Cincy Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo says he takes MLB banned supplements, and brazenly awaits the consequences. (USA Today)
Unless Arroyo is taking nasty stuff with honest to goodness 'roids, he is simply wasting his money. Caffeine may benefit his performance some, but really taking unproven, untested supplements that promise everything is simply foolish.
He shakes out the contents like a kid on Halloween night. There are different-colored pills, powders, liquids, proteins, caffeine concentrates and ginseng, products such as creatine, Triflex and xelR8 found at local vitamin stores. Most of the products have not been approved by Major League Baseball for use by players, Arroyo says. Some of the items have the potential to trigger a positive test under baseball's performance-enhancing drug policy. Arroyo takes them anyway.
"I have a lot of guys in (the locker room) who think I'm out of (my) mind because I'm taking a lot of things not on the (MLB-approved) list," Arroyo says. "I take 10 to 12 different things a day, and on the days I pitch, there's four more things. There's a caffeine drink I take from a company that (former teammate) Curt Schilling introduced me to in '05. I take some Korean ginseng and a few other proteins out there that are not certified. But I haven't failed any tests, so I figured I'm good."
News for Arroyo: You may not be crazy for all those supplements, but you are foolish. Most are not worth a damn thing. Sorry to bring science into superstition.
Comments