Steroid Nation

Reggie Jackson opines on steroid users in the baseball hall of fame: Keep 'em out

Reggie Jackson, a shirttail cousin of the embattled juicer Barry Bonds, give us his opinion on baseball 'roiders introduced into the Cooperstown Hall of Fame.

"...I am hoping that those guys that get caught don't get into the Hall of Fame."

There is plenty of wiggle room in Jackson's statement of make excuses for Cousin Barry.  However, it must gall the veterans to see the steroid-enhanced stats put up by the McGwires and Bonds of the recent baseball past.  To Bloomberg:

Reggie Jackson, a two-time World Series most valuable player, said there's no room in baseball's Hall of Fame for those who have used steroids.

"It bothers me," Jackson, 63, said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. "A lot of Hall of  Famers are very offended by this. I am starting to get affected and I am hoping that those guys that get caught don't get into the Hall of Fame." Jackson, who played for the New York Yankees from 1977 to 1981 and now serves as a special adviser to the team, also said he misses the old Yankee Stadium. The Yankees moved from the ballpark that was home to 26 World Series championship teams, including two of his own, to their new venue across the street.

"I never really saw the new stadium when they were building it," Jackson said. "I hung out at the old one. I had a difficult time leaving it. The last day I went out with a couple of friends and we walked around the stadium and I sat in the center field block with the fans and others and got a little teary-eyed."

Jackson, known as Mr. October after making history at the stadium as the only Major League Baseball player to hit three home runs in a World Series game, said he bought his old locker and the Yankee Stadium sign that was on top of the ballpark.

Interesting that Jackson has reversed  his stance on 'roids to a degree...to the degree that he supported Cousin Barry in the past.

Minnesota Vikings Williams's trump NFL drug policies; Other leagues come to NFL's defense

As noted over the weekend, a local Minnesota judge blocked the 2008 drug suspension of the two Minnesota Viking lineman Kevin and Pat Williams.  (To the AP)

A judge has blocked NFL plans to suspend Minnesota Vikings players Kevin Williams and Pat Williams.

Hennepin County District Judge Gary Larson on Thursday granted the players' motion for a temporary restraining order. That keeps the NFL from suspending them until their case is decided.

That may be a while. The judge also scheduled a hearing for July 22 on whether he should put state court proceedings on hold while a federal appeals court considers other issues in the case.

The defensive tackles tested positive last summer for a banned diuretic that can mask the presence of steroids, though they've never been accused of taking steroids.

The NFL had intended to enforce the Williamses' four-game suspensions at the start of the upcoming season.

Other professional leagues have now supported the NFL in attempting to discipline the Viking duo:

U.S. Olympic officials, Major League Baseball and other professional sports organizations are getting into the NFL's fight with two Minnesota Vikings linemen who were suspended for violating the league's anti-doping policy.

MLB, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey Association asked Monday for permission to file paperwork in federal court in support of the NFL, which wants to suspend the players for four games. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency filed a similar motion on its own.

Kevin Williams and Pat Williams, who are not related, have never been accused of taking steroids. The two linemen tested positive last summer for a banned diuretic, bumetanide, that can mask the presence of steroids. They took the weight-loss supplement StarCaps, which contained the diuretic but wasn't listed on the label.

The leagues contend their own drug testing programs would be affected if the linemen are allowed to fight their four-game suspensions in state court. USADA argues uniform rules are needed "to ensure a level playing field."

Jeremy Mayfield may be fighting speed, on and off the track

Top NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield was suspended form competition in early May.  However NASCAR releases almost no information on drug suspensions.  Mayfield, rumored to be positive for amphetamine fires back today.  Story at ABC News:

Suspended Sprint Cup driver Jeremy Mayfield has broken his silence, vehemently denying allegations of drug use and adamantly defending himself from recent NASCAR claims in an exclusive interview with ESPN.

It is Mayfield's first extensive public response since being suspended indefinitely from NASCAR competition on May 9, when NASCAR said he failed a random drug test the previous week in Richmond, Va. NASCAR later confirmed an ESPN The Magazine report that Mayfield had tested positive for methamphetamine.

A federal appeals court issued an injunction last week that lifted Mayfield's indefinite suspension. NASCAR appealed that ruling on Monday. Mayfield has not returned to the track.

