Olbermann Watch - MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann: Olbermann Owes Albert Pujols and Chris Mihlfeld an on-air apology

Olbermann Watch, "persecuting" Keith since 2004

October 3, 2006

Olbermann Owes Albert Pujols and Chris Mihlfeld an on-air apology

In light of a recent report in the Los Angeles Times and the failure of Keith Olbermann to promptly address the matter, Olbermann Watch is now calling on NBC News to intervene and direct MSNBC General Manager Dan Abrams and MSNBC News Anchor Keith Olbermann to retract its false claims about Albert Pujols and Chris Mihlfeld, his personal trainer and issue an on-air apology to Pujols and Mihlfeld.

h/t to Frank Paynter who has been following this story for months. Details follow:

Last spring, a baseball blog called Deadspin published a single-source, anonymous claim that a sports trainer named Chris Mihlfeld was named in an affadavit submitted by former MLB player Jason Grimsley in the ongoing federal investigation into steroid abuse in baseball. Keith ran with the story, repeating and expanding on the blog's claims, publishing a "mug shot" style photo of Mihlfeld, and repeatedly insinuating that Mihlfeld was lying when he told Sports Illustrated and others that he was not the trainer whose name was blacked out in the affadavit. He then further expanded on the meme in an interview with Jim Callis, Executive Editor of "Baseball America" while spending a good deal of time implicating St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols.

The Deadspin story ran on June 8, 2006 and included a glarying qualifier about their source for the story:

How reliable are these names? We feel pretty confident in them, but we can't go 100 percent, since the information is secondhand. We'll say this: If Bud Selig issuing a press release naming the names is a 10, and picking a player at random out of the Baseball Encyclopedia is a 1, we're at an 8. So. Let's do it then. Remember: Betting lines are for entertainment purposes only.

Deadspin names Mihlfeld and notes his connection to Cardinals star Albert Pujols:

We just report what we're told, folks. Ever hope your source is wrong? This is one of those times.

Keith failed to mention ANY of these qualifying statements, did not speak directly to Deadspin's source or contact Mihlfeld, Grimsley or anyone eles for comment.

Here is the June 9, 2006 transcript of Countdown which shows Keith all but convicting Mihlfeld on air" (see below for complete excerpts)

==============

'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' for June 9

Updated: 10:58 a.m. ET June 12, 2006
Guests: Jim Callis

The biggest names in the baseball drug scandal, Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, Albert Pujols? Try Chris Mihlfeld, personal trainer to the pitcher who admits to using human growth hormone, and personal trainer to the brightest star of the national league. But Mihlfeld says he's clean, Pujols is clean, and he knows nothing about Jason Grimsley using hormones for training, even though Grimsley admitted he used them for training, and Mihlfeld was his trainer.

----

OLBERMANN: Chris Mihlfeld is suddenly one of the biggest names in baseball. He's the personal trainer of the baseball pitcher Jason Grimsley, and Grimsley is the man who admitted to federal agents that he'd used amphetamines, steroids, and human growth hormone as part of his personal training. Those same agents believe Grimsley may have also distributed the illegal drugs to other players.

But where it gets dicey is that the trainer Mihlfeld has also been the personal fitness guru, and to use Mihlfeld's sister's description, soul brother to Albert Pujols, superstar first basement of the St. Louis Cardinals, and the man widely nominated to lead baseball out of the steroid wilderness.

In our third story on the COUNTDOWN, Mihlfeld speaks. In the affidavit filed by those IRS agents to get a warrant to raid Jason Grimsley's home, they quoted from their conversation with Grimsley in April, "Grimsley stated that (blacked out) a former employee of the (blacked out) and personal fitness trainer to several Major League baseball players, once referred him to an amphetamine source. Grimsley stated that after this referral, he secured amphetamines, anabolic steroids and Human Growth Hormone from (blacked out) referred source."

Thursday, the blacked out name, the personal fitness trainer who Grimsley said led him to the source for amphetamines, steroids and Human Growth Hormone, was identify by unnamed sources of the sports Web site deadspin.com as Mihlfeld. Mihlfeld has now denied everything.

