Editorial: Zeroing in on steroid use

Friday, March 31, 2006 | 7:10 a.m.

When news of the book about San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds and his alleged steroid use made the papers earlier this month, and excerpts began appearing in Sports Illustrated, Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig had no comment.

That changed Thursday. With "Game of Shadows," authored by two San Francisco Chronicle reporters, hitting the newsstands this week, Selig had plenty to say.

"Nothing is more important to me than the integrity of the game of baseball," Selig said in announcing an investigation into the book's allegations.

Selig appointed former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell to head the investigation of Bonds and other players. Mitchell of Maine is also a former federal prosecutor and earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his achievements in international diplomacy. He sits on the boards of many large companies and is a current director of the Boston Red Sox and past director of the Florida Marlins. For the past two years he has been chairman of the Walt Disney Co., whose subsidiary, ESPN, broadcasts many baseball games.

We believe Selig made a good choice in Mitchell to lead baseball's inquiry. We look forward to a full and public accounting of performance-enhancing drug use in the major leagues, and a plan to rid the sport of this taint for all time.