Major League Baseball has a real problem on its hands.
Eight players have been suspended so far this year for failing PED drug tests.
That is a remarkable number of players being suspended when MLB thought it had contained the problem with more testing and longer suspensions.
Reports indicate that Los Angeles Dodgers relief
pitcher Josh Ravin was suspended 80 games on Monday for using a banned
substance. Yahoo Sports said this is the sixth major leaguer to
face discipline for performance-enhancing drugs this season.
Ravin, who is on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster but has
spent the year on the disabled list after breaking his non-throwing left
arm in a car accident during spring training, tested positive for a
banned peptide, according to sources.
His suspension comes on the heels of 80-game bans for Marlins' Dee Gordon, Blue Jays' Chris Colabello Indians' center fielder Abraham Almonte and Philadelphia reliever
Daniel Stumpf were hit with 80-game suspensions. Famously, New
York Mets reliever Jenrry Mejia received a lifetime ban in February for a
third positive test.
Mejia claimed it was an MLB conspiracy against him. Many of the others did not know how a banned substance got into their body. But it comes down to the possibility that the players were taking "supplements" as part of their routine.
Supplements are often not regulated by the FDA. Supplements may contain substances that are not in the label, or disguised by long, rambling chemical names. The punishment for using banned substances is strict liability: the players are charged with knowing what goes into their bodies.
But players are not thinking clearly. Incident after incident shows that ingesting supplements can lead to failed drug tests. But players continue to take supplements because they need an edge, physically or mentally, to compete for a major league roster position.
In Gordon's case, the risk reward was apparently worth it. He signed a $50 million extension. His drug suspension will cost him about $1.6 million. When there is so much guaranteed money at stake, players will risk getting caught if they can get a huge payday.
That is why some major league players want their union to agree to stronger punishments for offenders, from year long suspensions to permanent bans. The owners are mulling a provision to void a long term contract for any suspended player, but the players union and agents will fight that proposal.
But with a compelling season of excellent baseball stories in April, the league does not need a repeat of the daily stories and whispers during the Steroid Era. Cheating continues to be a real problem for major league baseball.
Showing posts with label PED. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PED. Show all posts
May 3, 2016
February 14, 2015
A-ROID
Alex Rodriguez apparently apologized this week to his team.
Whether the Yankees want or need A-Rod back in the fold is the $60 million question.
$60 million is what A-Rod is owed on his deal. It may be more with home run bonus clauses. The Yankees have tried to find a way out of the contract, claiming A-Rod breached it, but MLB and the players union would probably not allow it.
Rodriguez is 39. He played in only 44 games last season. He hit .244.
He is the poster child for cheating, PED use. He apologized once before, and kept on using by all accounts in the Biogenesis scandal.
So why would the Yankees want an old, drug broken cancer in their clubhouse?
Rodriguez wants to play and he will probably fight his way through the door.
But the team does not have to allow it. They can pay him off and cast him aside like many other aged, dead money ball players.
The Yankees are all about pride and winning. The team has finished second and third in the AL East the last two seasons, with win totals around 84.5.
Most people in NY believe A-Rod can't field well anymore. He is a defensive liability. At best, he would be a DH. But a DH with probable limited power. But the team already has Garrett Jones and Chris Young to platoon at DH.
It is how much of a media circus the Yankees are willing to take in 2015.
If baseball really wants to send a message about the steroid era, A-Rod should never play another game. But in essence, A-Rod still wins by cheating: he gets paid for his past enhanced performance.
Whether the Yankees want or need A-Rod back in the fold is the $60 million question.
$60 million is what A-Rod is owed on his deal. It may be more with home run bonus clauses. The Yankees have tried to find a way out of the contract, claiming A-Rod breached it, but MLB and the players union would probably not allow it.
Rodriguez is 39. He played in only 44 games last season. He hit .244.
He is the poster child for cheating, PED use. He apologized once before, and kept on using by all accounts in the Biogenesis scandal.
So why would the Yankees want an old, drug broken cancer in their clubhouse?