Mayfield feels he was not given due process; he's mad and he's not taking it anymore:

"Every time there's an action [by NASCAR], there's going to be a reaction. From here on out," Mayfield said in a phone interview Wednesday from his home in Statesville, N.C. "I try to be nice. I try to be respectful to them. I try to do everything right. But I'm not getting drug through the mud no more."

Mayfield repeated his stance that he never took methamphetamine. He also said he no longer consumes alcohol, largely due to the fact, he said, his father was a "bad alcoholic." Asked if he had ever taken illegal drugs, Mayfield responded, "What are you calling illegal? I've drank beer. I don't drink beer at all anymore. I don't drink. Don't do anything."

He said he feels as though NASCAR is attempting to make an example of him.

"I feel like that's exactly what they thought I was going to be. Exactly. To a 'T,'" Mayfield said. "Now, all the sudden, Brian's [France, NASCAR's chairman] coming back saying, 'Well, we have positive tests all the time.' Well, if it's a zero-tolerance policy, how in the hell do you have people testing positive all the time?

"Then he comes back and says there's a list. I forget what big word he used -- an exhaustive list of drugs. Everybody in the world has asked him why the drivers don't have a list. What did he say? Now there's a list -- an exhaustive list. Right? Where's it at?

"It's bull----, man, and somebody needs to stand up and see through this. There's experts out everywhere saying the same thing I'm [saying]."

Mayfield points out inadequacy in the NASCAR drug testing policy:

To drive home his point, Mayfield cited quotes from a pair of drug experts, Dr. Gary Wadler of the World Anti-Doping Agency and Travis Tygart of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Both have recently questioned NASCAR's policy of not releasing its list of banned substances.

"I sit here listening to Brian [France] on a daily basis, defending their policy and talk about how thorough, accurate and fair it is. Then you turn right around and look at what, say, like, Dr. [Gary] Wadler, for example. Quote: 'Their policy is way, way behind those of other sports.'

Should be interesting to see where this challenge goes; NASCAR has not  been challenged successfully over time.

UK 800M champ Jemma Simpson looking for redemption, and weighing in on doping

After suffering stress fractures in her foot, British 800M runner Jemma Simpson is looking to get back on track during the UK's upcoming national trials.  A article in the Times documents her comeback. We look at her doping attitudes.

In Simpson's event -- the 800M -- Russians form a major component of the competition, and a major part of the doping contingent.  Her opinion:

It may be this optimism that informs her opinions about doping. The 1,500 metres, which is likely to be her ultimate destination, has been destroyed by Russian drug cheats. The IAAF, the world governing body, is awaiting the Court of Arbitration for Sport to decide whether to indulge Russia’s cynicism and backdate bans to free the cheats to compete at the World Championships in Berlin next month. With 29 Russians banned for doping, isn’t that depressing?

“No, it’s good,” Simpson said. “The more they catch, the better. You talk about it with other runners and you have suspicions, but you can’t let it affect you. It’s not a level playing field, but the more positive tests there are, the more likely we are to have a clean Games in 2012. You need the stigma. Japan never seems to have a problem and I think that’s probably because it would be considered a terrible thing there. That’s the way it has to be.”

What?  A country with honor?  Heresy.  And how about Dwain Chambers?

But what of Britain, given Dwain Chambers is vying for a place in the Great Britain team today? “I honestly don’t think British athletes are doping,” Simpson said. “Our controls are so strict now. It’s not the culture.”

She avoited that questions quite well...

Tour de France 2009 now detects Synacthene (ACTH) in dope testing

One of the stealth drugs to enhance cycling performance over the years , Synacthene (or Synacthen) will be detectable in the 2009 Tour de France.  Synacthene is ACTH or Adreno-cortical stimulating hormone.  The drug would stimulate the adrenal grand to pour out cortisol, a natural steroidal hormonal with multiple physiological effects.

Anecdotal evidence from cyclists using the drug say if used correctly the substance decreased last race inflammation, and improves performance; however street talk alos says that if used inappropriately the drug can decrease cycling efficiency.  Who knows..there ar no scientific studies of the agent.  To SBS:

Anti-doping authorities have perfected a new test capable of detecting the drug Synacthene and it is currently being used by doping controllers at the Tour de France, sources have told AFP.

The substance, a synthetic hormone also known as ACTH, has up to now proved virtually impossible to detect and evidence has been limited to allegations made by ex-users.

The new test has been perfected by specialists at the Anti-Doping Laboratory in Cologne and was tried out experimentally at German cycling events last year before being approved by the International Cycling Union (UCI) as part of its new battery of anti-doping measures.

