Some of baseball's most prominent stars, including Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, were swept up in a steroid probe that serves as a stinging indictment for the sport's rampant drug culture.

Inquiry chief George Mitchell said Thursday there has been anabolic steroid use for over 10 years and that all 30 Major League Baseball teams have one or more players using performance-enhancing drugs.

"The evidence we uncovered indicates this is not an isolated problem involving a few players and clubs. Many players were involved," Mitchell said.

Besides Clemens and Bonds, Andy Pettite, Miguel Tejada, Wally Joyner, Dave Justice, Paul Lo Duca, Kevin Brown, Jason Giambi, Troy Glaus, Benito Santiago, Gary Sheffield, and Eric Gagne are among the close to 80 former and current players named in the report.

"For more than a decade there has been widespread use of illegal substances in pro baseball," Mitchell said.

The release of the findings of former US senator Mitchell ends 20 months of speculation about some of the players who used drugs to boost their performance on the field.

Mitchell called for baseball's drug testing to be stepped up and made recommendations for change to prevent future abuse. He also called for baseball to create a department of investigations.

Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig hailed the Mitchell Report as a watershed moment adding he plans to punish current players named as drug users on a case-by-case basis.

"His report is a call to action and I will act," Selig said. "I will deal with active players identified as users of performance-enhancing substances.

"Discipline of players and others will be determined on case-by-case basis. If action is needed it will be taken."

Selig said he agrees with Mitchell's recommendations in the report and says he has already acted on one of them.

Selig said teams would no longer be given 24-hours notice that testing is to begin.

Donald Fehr, executive director of the player's union, blasted Mitchell's handling of the report. Fehr questioned the credibility of the sources and wondered why the union brass wasn't given copies of the report in advance.

"We requested a number of times over the summer the names of the individuals," Fehr said. "People should consider the reliability of the sources."

Mitchell's report didn't make any recommendations on what type of punishment those named should face saying that is up to the commissioner.

But it did shed some light on how baseball ignored performance-enhancing drugs for years and the players' union's attempts to scuttle the investigation.

Mitchell's report, which includes copies of checks allegedly used to buy performance-enhancing drugs, met fiery resistance from the players.

"There has been a lot of speculation about the names in this report," Mitchell said. "It is appropriate and necessary to include them in this report. Use of steroids in Major League Baseball was widespread and response was slow and initially ineffective."

Because of the difficulties in interviewing current players who were refused to talk, Mitchell said much of his report is based on information gathered from managers, general managers, former players, strength coaches and especially ex-New York Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski.

Radomski pleaded guilty in a separate investigation earlier this year to providing players with performance-enhancing drugs between 1985-1995. As part of a plea bargain, Radomski provided a list of names to Mitchell.

The report details Clemens and Pettite's relationship with former Toronto and New York Yankee strength trainer Brian McNamee. The report claims McNamee admitted administering drugs into the buttocks of Clemens.

Four-time all-star Tejada was traded Wednesday by the Baltimore Orioles to the Houston Astros.

The release of the Mitchell Report comes less than a month after Bonds, the sport's all-time home run king, was indicted on four counts of perjury and one for obstruction of justice.

Bonds pleaded not guilty to the charges.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said President George W. Bush is eager to see what is in the report. President Bush is a former co-owner of the Texas Rangers.

"The president looks forward to seeing the report," Perino said. "He hopes this report marks the beginning of the end of steroid abuse."