To the "Kansas City Star," "They've got the wrong name on that deal." To the "Sports Illustrated Web site, "I've never been involved in any illegal steroids, amphetamines or HGH activity. Period."

Mihlfeld also says both Grimsley and Grimsley's attorney have told him his name does not appear in that affidavit. Grimsley and Grimsley's attorney have not said that, though, to any reporters. And as to Pujols who hit 25 homeruns in this season's first 53 games before a strained oblique muscle, a lower back injury put him on the disabled list about a week ago, Mihlfeld recruited Pujols, coached him at a Missouri junior college in the late '90s. Still works with him so frequently that Pujols phoned Mihlfeld to set up the off-season workout program the day after the Cardinals were eliminated from the play-offs last fall. Mihlfeld insists Pujols is innocent even though he's only been the subject of speculation. Again to "Sports Illustrated, "He's just like me. He's got nothing to hide." To the Kansas City paper, "Albert won't even drink his protein shakes any more during the season because he's scared they're contaminated. That's been part of his training for the last five or six years, and all of a sudden he won't even do that. He's a great kid. Let him be great. He's clean.â€?

To describe him as Pujols' trainer is to probably oversimplify that relationship. We'll get a closer look at that in a moment. First the other headlines in this continually burgeoning story.

Senator McCain of Arizona, Congressman Waxman of California and Lynch or Massachusetts have suggested they may seek congressional hearings into Human Growth Hormone and baseball and my try to force the sport to adopt blood tests for those drugs.

And in the still ongoing Barry Bonds part of the investigation, the lawyer for former companion, Kimberly Bell, has told the former U.S. senator who is conducting baseball's investigation that the feds don't want his client talking to anybody but them, because of the "pending criminal proceeding." Bonds, himself, as that suggests, is still a possible target of a grand jury, which is looking into whether or not he lied to another grand jury about his own drug use.

And back at the start, to the man described in one place as "HGH Patient Zero." Jason Grimsley's agent he says his client will retire from baseball, but that may not stop baseball from punishing Grimsley. He may be liable for a 50-game suspension. Baseball's first big-scale drug suspension would go to a retired player? If that does not sum up this mess, nothing can. And it's likely to get worse before it gets better.

Back to the subject of Albert Pujols and Chris Mihlfeld, the personal trainer who didn't know his other client was taking Human Growth Hormones or steroid as part of his personal training. "Baseball America" is the leading publication in the field; it focuses on the minor leagues, college, and high school ball, and is the bible for those trying to track the development of young prospects, which is what Albert Pujols was seven years ago. Its executive editor is Jim Callis and he joins us now.

Jim, thanks for your time.

JIM CALLIS, "BASEBALL AMERICA": No problem, Keith, glad to be here.

OLBERMANN: Of Mr. Pujols' and Mr. Mihlfeld, is it indeed insufficient to call them trainer and client? Didn't Chris Mihlfeld essentially build Albert Pujols?

CALLIS: Exactly. I think you're right, Keith. I think they're more than trainer and client. I think Mihlfeld's sister, as you mentioned, described them as soul brothers. Mihlfeld, in some ways, was the guy who discovered Albert Pujols, recruited him in Maple Woods Community College in Missouri when he was basically an unknown. For whatever reason, it's a little bit unclear, it was not the head coach, by the time Albert got there, but apparently began training him there. And less than two years later, he went from an unknown in a 13th round draft to pretty much the best hitter or the best right-handed hitter in baseball.

OLBERMANN: Does anybody know, does anybody have the details, are there photographs, even, of what kind of physical transformation Pujols underwent between the time Mihlfeld got him into Maple Grove and when he literally came out of nowhere to hit the 37 homers as a rookies for the Cardinals in 2001?