"It is based on urine samples but can also be applied to blood samples," said Professor Mario Thevis, who developed the system.

"We prefer, however, urine because there are larger volumes and more samples available."

"Of course, Synacthene was considered relevant and important, but blood testing was not as frequent at that time and the first method was based on blood specimens," Prof Thevis said.

"Moreover, the collection and storage conditions were critical: nowadays everything is harmonised."

Experts say Synacthene has typically been used in association with anabolic steroids and testosterone, the cocktail of drugs being injected directly into a racer's body to boost resistance to pain and to enhance performance.

According to anti-doping expert Dr Jean-Pierre de Modenard, there is evidence of the drug having being used for many years - not just in cycling, but also in football.

Dr. de Modenard hopes the discovery will help fill one of the remaining gaps in knowledge relating to illegal susbtances.

"To state that only one percent of controls turn up positive is hypocritical, and this has been the perfect example of what happens when there is a lack of data," he said.

More Beijing Olympians tested positive for PEDs; Report says 1500M champ Rashid Tamzi included

The AP carries a story today of positive doping tests in the rerun of samples taken from the 2008 Beijing Olympics.  Apparently a rerun for CERA EPO netted a few more PED cheats, including the men's 1500M gold medal winner. These results ave been hinted at for weeks. (Let's Run link too)

An official familiar with the results tells The Associated Press that backup tests came back positive for 1,500-meter champion Rashid Ramzi and four others accused of doping at the Beijing Olympics.

The athletes tested positive for the blood-boosting drug CERA in retests of their "A" samples earlier this year, with the results announced in April.

The official told the AP on Wednesday that the "B" samples have been analyzed and confirmed the positive findings. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the results have not been announced.

The athletes face being stripped of results and medals.

The others are Italian cyclist Davide Rebellin, German cyclist Stefan Schumacher, Croatian runner Vanja Perisic and Greek walker Athanasia Tsoumeleka.

CERA EPO (the newer large molecule EPO) tends to be abused by endurance athletes.

Although this will not make as large a splash as Ben Johnson's Winny positive, an Olympic 1500 gold medalist positive for PED cheating is every bit as disgusting.

German speedskater on thin ice: Claudia Pechstein begins PED suspension

Olympic speed-skater Claudia Pechstein starts a two year ban based on blood doping, devined from her blood indices.  Considering Germany's awful past with doping, it is entirely  disconcerting for an elite German athlete to dope.  (AP)

Olympic speed-skating great Claudia Pechstein of Germany was banned for two years because of blood doping Friday and will miss the 2010 Vancouver Games.

The International Skating Union said Pechstein's blood profile indicated abnormal changes in a series of tests, in particular after the World Allround Championships in February. The governing body ruled after a two-day hearing.

The 37-year-old skater is a five-time Olympic gold medalist. She is banned until Feb. 9, 2011 and can appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Pechstein was stripped of her results in the 500-meter and 3,000-meter races Feb. 7 at the World Allround event, where she finished fifth and fourth, respectively.

Pechstein had hoped to compete in Vancouver for her sixth straight Winter Games. She won her first gold medal in the 5,000 in Lillehammer in 1994, and won at the same distance in Nagano in 1998 and Salt Lake City in 2002. She also won the 3,000 in Salt Lake City and was part of  Germany's winning team in the pursuit in Turin in 2006.

She also won two Olympic silvers and two bronze medals, including a third-place finish in the 5,000 at the 1992 Albertville Games, along with six world championship titles.

Manny Ramirez sneaks back from steroid suspension

As arguably baseball's biggest steroid suspension, Manny Ramirez accomplished an uneventful return to the LA Dodgers lineup on this 4th of July, 2009.  Appears that steroid and PED abuse is so prevalent that a large segment of the population just either doesn't care about cheating the game, or worse even encourages the bloating of players.  From Reuters:

Manny Ramirez made a low key return to the Los Angeles Dodgers line-up after serving a 50-game ban for a doping offense on Friday, the slugger going 0-for-3 during his team's 6-3 win over the San Diego Padres.

Playing for the first time since the suspension was handed out on May 7 for violating the Major League Baseball drug policy, Ramirez brought the Padres home Petco Park to its feet during his first at-bat, a first-inning walk.

The right-hander also grounded out twice and popped out before being replaced in left field by Juan Pierre in the bottom of the sixth.