Rodriguez wants to play and he will probably fight his way through the door.
But the team does not have to allow it. They can pay him off and cast him aside like many other aged, dead money ball players.
The Yankees are all about pride and winning. The team has finished second and third in the AL East the last two seasons, with win totals around 84.5.
Most people in NY believe A-Rod can't field well anymore. He is a defensive liability. At best, he would be a DH. But a DH with probable limited power. But the team already has Garrett Jones and Chris Young to platoon at DH.
It is how much of a media circus the Yankees are willing to take in 2015.
If baseball really wants to send a message about the steroid era, A-Rod should never play another game. But in essence, A-Rod still wins by cheating: he gets paid for his past enhanced performance.
August 7, 2013
A-ROID
In each generation, there is a new wave of baseball players at the major league level. In many eras, the wave matched the new immigration patterns in American society.
The present wave of new ballplayers are from Latin America. The Hispanic population in the United States is the fastest growing segment.
Teams have been scouting international players like gold miners in the 1850s. Players in poorer nations could be signed for less money than college or American high school players. But even that is shifting with the new CBA rules.
There is a new culture coming to American baseball based upon the influx of foreign talent. One has to consider that in many foreign countries, steroids, HGH and PEDs are not illegal or regulated substances as they are here in the United States. As such, young players in the Dominican, Venezuela, Mexico, etc. have access to performance enhancing drugs. It may become part of their work routine. Because just as a major league salary is a life changing economic event, a mere $50,000 signing bonus can be a life changing event for a poor family in the Caribbean. The incentive is the same in both places: teams value performance.
In the Biogenesis suspensions, the vast majority of players were foreign Hispanic players. This is not to say that other ethic groups in sports do not use PEDs. There was a clear concentration of Hispanic baseball players using the Biogenesis clinic. In some ways, it is not surprising. Men in similar cultures will congregate together including off-season work outs. Living in Miami makes sense because it is the flight hub to Latin America and the Caribbean.
Bud Selig thought he had put enough fear of god in players after the first wave of steroid scandal which had the McGwires finally admit their cheating. But Selig underestimated the new culture that would surge into the majors from foreign soil This wave of Latin players brought with them their culture of PED use.
All players, and their agents, should know the drug testing rules. Ignorance is no defense. That is why MLB went so hard on Alex Rodriguez. Remember, A-Rod made a public admission that he briefly used steroids early in his career, but claimed he did not use it when he reached star status with Texas and the Yankees. Clearly, MLB disagrees. Rodriguez's press conference in Chicago was a farce. He had a chance to deny the charges, but declined to do so - - - instead hiding behind "the process."
The process will be arbitration. MLB wants the 211 game ban to stand as a deterrent to all players. A-Rod wants to continue playing because a) his career is winding down and b) he is 13 home runs away from a $6 million contract bonus for tying Willie Mays in career home runs. The Yankees would rather not pay Rodriguez any more money on his contract. But only a lifetime ban could void the contract (which is a third positive test under the current rules).
Most likely the arbitrator will look at the punishment schedule in the CBA and reduce A-Rod's suspension to 100 games for a second offense. He will probably play out this season and come close to his bonus HR number. He will have to sit out 3/4 of next season. At 39, it will be harder for him to compete at a high level if his body continues to break down with injuries.
This whole scandal gives baseball another black eye. But it will probably not stop the use of PEDs in the sport because the player incentive for million dollar contracts and bonus payments is too much of a temptation in relation to the current penalties.
The present wave of new ballplayers are from Latin America. The Hispanic population in the United States is the fastest growing segment.
Teams have been scouting international players like gold miners in the 1850s. Players in poorer nations could be signed for less money than college or American high school players. But even that is shifting with the new CBA rules.
There is a new culture coming to American baseball based upon the influx of foreign talent. One has to consider that in many foreign countries, steroids, HGH and PEDs are not illegal or regulated substances as they are here in the United States. As such, young players in the Dominican, Venezuela, Mexico, etc. have access to performance enhancing drugs. It may become part of their work routine. Because just as a major league salary is a life changing economic event, a mere $50,000 signing bonus can be a life changing event for a poor family in the Caribbean. The incentive is the same in both places: teams value performance.
