My first thought after reading the Mitchell Report is that Barry Bonds just got in the Hall of Fame.

Most sportswriters aren't going to keep Roger Clemens out of the Hall of Fame, which means they lose their reason to keep Bonds out.

And when all is said and done, there really is no other option.

We either put these players and others of that era into the Hall of Fame or we close the doors.

Testing is always behind what the athletes can do to mask whatever they are taking.

Bonds and Clemens will go into the hall as the best hitter and best pitcher in the Steroids Era.

Senator George Mitchell's report on steroids and other performance enhancers is set to be released tomorrow at 2 p.m.

My gut tells me that the baseball fans don't care who used and who didn't.

They want their teams to win and that really is all that matters.

So if it comes out that Manny and Thome used during the playoff runs in the late 90s, I don't think the Tribe fans will hold it against them.

In fact, I believe most folks think that these guys used because that is what everyone else was doing.

Other than Hall of Fame credentials, nothing will come from this report.

According to several reports in Pittsburgh, the hangup on the Jason Bay-to-Tribe trade is Cliff Lee.

The Pirates don't want him in the deal. They want Aaron Laffey or Jeremy Sowers instead, and Shapiro has said no.

Bay and Paulino for Gutierrez, Shoppach and Laffey or Sowers, is what the Pirates would do.

It is dead for now, but so was the Pirates trade to get Adam LaRoche for Mike Gonzalez at this time last year. It took until the middle of January to get that one done with the Braves.

Even with Bay (another guy who even when he is playing well strikes out a ton), the Indians lineup is not on par with the Tigers and Yankees, but the Indians pitching is better.

The funny thing is that only 3 of the 4 (Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers and Indians) get to make the playoffs, and if the Rangers are horrible, there is a chance that two teams from the West, Mariners and Angels, could make playoff runs.

This I do know: At least, one very good team is not making the playoffs.

Wow. That is all I can say to describe the Tigers lineup after their trade to get Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis:

CF-Granderson
2B: Polanco
RF: Ordonez
DH: Sheffield
3B: Cabrera
1B: Guillen
SS: Renteria
C: Rodriguez
LF: Jones/Thames platoon

That lineup is better than the Yankees. The rotation is Justin Verlander, Jeremy Bonderman, Willis, Nate Robertson and whoever they drop in

The bullpen is a question, but that is true with just about every team.

This probably will force the Indians hand in adding a quality left fielder. Jason Bay, anyone?

It seems from reports from the baseball winter meetings that Cliff Lee is the one chip that GM Mark Shapiro is looking to play.

There were reports that he would the key piece in a deal to land Jason Bay from the Pirates, but that deal seems to be dead. Pirates GM Neal Huntington doesn't want to trade his most valuable player when he is coming off a down season.

Lee with some prospects should be enough to land a above-average left fielder but not an all-star player.

But don't expect a trade soon. It seems that until Johan Santana and/or Miguel Cabrera are traded that the winter meetings are stalled.

On the C.C. watch, Jeff Passon of Yahoo! Sports weighs in from Nashville.

The snow is flying, but still baseball talk is in the air.

Well, at least, it is in New York and Boston and the other big markets. I really can't stand the fact that every winter meeting, it has become, who is the Red Sox or Yankees or Angels going to fleece to add another piece to an already-loaded roster.

Johan Santana should be a Twins pitcher for life. He is good, the Twins are good, but there is no chance he is staying. And that is wrong. Same goes with C.C. Sabathia. Why should he have to go somewhere else to get market value?

It can be said that under Bud Selig's watch that baseball revenue has gone from $1 billion to $6 billion, you know, it is on steroids, too, but it can also be said that more than ever the game is all about what market you are in.

The Indians should be looking at a long run of success with the talent they have. Instead, the team has to prepare for the inevitable loss of talent through no fault of its own.

Revenue sharing is nice, and some teams do wrongly pocket the proceeds instead of putting back in the product, but it doesn't make the game about who can evaluate talent and who can produce on the field.

Theo Epstein is a good GM for the Red Sox, but he isn't great like some have anointed him. He has a huge safety net. If he makes a bad signing or bad trade, he can sweep it under the rug and it doesn't matter. If Mark Shapiro or Neal Huntingdon make bad moves, it can set the franchise back a couple of seasons.

You can say it is capitalism or the American way if you want, but you can also say it is why baseball is no longer America's Pastime.

We don't know who will be paying it, yet speculation from a couple of notable reporters says that Johan Santana will be signing a contract for around $25 million per season.

Most think the best fit for the Twins is the Yankees due to Melky Cabrera and pitching prospects coming back in a major trade. No matter whether it is the Yanks or Red Sox or Mets or some other team, Mr. Santana is about to become the richest pitcher in baseball history.

If, in fact, he signs that type of deal (five years, $125M or more), what does that mean for C.C. Sabathia?

Don't know. I used to think it would be better to trade C.C. now rather than during the season, but you know, you only get so many shots at a World Series title. I say keep him, offer him arbitration after next season so you get the draft picks when he signs somewhere else. I don't think the Indians would offer anymore than four years at $80M, and that probably isn't enough in years or money. But if the Tribe would sign him to five or six years and he would get hurt, it would set the franchise back years.

Be happy you had him, ride him, hopefully, to a championship and then wish him well.

The Indians can't have one player be more than 33 percent of the payroll or three (Hafner and Westbrook with C.C.) being more than 50 percent of the payroll.

It just doesn't work.

The free-agent market is open, and in my opinion, it is bleak.

I don't see much here for the Indians or any other team to be interested in. Other than Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds, I don't see any future Hall of Famers or maybe even all-stars available.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports! ranks the 144 free agents here. I don't necessarily agree with his rankings but thought you all would like to see the names and comments.

Fox has a TV show, Kitchen Nightmares. … And we wonder why the rest of the world hates us. … Super Bowl in London? Don't do it, Roger.

I think with its victory over Kent State on Saturday, Ohio State won the MAC. … Nothing against the Buckeyes, but I am rooting for a Boston College-South Florida title game. … Maybe 15 people will watch.

Devon Hester is a special player. … Think Adrian Peterson would look good playing for the Browns? … Just like LT would have looked good for the Browns, too.

Indians-Rockies World Series. … Both teams are built in the image of John Hart. … Fans of the Texas Rangers want to know what is wrong in Arlington.

UA wants respect, wants excitement, wants more fans. … Well, don't lose to Temple.

The only team beside OSU ranked in the Top 25 is Michigan. That means one loss eliminates the Buckeyes from title game hopes.

Don't miss the announcement today, Arena Football is back in Cleveland. … Vinny Testaverde steps on the field Wednesday and leads a victory Sunday. … First player to be collecting Social Security and an NFL paycheck.

Manager Lou Piniella of the Cubs pulled one of those playoff moves that I don't understand.

He removed a pitcher who is pitching well from a tight game to use him 3 games later.

What if there is not a game in three games?

The Cubs' best chance is Carlos Zambrano. Lou pulls him after 85 pitches with the score tied 1-1 and now the Cubs are down 1-0.

Hey Lou, there is no guarantee there will be a Game 4. Hopefully for those long suffering Cubs fans it doesn't bite them. I would rather win Game 1 and worry about Zambrano in Game 4 when it arrives.