Several hours, miles and levels of baseball away, the reaction to the Mitchell report was felt.

Specifically in Auburn, where the game is huge both in the spring and the summer.

People in all levels of the game had similar reactions to the report on the illegal use of steroids and other performance-enhancing substances by Major league Baseball players that emerged on Thursday in the Mitchell Report.

“There's nothing that came out today that we were too surprised about,” Auburn Doubledays General Manager Carl Gutelis said.

“You've got to be disappointed with the findings, but it's something that was going on in baseball. It was a necessary thing that happened. Certainly, you wish that steroids weren't a part of baseball, but it was and it couldn't be ignored.”

“(The investigation) is something that has gone on for the last year and a half,” Doubledays manager Dennis Holmberg said.

“Major League Baseball had plenty of time to get their act together and this is what happened. This is something that will go down in the history of baseball.”

Steroids has affected baseball locally as well.

The most recent case was in April of 2006, when Doubledays pitcher Edward Rodriguez was suspended 50 games for violating baseball's minor league steroid policy. He served his suspension, returned to the team and spent last season with the Lansing Lugnuts.

In the 409-page report, the George Mitchell Commission spends three pages on the effects of young athletes, particularly high school players.

And while the steroid problem may not be as rampant at the high school level as it appears to be in the majors, it's hard not to see the connection.

“The impact on the kids is a negative thing,” Auburn varsity baseball coach TJ Gamba said.

“I wonder what kind of message this is going to send, that there might not be consequences for these players. Kids also look up to the revenue that major league baseball brings in and the money these players make, and it's not a good thing.”

As a college and now a second-year high school coach with Auburn, Gamba has never seen evidence of steroids use, which doesn't come as a surprise. “I spent four years at Ithaca and didn't see any evidence of it, not that I would as a coach,” Gamba said. “But I think that everyone is to blame at the major league level for the mess this has become and maybe, that's where the biggest hits are going to have to come.”

Using performance-enhancing drugs is primarily a way for players to get a leg up on competition, which heats up in high school and only increases with each level of play. At the minor league level, the competition is nearly as intense as it is in the majors.

“I think that there are people that are going to try and get around things and get an advantage, just like in a lot of other sports,” Gutelis said. “But it's good to see that baseball is working to not be so out of whack with the other leagues.”

“It's a shame,” Holmberg added. “Back 15-20 years ago, players were slim, trim and skinny. Now of course, there has been great emphasis and advancements in weight training, but when you start adding supplements and things like that, it gets out of control.”

When the smoke clears and punishments are either handed out or not, Gamba has a thought on how some of the players named in the report can begin to give back to kids that may have grown up watching them play.

“Maybe those people can take this opportunity to talk to kids about this a little bit, tell them why not to do steroids and give back to the community that way,” said Gamba, who also played in the minors before becoming a coach.

“What Major League Baseball does with this next is going to be big. Right now, this is a big newsmaker, because it's shocking, but hopefully they make some good choices and baseball gets back to being a family sport again.”