In the Biogenesis suspensions, the vast majority of players were foreign Hispanic players. This is not to say that other ethic groups in sports do not use PEDs. There was a clear concentration of Hispanic baseball players using the Biogenesis clinic. In some ways, it is not surprising. Men in similar cultures will congregate together including off-season work outs. Living in Miami makes sense because it is the flight hub to Latin America and the Caribbean.
Bud Selig thought he had put enough fear of god in players after the first wave of steroid scandal which had the McGwires finally admit their cheating. But Selig underestimated the new culture that would surge into the majors from foreign soil This wave of Latin players brought with them their culture of PED use.
All players, and their agents, should know the drug testing rules. Ignorance is no defense. That is why MLB went so hard on Alex Rodriguez. Remember, A-Rod made a public admission that he briefly used steroids early in his career, but claimed he did not use it when he reached star status with Texas and the Yankees. Clearly, MLB disagrees. Rodriguez's press conference in Chicago was a farce. He had a chance to deny the charges, but declined to do so - - - instead hiding behind "the process."
The process will be arbitration. MLB wants the 211 game ban to stand as a deterrent to all players. A-Rod wants to continue playing because a) his career is winding down and b) he is 13 home runs away from a $6 million contract bonus for tying Willie Mays in career home runs. The Yankees would rather not pay Rodriguez any more money on his contract. But only a lifetime ban could void the contract (which is a third positive test under the current rules).
Most likely the arbitrator will look at the punishment schedule in the CBA and reduce A-Rod's suspension to 100 games for a second offense. He will probably play out this season and come close to his bonus HR number. He will have to sit out 3/4 of next season. At 39, it will be harder for him to compete at a high level if his body continues to break down with injuries.
This whole scandal gives baseball another black eye. But it will probably not stop the use of PEDs in the sport because the player incentive for million dollar contracts and bonus payments is too much of a temptation in relation to the current penalties.
August 5, 2013
DRUG SCANDAL FALL OUT
Major league baseball is supposed to announce numerous suspensions today. Yankees Alex Rodriguez is expected to be hit with a very long suspension (to a possible life time ban). A-Rod has vowed an appeal. The Yankees hope he will just go away.
The fall out of the drug suspensions will affect several pennant races. But this round of discipline is different because of one critical change in the baseball landscape: the players union told its members it will not defend players caught with PEDs. It is apparent that union leadership has heard a growing roar from players not taking PEDs that enough is enough. The drug cheaters are ruining the reputation of non-cheaters.
The reason why players take PEDs is simple: money. A minor league baseball player may make thousands of dollars. A player who makes it to the majors can make millions of dollars. If a player is in the top tier of the majors he can make hundreds of millions of dollars. Each step can raise one's economic circumstances by ten fold.
So there is a great temptation for players to use anything edge in order to perform at peak levels, even if the substance is banned by the league. But an entire underground business of creating designer drugs and beating drug tests has flourished for decades. This illegal operation has been funded by star athletes who want to get their edge and maintain it.
Bud Selig wants to have the legacy of cleaning up his sport. That is why the Rodriguez case was investigated by means of dubious league conduct. It has been alleged that the MLB purchased player medical records (which would have been a violation of federal and state privacy laws). It has been alleged that the league has sued and indemnified seedy operatives in these drug circles in order to get information. All these sleazy investigative techniques would run afoul of criminal laws, but MLB is not a government agency so state criminal laws do not apply. Just as the players thought the means justified the results, so did major league baseball investigators.
So any arbitration appeal will get messy. Major league baseball does not have clean hands in the matter. After the strike, it was the McGwire-Sosa home run record circus that got fans back into the stands. Since then baseball has prospered and ownership has made billions in dollars.