"It was great. I was nervous at first but it was fine," Ramirez told reporters.

So many athletes abused PEDs and AASs that Ramirez should not become the poster boy for 'roiders; on the other hand it is amazing that baseball gave up a premier player...something the sport could not effect for Sosa, McGwire, and Bonds.

"It was great. I was nervous at first but it was fine," Ramirez told reporters.

"I want to thank my fans. I think they drove from (Los Angeles) just to watch me play and it was unbelievable. This team can do a lot of great things without me. I'm just trying to follow those guys."

With a large contingent of Dodger supporters making their way to the sold-out stadium of 42,217 fans, Ramirez was welcomed warmly for the most part with the applause drowning out the boos.

His much anticipated return included a pre-game news conference in which he apologized to fans and team mates but refused to answer questions about the banned substances that evoked his suspension.

"I don't want to get into (that)," Ramirez told reporters.

"I don't want to talk about my record. I just want to talk about the game. It was tough but it's over.

"I'm moving on."

Manny should move on, but baseball shouldn't.

2003 Major League Baseball steroids list: fact or fiction

Apparently a list of 104 players testing positive during the 2003 MLB preliminary steroids testing, surfaced on the net yesterday.  There is no way of knowing the authenticity of such a compilation of names.  It could be fantasy, or it could be a leak -- which did not find outlet through a credible source.

If such a list were available, then why did Senator Mitchell not discover the document during his well-financed, thorough investigation?

Links are found here (Rotoworld) and here (The Big Lead)

Play the Game 2009

We are in Coventry England to present papers at WADA's Play the Game Conference.  We apologize for the lapse in coverage of the steroid and doping scene; however we can tell you that Prime Minster Gordon Brown is in a bit of a predicament.

Catch up with things later.

Greg Lemond is on the podium today...should be interesting.

Tampa newspaper reports on teen bodybuilding

Tampa Bay Online carries a piece on teen bodybuilding, which at face value should present an activity for health, self-esteem, and socialization.  Obviously there is some risk, as with sports in general.

One risk is the exposure to PEDs and steroids.  Among the problems delimited in the story were the troubles with adolescent steroid use.

...Camona, of the American Council of Exercise, said supplements don't have a lasting effect, so competitors looking for an edge could turn to banned performance enhancers such as steroids.

In some bodybuilding circles, steroids are the ultimate answer. In May, a national professional bodybuilding competition in Belgium was abruptly canceled when every contestant withdrew to avoid dealing with the arrival of random drug testers. Two weeks ago, Polk County sheriff's investigators seized an enormous steroid stash. Among the items confiscated: amateur bodybuilding trophies won by husband-and-wife defendants.

Baker said it's much more likely to hear talk about steroids in bodybuilding than other high school sports. "Bodybuilding is that, probably, times 10," he said.

Another risk to teens, would be a morbid interest in physique, leading to body dysmorphia.

That doesn't surprise Ennis, who said he considered shutting down the Mr. and Miss Falcon event at Leto in the mid-1990s because he suspected students were using steroids. Instead, he said, he redirected the bodybuilding contest and made it less competitive.

It's about looks

Entering a high school bodybuilding contest is no easy decision. Female students have to be willing to go onstage in no more than a bikini or sports bra and micro shorts; boys wear compression shorts or less. They perform a routine in front of their peers, flexing all the major muscles, from abs to the gluteus maximus.

Samantha Hensley, Durant's Miss Cougar 2008, thought she had the nerve even though she weighed just more than 100 pounds. She loved working out before the competition and seeing her muscles develop.

But when Hensley hit the stage, some in the audience booed. Text messages and jeers from other students after the win were ruthless, as were the comments she discovered on Facebook, where someone posted an unflattering picture from the event and called her anorexic.

"I don't know if it was worth it. It's so hard when everyone's so mean," said Hensley, now a student at Florida Southern College. She attended this year's competition, and was disappointed to again hear boos targeting some contestants.

No matter the sponsors' healthful intentions, the high school bodybuilding contests "amp up" the pressure for teens to focus on body image, said USF's Professor Thompson.

"You can pitch this as fitness, but what they are being judged on is not their heart rate. It's about how they look," said Thompson, co-editor of "The Muscular Ideal" (American Psychological Association, 2007).

Doping suspension hits University of Calgory Dinos linebacker Duncan McLean

A University of Calgary Dinos football player will be suspended for doping the next two seasons.  That's right, the Dinos are officially dopers.