CALLIS: Not that I've seen. I've never seen a photo of Albert when he was at Maple Woods. It's not like if you're looking at Barry Bonds' baseball cards from the late '80s and now you look at a Barry Bonds baseball card and his head's three times the size. I know just from talking to scouts who, to be honest, most of the scouts missed the boat on Albert Pujols back in junior college. One of the things that works against Albert was that while some guys liked his bat, he had kind of, what they described him as a bad body, you know it wasn't skinny, but it wasn't you know, the muscular, chiseled Albert Pujols we know today.

OLBERMANN: In baseball today, that who spectrum that you cover, from high school player - and Mihlfeld, by the way says he's now working with kids as young as middle school right through to the big leagues. How complete would a personal trainer's role be in the physical fitness regiments of an athlete like Albert Pujols or even Jason Grimsley? How much - control might be the wrong word, but how much influence over the day-to-day physical living of a guy would a trainer have?

CALLIS: A lot more than they did, say, 10 or 15 years ago. At the Major League level, a lot of these personal trainers are full-time employees of one particular player. Mihlfeld, I guess, has also worked with Mark Sweeney, so I don't think he's necessarily, you know, Albert's - or Albert's his only employer. But these guys, it's not just, you know - in the past, where you gave a guy a workout regiment to follow, now it's, you know, you're telling him what to eat, what supplements, you know, legal or otherwise, in any case, to use. It goes far beyond a workout and it sounds like in this case, with Pujols and Mihlfeld, that you know, they're much closer than that. You know, as you pointed out, as soon as Albert Pujols' season ended last year, he was on the phone to Mihlfeld, you know, figuring out a game plan to get ready for the next season.

OLBERMANN: Let's just clarify one thing, I think you said Mark Sweeney of the Giants, you meant Mike Sweeney of Royals.

CALLIS: I meant Mike Sweeney.

OLBERMANN: I just wanted to get that fact on the record, here. Whether it's Human Growth Hormone or it's Poptarts, is it plausible at this ultrahigh level that the athlete would not tell his Chris Mihlfeld, or whoever, that he's taking them, I mean, or is it plausible that the trainer wouldn't know?

CALLIS: I mean, maybe you don't tell the guy directly what you're taking, although I would suspect - you know, if we're talking about performance-enhancing drugs, here or Poptarts, you know, if you have a trainer you're relying on very heavily, you're going to run everything by him. But even, let's say, you wanted to keep it to yourself and not tell him and you were going down some path that the trainer didn't know about, I would think if you were taking something that, you know, baseball has banned or, you know, you're not supposed to be taking, that your trainer would have to be pretty naive not to notice the affect it would have on your workout. So, I would think, in these cases, if you're using something you're not suppose to be using, to think that the trainer would not know would be pretty naive.

OLBERMANN: Ultimately, Jim, this going to blow up as badly as people think it is?

CALLIS: I think so. I mean, I think I'm kind of like you, Keith, I'm kind of cynical about this whole thing and I didn't think baseball was anywhere close to having cleaned up this problem. I think baseball hoped to maybe from a public relations standpoint, act like it had a handle on everything, but here we go, HTH. Everybody's speculated, you can't test for HGH, well if you're not going to take steroids, these guys have access to the best pharmaceuticals in the world. Major league baseball players make a lot of money and I'm sure a lot of these guys are using HGH, and you know, Jason Grimsley is almost about the worst guy you could have blow the lid off of this. Here's a guy who played for any number of teams, it's not like he was a career Diamondback who had been there for 10 years or whatever, this guy has played with just about everybody in the Major League. So if I'm a Major Leaguer, and I've been taking HGH, Keith, I'm wondering if I'm one of those blacked out names if the affidavit.

OLBERMANN: In deed. Jim Callis, the executive editor or "Baseball America," great thanks for the insight. Thanks for joining us.

CALLIS: Thanks Keith.

=======================

On October 1, 2006, the Los Angeles Times revealed that the trainer whose name was blacked out was not Mihlfeld but rather former Yankees trainer Brian McNamee who is described as the "personal strength coach for [Roger] Clemens and [Andy] Pettitte.