Some may consider a player from a poor family who will lose all salary for a suspension of 50 to 100 games unreasonable. But that is all part of the CBA and major league charter. Ignorance is no defense under the PED test program.
Many believe that the teams of suspended players do not have any accountability in the scandal. The only detriment is that the team will lose a star player for a long period of time. But the team can replace him on the roster. It get the payroll benefit of no salary obligations to the suspended player. But one must realize that everyone including the commissioner and the players work for the team owners. So within the realm of the baseball world, owners set most of the rules for their benefit.
But there is something else that is driving ownership to clean up the game. Congress came down hard on the league during the steroid era. America's pastime of taking steroids to improve performance had trickled down from pros to college and high school athletes. The alarm was that baseball had to clean up its own sport or Congress would. No sane person would want Congress to run their business, let alone walk their dog.
And there is another unmentioned issue that could adversely impact ownership during these drug scandals. If their employees (trainers, coaches, etc.) are enablers who help players juice then the federal prosecutors could try to make the case that the teams were running illegal criminal enterprises (the distribution and sale of illegal controlled substances) and under the RICO laws, owners could be subject to penalty forfeiture of the criminal enterprise . . . i.e. their franchises. No one has brought up in public this nuclear fall out event. But baseball's aggressive stance during this latest scandal has to have been made because of a far worse fate on the horizon.
In order for everyone to be accountable for illegal cheating, teams included, some have proposed that if a player is suspended for PED use, the team could not replace him on the 25 man roster. As a result, the team would suddenly be at a competitive disadvantage. Clean players would then have a personal stake in making sure the clubhouse is clean. Now, critics will say that will upset team chemistry. It will make teammates informants. But there is probably a majority of current players who do not want cheaters in the game so it really should not create that much conflict on teams. Teams would have to police their squads more thoroughly in order to maintain a competitive team to keep fan support via ticket sales. Instead of pocketing the saved salary from a suspended player, a team could have forfeit that money back into the league's drug prevention programs. Also, the teams would still have to carry the unpaid salary on the luxury cap spending books.
Baseball has taken the Biogenesis matter to the aggressive cliff of contractual accountability. But there is something that the national media has failed to catch. The clinic did not specialize in just baseball players. There are probably players from other major sports in those records. However, other sports such as football, soccer, etc. have had no indication that they would aggressively pursue any independent investigation of the clinic customers. These other sports would rather hide under a pillow until a positive drug test hits than be pro-active.
And the final nail in this coffin is the federal criminal investigation into Biogenesis. Investigators will comb through the clinic records, find out which athletes were customers, and try to trace the drug distribution network so it can be shut down. Again, the feds primary focus is to take down drug dealers and not users. But it a user interferes or obstructs an investigation, the government will go after the athlete hard (like in the Bonds case).
Selig may try to make the ultimate statement with a lifetime ban for A-Rod if it can be proven that Rodriguez interfered with baseball's investigation, destroyed records, lied to investigators, or tampered with witnesses. Baseball lifetime bans are not new. Pete Rose was banned for life because he violated the cardinal sin of the game: gambling on baseball. Selig is at the same crossroad today.
The fall out of the drug suspensions will affect several pennant races. But this round of discipline is different because of one critical change in the baseball landscape: the players union told its members it will not defend players caught with PEDs. It is apparent that union leadership has heard a growing roar from players not taking PEDs that enough is enough. The drug cheaters are ruining the reputation of non-cheaters.
The reason why players take PEDs is simple: money. A minor league baseball player may make thousands of dollars. A player who makes it to the majors can make millions of dollars. If a player is in the top tier of the majors he can make hundreds of millions of dollars. Each step can raise one's economic circumstances by ten fold.
So there is a great temptation for players to use anything edge in order to perform at peak levels, even if the substance is banned by the league. But an entire underground business of creating designer drugs and beating drug tests has flourished for decades. This illegal operation has been funded by star athletes who want to get their edge and maintain it.