University of Calgary Dinos football player has been removed from the team and deemed ineligible for play in Canadian Interuniversity Sport for two years after a positive doping test. Linebacker Duncan McLean tested positive for Oxymetholone metabolites, an anabolic steroid on the 2009 World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List, following an out-of-competition urine test March 20.

McLean completed his third-year with the Dinos in 2008, playing in seven regular season and two playoff games.

"The University of Calgary is unequivocally opposed to the use of banned substances by our student-athletes," said Dinos Director of Athletics Kevin Boyles in a Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport press release May 27. "We have a zero-tolerance policy both at the U of C and in CIS. We are fully supportive of the Canadian Anti-Doping Program and hope that this unfortunate situation sends a strong message throughout the league."

Drug and doping testing varies by sport in the CIS. Because of cost, the CIS focuses their resources where there's strong concern there will be doping. Hockey and football players are tested more than other athletes. Football players are commonly tested five or six times a year, Boyles told the Gauntlet.

All CIS athletes can be tested 365 days a year, any day, both in season and out of competition, and up to 18 months after they finish their CIS career. Testing is done randomly and via a sample of players.

McLean's violation ends his CIS career. He will be suspended for his two remaining years of eligibility, but will be allowed to continue pursuing his degree at the U of C, Boyles said.

"We're always concerned and this just reminds us we need to continue to be very diligent with our education process," he added. "We're stepping up our efforts with providing our athletes with tested and screened supplement alternatives that we know are clean and that we know they can take. ... We need to put those efforts in to make sure it doesn't happen again. But at the end of the day, each individual athlete is in control of what they put into their bodies, you just can't prevent it from happening if they make that bad decision."

Dude took Anadrol, which caused the positive.

Lest you berate the Dinos football program, they have had 3 players drafted by the CFL.

Summary of recent Texas steroid bust

For more complete coverage of the large Texas steroid bust last week, and much more comprehensive than we can offer, go to this site --- Mesomorphis.

Operation Farmacia de Juicy Phruit is the code name for the major steroid bust in Houston led by the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Department involving the arrest of 73 defendants. The “largest narcotics operation in the history of Fort Bend County” primarily involved the arrest of personal trainers, their clients, bodybuilders, a professional bodybuilder and a gym owner in the Houston area. Many of the arrests only involved steroid possession. The steroid network was characterized by Sheriff Milton Wright as a “loose knit” network of individuals involved in fitness/bodybuilding who distributed steroids through “word of mouth”. The total amount of steroids sold over a period of about six years was estimated to have been $643,924 (”Authorities round up drug suspects,” May 27).

California physician Ramon Scruggs pleads guilty

The US District Attorney received some PR, and California steroids doctor Ramon Scruggs copped some pleas it was announced yesterday.  As readers recall, Scruggs was a major supplier of steroids and PEDs to professional athletes, and apparently normal people too.  To the Imperial Valley News:

United States Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Anthony D. Williams announced that Dr. Ramon Scruggs pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of conspiracy to illegally distribute anabolic steroids and illegally smuggle human growth hormone into the United States, and one count of money laundering, in violation.

Dr. Scruggs, 61, of Tustin, California, was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 6, 2008.  He was charged with conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, specifically, the illegal distribution of anabolic steroids and the illegal smuggling of human growth hormone into the United States, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371; the distribution of anabolic steroids, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841; misbranding drugs held for sale with intent to defraud and mislead, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 331(k); conspiracy to commit money laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956; and money laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(2)(A).  Under the plea agreement, Dr. Scruggs is pleading to the counts charging him with conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids and to bring human growth hormone into the United States and one count of money laundering.

In pleading guilty, Dr. Scruggs admitted that between 2000 and 2003, he distributed anabolic steroids and human growth hormone (“HGH”) to individuals in a manner outside the usual course of professional practice while operating his medical practice at New Hope Health Center in Costa Mesa, California.  Dr. Scruggs further admitted that he knew that such distributions were not for a legitimate medical purpose, and that they were instead for non-legitimate purposes,  including performance enhancement.

Dr. Scruggs admitted that he illegally distributed between 250 to 1,000 10cc vials of anabolic steroids.  He further admitted that on or about May 17, 2003, he illegally distributed the anabolic steroid testosterone to a person in Santa Clara County, and that he caused this distribution of anabolic steroids without a medically adequate examination.