On October 2, 2006, Deadspin published a retraction and apology:

As many of you will remember, back in June, a source we thought was reliable leaked to us that one of the names in the infamous Jason Grimsley HGH affidavit was Chris Mihlfeld, who is the former trainer for Grimsley and the longtim trainer of Albert Pujols. As evidenced by the Los Angeles Times this weekend, our source was, sadly, wrong. And therefore, so were we: Mihlfeld appears not to be named in the document. So, a clearing of the decks, a mea culpa: We were wrong to trust our source's information, and we were wrong to print their claim that he was in the document. We apologize to Mihlfeld and deeply regret the error.

On October 3, 2006 Keith went on the air knowing full well that neither Mihlfeld nor Pujols had been implicated by Grimsley but remained silent.

The shoddy journalism exemplified in the Pujols-Mihlfeld report which ran last June - lifting material directly from web sites (often without attribution), not bothering to do the most basic fact-checking it, not contacting subjects and providing them an opportunity to reply, using highly questionable information to launch hyperbolic attacks - is precisely the kind of reporting that led me to launch Olbermann Watch in 2004. The sad fact is that Keith airs these kinds of phony reports as a matter of routine. Although we report on Keith Olbermann's erratic fact-challenged form of "journalism" on this site every day, this case is so transparently despicable and Keith's claims so egregiously slanderous that we are taking the unusual (for us) step of demanding that Olbermann stop side-stepping the issue and air a correction and apology TONIGHT!.

UPDATE: Grimsley and his attorney are now claiming that the L.A. Times story naming Clemens and Pettite is inaccurate as to the names of the players named in the redacted affadavit.

Posted by Robert Cox | Permalink | Comments (45) | | View blog reactions

45 Comments

By Culann on October 3, 2006 12:08 PM

Good luck with that.

By G Monster on October 3, 2006 12:41 PM

Is KO still on the air?

By G Monster on October 3, 2006 12:47 PM

By taking steroids, the players that do so are casting a shadow over every player that plays. Makes you think that the old time players were better than the modern players, as the modern players need steroids to break the old records.

For the players that aren't on steroids and do break records, their credibility is called into question because of this shadow. It's very unfair to the players that aren't on steroids.

I would be very unhappy if I played in the major leagues and had this shadow cast on me, because of the bad apples. At least the non-steroid taking players can be happy that they don't have to live with the bad health effects of steroids.

By G Monster on October 3, 2006 12:52 PM

Of course I didn't watch KO yesterday, as I never do. But it sounds like he is getting ahead of the actual news again. How embarassing to look like an idiot on a subject that is so easy to be on the proper side.

If KO is out there accussing the wrong people again, he needs to issue a proper on air apology, right along with the apology he owes Chris Wallace for the monkey remark.

And I'm sure there are many apologies he owes the Bush administration. KO, please make the apologies real, or MSNBC will wake up someday, and put you on the Dan Rather network.

By G Monster on October 3, 2006 12:55 PM

KO,

I know you're reading this, so go ahead and apologize to Dick Cheney, and his injured hunting friend, for making jokes and having Dana Milbank in the hunting outfit. Also, Roger Ailes could use an apology for you calling him fat 10 times.

By 186k on October 3, 2006 12:57 PM

Olbermann a former sports "commentator/desk jockey" who can't even get a story in his own backyard correct. Athletes can't stand this guy and there is no way he will ever get a sports story. He is a laughing stock in the NY locker rooms for the guys left who remember him.
This guy is sensationalism and plagiarism on "steroids" !

By codas on October 3, 2006 12:57 PM

Of course I didn't watch KO yesterday, as I never do.
Posted by: G Monster at October 3, 2006 12:52 PM

Then you really can't make any judgements on what he is saying, only go along with his critics who hate him mostly because he is "not one of them".

By eddiebear on October 3, 2006 1:04 PM

Also, what about Olby and David Shyster apologizing to George Allen for deliberately hacking up that quote last week by that lady?

That'll happen about the same time he stops chasing 22 year old grad students.

