It's about time.

Former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell's report on drug use in baseball has linked 85 players to the illegal use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs.

Many are referring to the Mitchell report as one of the darkest days in baseball. But it could be perhaps one of the brightest. Major League Baseball has the opportunity to turn this in to the beginning of the end of baseball's acceptance of the steroid scourge.

"The illegal use of performance-enhancing substances poses a serious threat to the integrity of the game," the report said. "Widespread use by players of such substances unfairly disadvantages the honest athletes who refuse to use them and raises questions about the validity of baseball records."

There are a combination of factors that got baseball to this low point. A weak commissioner, a strong player's union, egos, a love affair with the home run, and huge contracts -- which are negotiated using player statistics as leverage.

Ten more homers and 25 more RBI's a year could mean the difference between a $5 million contract and a $15 million contract. A couple extra mph on the fastball -- same thing.

Baseball's willingness to allow the known problem to fester over a generation of ballplayers is troubling.

Those watching Game 1 of the 1988 World Series will always remember a gimpy Kirk Gibson circling the bases after a dramatic pinch-hit, game-winning home run.

That game also featured an interview with Oakland Athletics star Jose Canseco, who was being questioned about his alleged use of steroids.

That was nearly two decades ago.

That was just a few months after Olympic sprinter Ben Johnson of Canada was stripped of a gold medal for testing positive for steroids. Johnson was banned from his sport for using stanozolol, the same steroid that San Francisco Chronicle reporters Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams claim Barry Bonds started on after the 1998 season.

Baseball did not impose penalties on steroid use until September 2002. It began testing in 2004, but with relatively mild punishments.

To say that baseball has dragged its feet on this issue is a grand understatement.

Why has baseball waited so long to take this dramatic step?

They've never been forced to -- until recently. Congress began to get involved last year, books have been written, columnists have been taking their shots. Most importantly, the fans are having their say, whether they choose appropriate channels or not. They're holding up placards emblazoned with asterisks. They're tossing syringes on the field. Frankly, Major League Baseball has finally been shamed into doing something about its rampant steroid use.

Some will lament the forever tarnished images of their favorite players -- some who may be kept out of the Hall of Fame.

Others realize it's time to tell the truth and let the repercussions take their course. Perhaps that will lead to some meaningful testing programs, fitting punishments, education and -- someday -- a renewed credibility.