Bud Selig wants to have the legacy of cleaning up his sport. That is why the Rodriguez case was investigated by means of dubious league conduct. It has been alleged that the MLB purchased player medical records (which would have been a violation of federal and state privacy laws). It has been alleged that the league has sued and indemnified seedy operatives in these drug circles in order to get information. All these sleazy investigative techniques would run afoul of criminal laws, but MLB is not a government agency so state criminal laws do not apply. Just as the players thought the means justified the results, so did major league baseball investigators.
So any arbitration appeal will get messy. Major league baseball does not have clean hands in the matter. After the strike, it was the McGwire-Sosa home run record circus that got fans back into the stands. Since then baseball has prospered and ownership has made billions in dollars.
Some may consider a player from a poor family who will lose all salary for a suspension of 50 to 100 games unreasonable. But that is all part of the CBA and major league charter. Ignorance is no defense under the PED test program.
Many believe that the teams of suspended players do not have any accountability in the scandal. The only detriment is that the team will lose a star player for a long period of time. But the team can replace him on the roster. It get the payroll benefit of no salary obligations to the suspended player. But one must realize that everyone including the commissioner and the players work for the team owners. So within the realm of the baseball world, owners set most of the rules for their benefit.
But there is something else that is driving ownership to clean up the game. Congress came down hard on the league during the steroid era. America's pastime of taking steroids to improve performance had trickled down from pros to college and high school athletes. The alarm was that baseball had to clean up its own sport or Congress would. No sane person would want Congress to run their business, let alone walk their dog.
And there is another unmentioned issue that could adversely impact ownership during these drug scandals. If their employees (trainers, coaches, etc.) are enablers who help players juice then the federal prosecutors could try to make the case that the teams were running illegal criminal enterprises (the distribution and sale of illegal controlled substances) and under the RICO laws, owners could be subject to penalty forfeiture of the criminal enterprise . . . i.e. their franchises. No one has brought up in public this nuclear fall out event. But baseball's aggressive stance during this latest scandal has to have been made because of a far worse fate on the horizon.
In order for everyone to be accountable for illegal cheating, teams included, some have proposed that if a player is suspended for PED use, the team could not replace him on the 25 man roster. As a result, the team would suddenly be at a competitive disadvantage. Clean players would then have a personal stake in making sure the clubhouse is clean. Now, critics will say that will upset team chemistry. It will make teammates informants. But there is probably a majority of current players who do not want cheaters in the game so it really should not create that much conflict on teams. Teams would have to police their squads more thoroughly in order to maintain a competitive team to keep fan support via ticket sales. Instead of pocketing the saved salary from a suspended player, a team could have forfeit that money back into the league's drug prevention programs. Also, the teams would still have to carry the unpaid salary on the luxury cap spending books.
Baseball has taken the Biogenesis matter to the aggressive cliff of contractual accountability. But there is something that the national media has failed to catch. The clinic did not specialize in just baseball players. There are probably players from other major sports in those records. However, other sports such as football, soccer, etc. have had no indication that they would aggressively pursue any independent investigation of the clinic customers. These other sports would rather hide under a pillow until a positive drug test hits than be pro-active.
And the final nail in this coffin is the federal criminal investigation into Biogenesis. Investigators will comb through the clinic records, find out which athletes were customers, and try to trace the drug distribution network so it can be shut down. Again, the feds primary focus is to take down drug dealers and not users. But it a user interferes or obstructs an investigation, the government will go after the athlete hard (like in the Bonds case).
Selig may try to make the ultimate statement with a lifetime ban for A-Rod if it can be proven that Rodriguez interfered with baseball's investigation, destroyed records, lied to investigators, or tampered with witnesses. Baseball lifetime bans are not new. Pete Rose was banned for life because he violated the cardinal sin of the game: gambling on baseball. Selig is at the same crossroad today.
July 23, 2013
INNOCENCE LOST
The Cubs trade of Matt Garza was lost in the big baseball news of yesterday.
No one saw it coming late yesterday afternoon that MLB had suspended Brewers OF Ryan Braun for the rest of the season (65 games) without pay. The shocking thing was that Braun accepted the suspension, but only admitted "he made some mistakes" in the past and left the Milwaukee clubhouse to avoid the press.
