Mitchell.

• In fact there was better documentation about players in the "alleged internet" group than many other players who were "named" via hearsay. Paul Byrd's last shipment of HGH was a week before Jan. 13, 2005, so he's technically not in violation either.

With a March 12 NY Times report, we are guided further, now just saying they hadn't violated the "drug testing" program in effect at the time. Naturally, all players named on in the Mitchell report must be given the same benefit.

• NY Times: "Glaus and Schoeneweis met last year with Major League Baseball officials. On Dec. 6, (2007)the commissioner’s office announced that they would not be disciplined because there was insufficient evidence that either of them violated the drug-testing program in effect at the time."

• From NY Times article by Michael C. Schmidt and Duff Wilson (with Ben Shpigel), "Inquiry into Doctor May Link Players to Drugs," 3/12/08

Contrary to The Sports Network report, it's not the result of Mitchell's ingenious "wording" that will bestow amnesty on pitiful players. You chumps have officially been off the hook since 12/13/07, when Mitchell "wrote" that the commissioner's office had allowed certain players to skate.

• All that's left to wonder is:

Can Guillen and Gibbons meet the 1/13/05 standard? The AP report in SI today has Guillen down for 2002-2005 (no exact date in 2005) and Gibbons for January 2005--no exact day:

• SI.com, AP report: "The San Francisco Chronicle reported in November that Guillen bought human growth hormone, two kinds of testosterone and the steroids from 2002-05, allegations the Kansas City outfielder wouldn't address....

Gibbons admitted receiving an HGH shipment in January 2005. The Baltimore outfielder apologized and didn't contest the penalty."....

• from AP report on SI.com, 3/28/08

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