Dr. Scruggs further admitted that he asked others to assist him in the illegal distribution of steroids.  On March 11, 2003, an individual under the authority of Dr. Scruggs wire-transferred $3,605 from a bank account under Dr. Scrugg’s control at that time, Bank of America Account #02020-01935, from San Francisco, California,  to the People’s Republic of China.  The purpose of this transfer was to make a payment for HGH Dr. Scruggs had prescribed for patients without a medically adequate reason or a medically recognized need.

So the Scruggs book appears closed.  Scruggs supplied dope to athletes like Troy Glaus.  Although no one would condone Glaus's actions given the widespread use of PEDs, Glaus might have thought he was cautious going to visit a doctor who apperaed to use PEDs in his practice.  In this case, the doctor is more at fault than the patient...and  problaby liable to a lawsuit too.

Danica Patrick gets caught in typical thinking" "It aint cheating unless you get caught"

How many times have we heard it?  It ain't a foul unless the ref blows the whistle.  It ain't cheating unless you get caught.  It ain't illegal unless you get arrested.  Danica Patrick knows it.

Not to advocate a world of obsessive rules, bureaucratic entanglements, and snitches, but really can we ever expect to make a dent (to coin a phrase) in cheating and drug-cheating if this attitude permeates the world?  Don't hold your breath waiting for change.  To the Seattle Times:

The CEO of U.S. Anti-Doping Agency isn't amused by driver's comment in Sports Illustrated: IndyCar driver Danica Patrick insists she was joking when she said using performance-enhancing drugs would only be cheating if she got caught.

Not so funny, said the leader of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

Travis Tygart, USADA chief executive officer, said Patrick's comments, printed in Sports Illustrated, were "totally irresponsible."

"In one interview, she undercut what millions of parents try their best to teach their kids every day in this country, that winners never cheat and cheaters never win," Tygart said Monday.

In an interview with Dan Patrick published in Sports Illustrated, Danica Patrick was asked if she could take a performance-enhancing drug and not get caught, would she do it if it allowed her to win the Indianapolis 500.

"Well, then it's not cheating, is it? If nobody finds out?" she said.

Dan Patrick responded: "So you would do it?"

Danica's answer: "Yeah, it would be like finding a gray area. In motor sports, we work in the gray areas a lot. You're trying to find where the holes are in the rule book."

Danica Patrick, 27, later said she was joking and apologized in the event her comments came across differently.

"It was a bad joke," she said in an interview that appeared in USA Today.

Right, Danica, a joke.  Like we believe that.

Note this Patrick add.

Big Poppy, David Ortiz, enmeshed in controversy

Pity David Ortiz, Big Poppy of the Boston Red Sox, crowd pleaser, slugger magnificent, and humble star appears welled in a nasty slump that has led to talk and suspicion about steroids.

Ortiz has never admitted steroids or other PEDs.  Ortiz's name never showed up on an Internet list of PED buyers.  Ortiz has not even incurred the wrath of Jose Canseco.

Because Poppy shows no pop in his bat this year, at age 33 Ortiz is hitting .185. The talk in 2009 is that Poppy came down from steroids.

Of course there is no real evidence Ortiz is suffering steroid withdraw.  Does anyone know what a year after steroid withdrawal looks like?  We don't.  To the Eagle-Tribune:

It was about 1:20 p.m. yesterday when Red Sox "slugger" David Ortiz stepped into the batter's box.

Five barbers and five customers, all Dominican men, watched intently on the big screen TV in the back of the busy Flow Barber Shop on Lawrence Street.

Flow Barber Show was a place I expected the last bastion of believers.

I was wrong.

From 2003 through 2008, would have brought silence to Flow's.

But only one of the barbers, Cristian Felipe, cared to stop cutting and look up at the TV.

"It's sad, really sad," said Felipe, through an interpreter, shaking his head. "He's always been the best."

So what's wrong?

What's wrong with Ortiz?

There were almost as many theories as there were men at Flow's.

"He might be all done," said barber Christian Flores. "I'm just glad they moved him out of the third spot (in the lineup). He can't hit. And the Red Sox need a great hitter in that spot."

Felipe says Ortiz hasn't looked the same since Manny Ramirez was traded last July.

"People can say Kevin Youkilis and Jason Bay are great hitters, and they are, but they're not Manny Ramirez," said Felipe. "Manny was the best protection Ortiz ever had. He's one of the best hitters ever. Ortiz just hasn't seemed the same."