Yahoo Sports columnist Jeff Passan went off on Braun's conduct in his column today. He called him a self-centered liar and cheat. He was the ultimate self-protectionist. He took the deal to get ahead of the massive suspensions to come down later from the Biogenesis scandal. But Passan believes that Braun is not "sorry" for his actions, or even letting down his teammates and defenders.
Comments from fans on Milwaukee radio were very harsh. They were duped by Braun's strong denials during the first drug test appeal (which was tossed on a contract technicality). When he told the fans afterward that he had "proved his innocence," it seems that was another bold face lie. Brewer fans were angered by the fact that in retrospect, Braun burned the local drug test taker with malicious lies but gets to go home with the remaining $117 million contract as his security blanket. The face of the Brewers franchise is now closer to a mug shot.
Brewers GM Doug Melvin was terse with the media before last night's game. He was happy the suspension was done but he was blindsided by the news. Braun took the suspension in stride because he was probably going to be put on the DL anyway with a hand injury. Braun gets an extended vacation and will return in 2014. Melvin gritted his teeth when asked if Braun would continue to be the future of the Brewers. Melvin signed Braun to the huge extension that now looks worse the scandal itself. If Braun's consistent career MVP numbers were created in large part by HGH, steroids or some other PED, then Braun's return to the team could be a bad dead money contract if he hits .220 and his production fades away. The Brewers are stuck with Braun. He is untradeable. It will be hard to spin PR to change the negative attitude towards a patent liar.
The Brewers fans lost their naive innocence last night with Braun's suspension. It was a sucker punch in the throat. It will be hard to imagine that the blue collar folk will embrace such a stained role model next season.
ESPN commentators were of the opinion that there has been no incentive for players not to cheat. Melky Cabrera took his suspension last year and parlayed it into a multi-million deal with the Blue Jays, partly based on his previous juiced statistics. Braun gets a "light" 65 games without pay ($3.4 million) but he gets to keep the remaining $117 million, which in part was based upon his PED past. Unless players get "season long" or the possibility of a lifetime ban (like the gambling on baseball rule), there is no real disincentive not to cheat.
Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees will be the nuclear bomb in the scandal. If the reports are true, that MLB has a mountain of evidence against him from the Miami clinic, then A-Rod's huge contract could be essentially voided which would benefit the Yankees. A-Rod has already admitted to using PEDs in the past. Every team he has been on in his career has been tainted by the steroid era rumors. One would suspect that MLB will come down hard on A-Rod.
None of the players caught up in the Biogenesis scandal answered MLB investigators questions. That was their right under the CBA and law. But even the union president signaled last week that the union would not support an appeal of players who clearly violated the drug policy rules. The union head inferred that his recommendation to players would be cut "a plea deal" with MLB. Braun took that advice and cut a favorable outcome for himself. A move as Passan said was solely motivated to protect Braun from harsher penalties.
MLB has tried to clean up the sports image. But this latest round of PED allegations brings back the ugly cloud of suspicion and doubt of the steroid era back in every clubhouse.
No one saw it coming late yesterday afternoon that MLB had suspended Brewers OF Ryan Braun for the rest of the season (65 games) without pay. The shocking thing was that Braun accepted the suspension, but only admitted "he made some mistakes" in the past and left the Milwaukee clubhouse to avoid the press.
Yahoo Sports columnist Jeff Passan went off on Braun's conduct in his column today. He called him a self-centered liar and cheat. He was the ultimate self-protectionist. He took the deal to get ahead of the massive suspensions to come down later from the Biogenesis scandal. But Passan believes that Braun is not "sorry" for his actions, or even letting down his teammates and defenders.
Comments from fans on Milwaukee radio were very harsh. They were duped by Braun's strong denials during the first drug test appeal (which was tossed on a contract technicality). When he told the fans afterward that he had "proved his innocence," it seems that was another bold face lie. Brewer fans were angered by the fact that in retrospect, Braun burned the local drug test taker with malicious lies but gets to go home with the remaining $117 million contract as his security blanket. The face of the Brewers franchise is now closer to a mug shot.