By G Monster on October 3, 2006 1:05 PM

Codas,

I have to say, you are as passionate about defending KO as Robert Cox is passionate about his website. You do bring up a good point.

In my defense, on occassion, I do go to KO's site, after reading what Robert Cox has typed here.

I always find that Robert Cox has done a great job, of portraying KO's show on this website. I will take a quick look at KO's site right now, and if Robert Cox is wrong, I will give you an apology. Fair Enough?

By Robert Cox on October 3, 2006 1:16 PM

Just to be clear here:

KO ran this story back in June. I have linked/excerpted the transcript from June 9th, 2006.

The LA Times story clearing Chris Mihlfeld - and by extension Pujols - ran over the weekend. I have linked that as well.

What I am pointing out is that whatever excuse KO wants to offer for having aired a segment defaming Mihlfeld and Pujols (despite his source - Deadspin - saying quite clearly that even they were not entirely confident of their source) he now knows full well that the segment he ran on June 9th was wrong with regards to Mihlfeld and Pujols. He knew that yesterday. He knows this and yet refuses to run a correction and apologize - even after his "source" the original story has retracted their claim and apologized.

And that, my friends, sums up Olbermann's journalistic ethics in a nutshell - lift crap from the web, toss it and the camera and then let someone else worry about cleaning up the mess. Truly, Keith is the Edward R. Murrow of our time.

By G Monster on October 3, 2006 1:18 PM

Sorry, Codas. No apology coming.

I took a gander. KO showed lots of faces and named lots of names. I don't know who is who as I don't follow baseball that closely.

These players have familes, friends and all. If you're not sure of something, as KO stated, why put these guys through the humiliation.

By Robert Cox on October 3, 2006 1:23 PM

For those of you who are interested in me, personally, rather than Olbermann you might enjoy this article in the USA TODAY which ran in this morning's edition in which I am quoted:

Courts are asked to crack down on bloggers, websites
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2006-10-02-bloggers-courts_x.htm

By Billy on October 3, 2006 1:37 PM

So Olbermann got the story completely wrong again. It might be more newsworthy if he actually got something right!

By G Monster on October 3, 2006 1:42 PM

Hey Robert,

Interesting story. Shouldn't the media be held to the same standard as the bloggers?

By cee on October 3, 2006 1:46 PM

I know! I know! I know how to prod Olbyboob.....

Hey, Mr. Olbermann......You'd be the better man, couragous, genuine, for admitting your mistake. In contrast to MISTER Bush, the coward, who doesn't admit mistakes, you'd be better than him.

Pleeeeeese!

By G Monster on October 3, 2006 1:50 PM

Codas,

I do understand that baseball players make more than most americans, but the business they are in just happens to pay more than most.

They have to play and stay in opposing cities, where they are harrassed by opposing fans and have to keep thier cool.

The better they are, most likely, the more harrasment and media spotlight(some good, some bad) they receive.

They have to travel consistently throughout the season. Yes, they also get the glory and the money. I'm just saying be fair to them.

By G Monster on October 3, 2006 2:00 PM

Don't get me wrong, that's why fans pay good money to go to the games to yell at the other team and get thier aggressions out.

I couldn't stand Karl Malone until he became a Laker. Then all of a sudden, I'm wearing a Karl Malone jersey when I play bball.

I wonder if Hillary Clinton switched to the republican party if I'd root for her?

Posting on blogs is like a free ticket to the ballgame. Let's root for our team and argue, but let's keep it civil. (No throwing sodas)

By codas on October 3, 2006 2:14 PM

I wonder if Hillary Clinton switched to the republican party if I'd root for her?

Posted by: G Monster at October 3, 2006 02:00 PM

Doubt it.

By codas on October 3, 2006 2:16 PM

I would trade Keith for Monica Crowley.

By scot on October 3, 2006 2:23 PM

I do watch olbermann's show occasionaly and am always amazed that some people actually take him seriously. Olbermann will never apoligize to any of the people he has slandered on his show because, like all liberals, he thinks he is superior to everyone else and always right. Liberals like olbermann believe that the american people are idiots who are incapable of thinking for themselves so they think they can get away with so called journalism like olbermanns. So good luck on getting your apology, but i'll be surprised if you do.

