December 14, 2007 4:52

The Boys of Steroids

Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Miguel Tejada, Gary Sheffield and literally dozens more major league stars have been implicated in what former Senator George Mitchell calls "baseball's steroids era."

In what the New York Times calls a "blistering report", Mitchell names 89 players who are alleged to have taken illegal performance-enhancing drugs. At least one player on every MLB roster is implicated but the New York Yankees and Mets along with the L.A. Dodgers are particularly well represented.

Mitchell's report is a damning indictment of a "period in which suspiciously bulked-up sluggers have toppled home run records and aging pitchers have magically regained their youthful form (and fastball speeds)," notes the Smoking Gun.

Could MLB's "collective failure" be fantasy baseball's gain? We're thinking of starting a new team called the Juicers: just look at the roster we could draw from!

New Jersey lawmakers voted to abolish the death penalty yesterday, the first state to do so since the Supreme Court reinstated it in 1976. Governor Jon Corzine has said he will sign the legislation.

And while a snowstorm brought parts of New England to a standstill, authorities in California arrested five men on allegations they "caused a fire that destroyed more than 50 homes and caused over $100 million in losses in Malibu," reports the AP.

World - Gore Slams Bush in Bali

"My own country, the United States, is principally responsible for obstructing progress here in Bali.” That's how Al Gore summed up the frustrations of global negotiators as the U.S. played a game of brinkmanship that threatened to derail any formal agreement on combating climate change.

I'm talking about you George - REUTERS/Supri

It takes a lot to get European leaders to agree on anything at the moment but the U.S.' refusal to accept language that would commit developed nations to a binding 25%-40% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 prompted a remarkable display of unity by the EU. Last night European ministers threatened to boycott President Bush's own "major emitters" summit in Hawaii next month if America didn't accept binding cuts.

The Bush administration complains that the Europeans are moving too quickly on climate change and are supported by Japan and Canada. By this morning, Europe was looking to reduce the temperature of the talks in order to pass some joint statement of intent.

Robert Mugabe has been nominated as the sole candidate in Zimbabwe's national elections, effectively crowning the 83-year old as President for life. Venezuela's Hugo Chavez should be taking notes.

Politics - House Pulls Plug on Waterboarding

The House of Representatives passed a measure that would ban waterboarding and other "harsh interrogation methods" by 222-to-199 votes. Passage through the Senate is not assured however and even then, President Bush has vowed to pour cold water all over the measure.

Mike Huckabee did pretty well from supporters and local businesses out of being Arkansas Governor. According to a Guardian investigation, during his 10 years tenure in Little Rock the GOP squeaky clean contender received "thousands of dollars in presents almost every year: gift certificates to sporting goods stores, clothing boutiques and Wal-Mart, a $3,695 pair of cowboy boots, a $500 belt and more." All the gifts fell within Arkansas ethics rules it should be noted.

Oh you shouldn't have...you're too kind - REUTERS/Keith Bedford

All the Democratic presidential contenders would have fancied skipping yet another debate but Hillary Clinton had more reason than most to want to avoid yesterday's final organized mouth-off before the Iowa caucuses.

Not only is she struggling to "shift from confident front-runner to scrappy, challenged candidate," but she also had to face Barack Obama just hours after offering him a personal apology for remarks made by one of her key advisors about Obama's prior drug use.

Iraq - Iraq Investigator Investigated

Stick with us on this if you can. The Inspector General office, which is responsible for keeping tabs on corruption and mismanagement in the effort to rebuild Iraq, is being investigated for....you guessed it....mismanagement and improper conduct. Allegations include "overtime policies that allowed 10 staff members to earn more than $250,000 each last year," writes the Washington Post.

Iraqi insurgents hit the bottle by blowing up liquor stores in a series of attacks that killed over 19 people around Baghdad.

Back In California, a Marine reservist was found guilty of killing an Iraqi soldier while they stood watch together at a guard post in Falluja last year.

Do Republicans really "like this [Iraq] war" and want it to continue? Those were the words of a very frustrated House Speaker Nancy Pelosi yesterday.

Celebrity - Atonement Tip for Golden Globes

The movie adaptation of Ian McEwan's World War Two novel Atonement has garnered seven Golden Globe nominations reports Reuters. Another war story - albeit Afghanistan in the 80s - and another adaptation of a book, Charlie Wilson's War, received five nominations including a nod for its star, Tom Hanks.

More nominations now but this time it's for the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame. Madonna and Leonard Cohen head the list of inductees at the expense of overlooked acts like the Beastie Boys and Chic. Ah, seems like just yesterday that little Madonna was getting her big break.....

"Tom likes me in a suit and a mini every now and then. I like it when he likes it. It makes me blush". That's Katie Holmes talking to In Style. Too much information no?

If you've got any old pieces of paper that J.K. Rowling might have scribbled on, hold on to them. A handwritten, unpublished, book of her short stories was sold at auction for $4 million yesterday.

Who shall I make it out to? - TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images

Finally...and I mean finally, a personal note. After a year of getting up early, digesting the news feeds and writing more than is healthy about Britney Spears and Paris Hilton my time at the Ag has come to an end. Thanks to all the regular readers and commenters.