Brewers GM Doug Melvin was terse with the media before last night's game. He was happy the suspension was done but he was blindsided by the news. Braun took the suspension in stride because he was probably going to be put on the DL anyway with a hand injury. Braun gets an extended vacation and will return in 2014. Melvin gritted his teeth when asked if Braun would continue to be the future of the Brewers. Melvin signed Braun to the huge extension that now looks worse the scandal itself. If Braun's consistent career MVP numbers were created in large part by HGH, steroids or some other PED, then Braun's return to the team could be a bad dead money contract if he hits .220 and his production fades away. The Brewers are stuck with Braun. He is untradeable. It will be hard to spin PR to change the negative attitude towards a patent liar.
The Brewers fans lost their naive innocence last night with Braun's suspension. It was a sucker punch in the throat. It will be hard to imagine that the blue collar folk will embrace such a stained role model next season.
ESPN commentators were of the opinion that there has been no incentive for players not to cheat. Melky Cabrera took his suspension last year and parlayed it into a multi-million deal with the Blue Jays, partly based on his previous juiced statistics. Braun gets a "light" 65 games without pay ($3.4 million) but he gets to keep the remaining $117 million, which in part was based upon his PED past. Unless players get "season long" or the possibility of a lifetime ban (like the gambling on baseball rule), there is no real disincentive not to cheat.
Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees will be the nuclear bomb in the scandal. If the reports are true, that MLB has a mountain of evidence against him from the Miami clinic, then A-Rod's huge contract could be essentially voided which would benefit the Yankees. A-Rod has already admitted to using PEDs in the past. Every team he has been on in his career has been tainted by the steroid era rumors. One would suspect that MLB will come down hard on A-Rod.
None of the players caught up in the Biogenesis scandal answered MLB investigators questions. That was their right under the CBA and law. But even the union president signaled last week that the union would not support an appeal of players who clearly violated the drug policy rules. The union head inferred that his recommendation to players would be cut "a plea deal" with MLB. Braun took that advice and cut a favorable outcome for himself. A move as Passan said was solely motivated to protect Braun from harsher penalties.
MLB has tried to clean up the sports image. But this latest round of PED allegations brings back the ugly cloud of suspicion and doubt of the steroid era back in every clubhouse.
June 5, 2013
NEVER ENDING SCANDAL
ESPN reports that the league office is putting together a case to suspend 20 major league baseball players for illegal use of performance enhancing drugs. The suspensions will not be for failed drug tests, but secondary evidence obtained from a closed "anti-aging" and wellness clinic in Florida called Biogenesis. The operator of the clinic has denied that he did anything wrong. There is a pending criminal investigation of the clinic and its operations but no one has been indicted to date.
In the past, Congress pressured MLB to clean up its sport during the home run happy steroid era. Teams took a blind eye to their players using steroids or HGH or other designer drugs created by chem labs like BALCO. The sport grew as offensive production grew. But one of the fall outs of the steroid era was that those same illegal drugs began to work their way into college and high school locker rooms. A serious public health issue resulted in government investigation and criminal prosecutions.
Today's athletics are all chasing the massive big money contracts of professional sports. Human nature is to find whatever edge there is out there to get to the top of your game. Teams expect their big money contract players to perform at the highest levels so they can get a return on their investment (wins and championships). Even when MLB got the players to agree to a testing program, it was watered down and weak. Until the requirement of random blood tests (to screen for hard to find human growth hormones and synthetic PEDs), the program was more for show and trapped only the real stupid player.
But now MLB is using the supplier (Biogenesis) to gather documentary evidence that major league players asked for and received banned substances which avoided MLB testing. Athletes and their legal counsel will challenge MLB's under the table evidence gathering as a violation of player's state and federal (HIPPA) medical privacy rights. They will also argue that such hearsay evidence is outside the scope of the CBA and the drug testing program so it cannot be used as means of suspending a player.