By c on October 3, 2006 2:34 PM

Posted by: scot at October 3, 2006 02:23 PM

Have you ever watched Fox? Talk about arogance. Apoligies? They slander everyday. Like all liberals? You have been watching Hannity too much. Can't wait till the war on Christmass starts.

By Bill O'lielly on October 3, 2006 2:35 PM

OK folks let's work this out and be objective. When Mark Mcgwire was on the A's he was close friends with the guy from Balco, he in turn showed Jeremy and Jason Giambi how the effects of steroids would help their career. The Giambi brothers both went on to use steroids. Several years later Mccwire was dealt to the Cardinals where there was another young promising 1B man waiting in the wings.. his name Albert Pujols. Pujols was not considered to be a can't miss prospect and his minor league numbers certainly would not indicate he was the type of player he has turned out to be. I have no doubt that Pujols has used some type of item to build his bulk. His transformation is not as noticable as Mcgwire or Bonds but it is fairly obvious if you look at Pujols in his rookie year. This story is a lot like the trouble that Rather and Mapes got in over the Bush National Guard issue. The facts were never denied only the presentation. Did you folks demand Bill O'Reilly retract his comments about Malmedy ? I didn't think so.

By G Monster on October 3, 2006 2:57 PM

O'Lielly,

I though Bill O'Reilly already cleared up the Malmedy thing. From what I've read it was a mistake on his part and should be cleared up if it hasn't already.

How's that?

By Anonymous on October 3, 2006 3:04 PM

HASTERT DEFENDS HANDLING OF FOLEY CASE

-- Handling Scandels Different Than Handling Pages --

WASHINGTON -- House Majority Leader John Boehner called for the resignation of House Speaker Dennis Hastert saying, the Speaker told him last spring that a Louisiana page's complaint about Foley had been taken care of. Defending his handling of the case Hastert said, "Last spring when this egregious offense was first reported, I was not about to allow the minority political party to politicize this unfortunate event with politics -- and don't forget, it's all about the children."
.

By G Monster on October 3, 2006 3:04 PM

Dan Rather...

Let's start with when he confronted Nixon. From what I've read it wasn't his turn to ask the question, but he stepped ahead of many other reporters and then got in Nixon's face.

This brought him notoriety and eventually got him the anchor chair at CBS. Smart move on Dan Rather's part. Whether or not the National Guard story is true, the fact that Dan Rather wanted to present it regardless of the facts because he thought it would sway the election, led to Dan Rather's downfall and disgrace.

I would guess the incident will be discussed in journalism school for the next 50 years on how not to do journalism.

By scot on October 3, 2006 3:08 PM

Yes, c, i have watched fox and cnn and cnbc and c-span and read websites ranging from daily kos to hugh hewitt. I came to my conclusions about liberals, like keith olberman,(it's unfortunately necessary to point out that he is a liberal because he won't do so himself, something common among all liberals) by actually listening to liberals.

By codas on October 3, 2006 3:19 PM

scot

Cool. I came to a different conclusion. What does "conservative" mean anyway? I used to think I knew. I know that liberals are all supposed to be godless socialists. But aren't conservatives supposed to conserve? Like the budget. Constitutional integrity. Moral values. Why aren't they doing that anymore?

By Anonymous on October 3, 2006 3:37 PM

FOX NEWS, FLA PAPERS HELD FOLEY STORY

-- Liberal Main Stream Media Drops Ball Again --

WASHINGTON -- FOX News, along with two Florida newspapers, The St. Petersburg Times and The Miami Herald, had copies last year of emails written from Congressman Mark Foley to a Louisiana boy, but chose not to run the story. FOX news spokeswoman Irena Briganti released a statement saying, "At the time, we decided not to run the story in favor of allowing House republicans to conduct their own internal investigation -- and as you can see, just like the majority party's overseeing of Iraq, everything has worked out just fine."
.