The problem of athletes using illegal drugs still persists at all levels. It was reported this week that potential number one draft pick Jonathan Gray allegedly tested positive for a non-perscribed Adderall, which is a ADD stimulant, that many athletes now use like players in the 1960s used uppers. There are a million (dollar) reasons why PED use could enhance the draft position of a player since the new CBA has a strict bonus cap program slotted to draft position. Even if true, many scouts believe that report would not affect Gray's draft status or position.
However, any time a player is connected to PED use, it should raise a red flag to ownership. Is it worth the risk to sign or draft a player with a PED past? Are you paying a contract based upon drug inflated performance numbers? If a player has used an illegal substance in the past, will he be likely to use it in the future (which could cost the team millions of dollars and the loss of the players services for 50 or 100 games)?
Then it gets down to the integrity of the sport itself. Baseball prides itself on its long history. It is the one sport whose basic rules have not changed over time. Baseball records are cherished comparisons between generations of fans. But as the steroid era sluggers get on the Hall of Fame ballot, there appears to be the some backlash from the voters. However, at that point, most players may not even care - - - they made tens of millions of dollars during their career so they do not need the validation of a HOF plaque to supplement their retirement income.
The cat and mouse, hide and seek nature of the drug use and drug testing in professional sports will be a never ending scandal because of the big money surrounding the athletes. The game rewards performance and cheating rewards performance.
In the past, Congress pressured MLB to clean up its sport during the home run happy steroid era. Teams took a blind eye to their players using steroids or HGH or other designer drugs created by chem labs like BALCO. The sport grew as offensive production grew. But one of the fall outs of the steroid era was that those same illegal drugs began to work their way into college and high school locker rooms. A serious public health issue resulted in government investigation and criminal prosecutions.
Today's athletics are all chasing the massive big money contracts of professional sports. Human nature is to find whatever edge there is out there to get to the top of your game. Teams expect their big money contract players to perform at the highest levels so they can get a return on their investment (wins and championships). Even when MLB got the players to agree to a testing program, it was watered down and weak. Until the requirement of random blood tests (to screen for hard to find human growth hormones and synthetic PEDs), the program was more for show and trapped only the real stupid player.
But now MLB is using the supplier (Biogenesis) to gather documentary evidence that major league players asked for and received banned substances which avoided MLB testing. Athletes and their legal counsel will challenge MLB's under the table evidence gathering as a violation of player's state and federal (HIPPA) medical privacy rights. They will also argue that such hearsay evidence is outside the scope of the CBA and the drug testing program so it cannot be used as means of suspending a player.
The problem of athletes using illegal drugs still persists at all levels. It was reported this week that potential number one draft pick Jonathan Gray allegedly tested positive for a non-perscribed Adderall, which is a ADD stimulant, that many athletes now use like players in the 1960s used uppers. There are a million (dollar) reasons why PED use could enhance the draft position of a player since the new CBA has a strict bonus cap program slotted to draft position. Even if true, many scouts believe that report would not affect Gray's draft status or position.
However, any time a player is connected to PED use, it should raise a red flag to ownership. Is it worth the risk to sign or draft a player with a PED past? Are you paying a contract based upon drug inflated performance numbers? If a player has used an illegal substance in the past, will he be likely to use it in the future (which could cost the team millions of dollars and the loss of the players services for 50 or 100 games)?
Then it gets down to the integrity of the sport itself. Baseball prides itself on its long history. It is the one sport whose basic rules have not changed over time. Baseball records are cherished comparisons between generations of fans. But as the steroid era sluggers get on the Hall of Fame ballot, there appears to be the some backlash from the voters. However, at that point, most players may not even care - - - they made tens of millions of dollars during their career so they do not need the validation of a HOF plaque to supplement their retirement income.
The cat and mouse, hide and seek nature of the drug use and drug testing in professional sports will be a never ending scandal because of the big money surrounding the athletes. The game rewards performance and cheating rewards performance.
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