By Bill O'lielly on October 3, 2006 3:43 PM

Scot.... Really,, so a progressive is not a liberal ? I am a progressive, however if you like I will gladly accept the liberal label. Liberal comes from Liberate.. I guess that concept escapes you ? So, us liberals should not call conservatives conservative, but we should call them reactionaries ? The point is who gives a goddamn what you call yourself. The vast majority of advancements in the last 50 years have come from liberal thought.

By scot on October 3, 2006 4:03 PM

I agree bill, that in everyday life it does'nt matter what you call yourself, but it does matter in the media. We all know that the media(from liberal msnbc to conservative talk radio) has enormous power and influence and, for the most part, tells us only what they want us to know. So i think we would all be better served if liberals and conservatives(all four of them) in the media would just be honest about where they are coming from instead of hiding behind phony impartiality. Also, congratulations on accepting the liberal label. Since you are obviously very brave, i'm going to send you a "I LOVE PAT ROBERTSON" bumper sticker to display proudly on your hybrid.

By scot on October 3, 2006 4:04 PM

By John on October 3, 2006 4:05 PM

So, judging by the title of this thread and the complaints of a few of the recent posters, we're to assume Keith owes Pujols no apology because he played on the same team at the start of his career as Mark McGwire, and therefore guilt-by-association rules apply. That's even though the complaint is not manily about Albert, it's that the trainer named by the website and then by Keith was not the trainer who was name was actually redacted on the document. By leaving that uncorrected Olbermann slanders Mihlfeld and by inferrence, Pujlos.

As far as I know, Albert Pujols is not a member of the Republican Party, so it's not as if Keith can't go on the air an issue a correction and apology to Mihlfeld and Pujols and be afraid that the Kos and MoveOn.org types are suddenly going to see him as some sort of sell-out to the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy (well, maybe any MoveOn types who are Cubs or Astros fans might still see it that way). Not apologizing for a sladerous statement here isn't a matter of politics; its a matter of Keith's ego being too big too admit he grabbed a jucy online story without fact-checking it and ran it on a national cable newscast.

By scot on October 3, 2006 4:06 PM

sorry 'bout the double post.

By Anonymous on October 3, 2006 4:53 PM

BUSH FAVORS FOLEY INVESTIGATION, NOW THAT STORY IS OUT

-- Regrets Republican Coverup Didn't Last Past Midterms --

STOCKTON, CA -- President Bush said Tuesday he was "dismayed and shocked" at disgraced lawmaker Mark Foley's behavior and supports House Speaker Dennis Hastert's call for a full investigation. "But what you gotta do, you understand, is look beneath the silver linings concerning these sorts of scandelers," said Bush, "The good news is that even though Congressman Foley as a gay man somehow infiltrated our grand oil party, his misdeeds will serve to support the time-honored republican belief that gays are sexual predators -- and that'll energize our voting base."

By Anonymous on October 3, 2006 5:08 PM

Keith Olbermann owes many people an appology...

By cee on October 3, 2006 6:21 PM

You know Anon......I appreciate the need for the far left to demonize, but do you have anything constructive to add other than stereotypes and stupid attacks on people who believe differently than you do.....I thought liberals were tolerant of people?

If I post information regarding facts about sexual proclivity and it's links to pedophilia or hebephilia and all I get are attacks that I'm anti-gay....I say....why try to discuss it!

A "silver-lining" to child abuse is a sad commentary. If Democrats see an advantage to this scandal, shame on them.

By E.G.Yabochuk on October 3, 2006 11:34 PM

And the Olberwench is usually the one ironically screaming of witchhunts...Hope our bespectacled dandy is ready to eat crow on this one. You don't mess with baseball people unless you got facts. The firefight is about to start.

By Anonymous on October 3, 2006 11:42 PM

Hello?

By Colbert on October 4, 2006 12:13 AM

Robert,
The U.S. Attorney handling the case sais the L.A. Times report had "significant inaccuracies." Grimsley and his lawyer also claim the report is wrong. You might not want to use that report as absolute fact to claim anything contradicted by it is absolutely wrong.

By Robert Cox on October 4, 2006 12:47 AM

Colbert,

Are you in such need to reflexively defend Keith Olbermann that you cannot even acknowledge when he screwed up in a matter that has nothing to with partisan politics?

I am aware of this new development and have linked that story via ESPN. I will keep an eye on it. So far they are only saying that that players mentioned are not entirely accurate. That is a lot of wiggle room; and no one mentioned Chris Mihlfeld at all.

While this might indicate a problem in my reporting if I had made any definitive claims of my own. I didn't . What the ESPN story makes clear is that no one not directly involved with the case appears to know WHO is mentioned in that affadavit. If you will take off your blinders for a moment you might be able to see that whether the L.A. Times story is right or the D.A., Grimsley and his attorney are right, Keith is most definitely WRONG.

Keith based his original segment on a source that stated up front that they were not totally sure of their source, Further, Keith's source has since retracted its original claims and apologized. Now we have two conflicting accounts of the names in the affadavit but neither account mentions Albert Pujols or Chris Mihlfeld. Whichever one turns out to be right, Keith is wrong. He ran with a story that did not meet the most basic standards of journalism, it has now turned out that his own source has impeached itself and yet he has failed to run a correction.

You seem to want to argue that it could turn out that Albert Pujols and Chris Mihlfeld ARE mentioned elsewhere in the affadavit or that even if they are not mentioned that they are also both guilty anyway. While anything is possible, this is not considered ethically sound reporting and does not meet ANY commonly accepted standards of good journalism.

He still needs to run a correction/apology.

By Cecelia on October 4, 2006 8:26 AM

I'm so glad someone is holding this hideous man's feet to the fire in the way that he claims to be doing for O'Reilly and Fox.

I thought it was horrible too, when Olbermann wrote as Bloggermann, that Lance Armstrong probably did take steroids because Lance had once crossed a picket line after he had said he would not.

By Erie Bob Olberloon on October 4, 2006 11:50 AM

"I thought it was horrible too, when Olbermann wrote as Bloggermann, that Lance Armstrong probably did take steroids because Lance had once crossed a picket line after he had said he would not."

Why is it "horrible" that the "hideous" Olbermann would speculate based on behavior rather than physical clues? Or do you mean it is just horrible to speculate about that at all? I think people who know steroids will tell you aside from tests, the behavioral clues are really almost the strongest indicators you get. When that Mennonite dude fired the water bottle at reporters for getting too close to him after winning his big stage, you had to think... hmmm, a usually mild-mannered mennonite in a joyous situation acting like an angry gorilla, hmmm....

Lance has a bit of a reputation for erratic behavior around events as well. I think anyone who follows the sport religiously believes that most riders are on what they call "the big T" most of the time. They make a science of timing their usage so they are below the legal threshold (which is something like 4x normal) when they get tested. Sometimes they goof or make a mistake in their doping regimen that gets them busted.

By Cecelia on October 4, 2006 12:15 PM

EBO,

Just call me too moral and ethical....but I'd think that before a cable news anchorman on a cable news blog rendered up speculation on what could be a career ending matter, that he'd have a bit more evidence than "erratic behavior".

By Erie Bob Oberloon on October 4, 2006 1:28 PM

"Just call me too moral and ethical...."
Whew, can't drop it eh? I see. Morals and ethical concerns are important when we are talking about opinion journalism. In other unnamed, unknown places they bespeak a dangerous kind of highminded simplicity. K.

"...a cable news blog rendered up speculation on what could be a career ending matter."

Pujols career can be ended by the admittedly speculative opinion comments of sportscasters? Not yet. Give us a few years of Bush and Nancy Grace, and maybe. But not yet.

By Cecelia on October 4, 2006 1:32 PM

"Pujols career can be ended by the admittedly speculative opinion comments of sportscasters? Not yet. Give us a few years of Bush and Nancy Grace, and maybe. But not yet."

Ethics or morality..not withstanding...

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