The steroids rumor — could he have been taking them and stopped? — was also tossed out there. That brought an interesting response.

"I wouldn't doubt that for a second," said Tejada. "I honestly believe about 80 percent of the Dominicans that play in the major leagues probably have tried steroids. In our country, they are easy to get. If you have money to pay for them, you can go to a drug store or a doctor and get them.

"Our country has a lot of poor people and we aren't as educated when it comes to steroids and that other stuff. I know people that have taken steroids. It's different here. Maybe he is off them now and maybe that's the problem? You don't see guys drop off the way he did."

Tejada said the pressure of playing for the Red Sox and being one of the most beloved athletes in the Dominican Republic has become too much.

"I was in the D.R. when Manny was traded and people there jumped ship and traded in their Red Sox caps for Dodgers caps," said Tejada. "Ortiz is really the only Dominican left on the Red Sox and the country depends on him. I know he feels that pressure."

Carlos Nunez, who stopped in for a lunch time haircut, said Ortiz needs to be treated like every other player, Dominican or not.

Nunez said, "If you're not going to produce, you're not going to play. And he's not producing. I would bench him. And if he doesn't hit, I'd find someone else."

Other explanations than steroid withdrawal.  However, those whisper are not likley to be silenced soon.

Busted steroid dealer in Florida says he supplied Washington Capitals and Nationals players

A drug peddler in Florida says he supplied steroids to professional athletes including Washington Capitals and Washington Nationals players.  What might be significant would be a connection to the Caps and steroid use in the NHL.  Never hear much about PEDs in the NHL.

Original report here. To the Washington Times:

Law enforcement officials in Lakeland, Fla., on Tuesday arrested two people on charges of steroid possession who claim they sold the illegal substances to players on the Washington Nationals and Washington Capitals teams.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said officers arrested Richard and Sandra Thomas on 10 counts of steroid possession with intent to distribute, 10 counts of importing the drugs and one count of maintaining a dwelling for drug sales.

Judd said Thomas bragged about being one of the largest sellers of steroids in Florida, obtaining the drugs from suppliers all over the world. In making the arrests, the Sheriff's Department seized several loaded weapons, including an AR-15 assault rifle.

Thomas did not name specific players but mentioned the Capitals and Nationals by name in specific interviews, Judd said.

"Richard Thomas told Sheriff's narcotics detectives when he was asked if he had sold steroids to professional athletes, 'Name the sport - if they played it, I sold it,''" Judd said in a statement Wednesday morning. "Then Richard Thomas went further and specifically mentioned two  professional sports teams from the Washington D.C. area whose players he had sold steroids to - the DC Nationals baseball team, and the Washington Capitals hockey team. While he stated to detectives that he sold steroids to professional athletes on those teams, he did not mention any specific players' names."

Judd said that Polk County detectives have yet to uncover any evidence to support Thomas' claims that but that an investigation is ongoing.

Now besieged by problems, Autrian cyclist Bernhard Kohl crashes career

Once close to the top of cycling world, Austrian cyclist Bernhard Kohl retired from the sport, apparently eschewing the dope-for-wins philosophy in pro cycling.  Kohl is currently mired in a professional,personal, and legal quagmire of doping, and doping allegations.

Reflecting on this event, one cannot but help to think about the twisted culture of pro cycling.  Ostensibly based on an activity that promotes health and fitness, all too often pro cycling promotes drug-cheating, dishonesty, and death from doping drugs like EPO.  Kohl apparently tired of this nonsense, calling his career kaput.

It might be easy to drawn down on Kohl and individual athletes.  Much of the disdain may be merited because no one should absolve these dopers of responsibility.  However the system of management, doctors, trainers, personal managers that promotes doping should also be highly implicated.  The athletes (in Europe) often are punished while the doctors behind the dopers simple get rich.  From the Examiner:

Bernhard Kohl of Austria, the disgraced former rider for the former Gerolsteiner team, has retired from cycling and said Monday he will not return to the sport after his doping-related suspension ends.

"I don't want to continue leading a double life which is based on lies," Kojhl said at a press conference in Vienna, Austria.

Kohl originally finished third overall in the 2008 Tour de France, 73 seconds behind race winner Carlos Sastre. But Kohl, 27, tested positive for the EPO derivative CERA during the Tour de France and later confessed to having used illegal doping products and methods for most of his career. He was given a two-year suspension.

Kohl's dismissal from the Tour improved riders below him in the overall standings one position, including American Christian Vande Velde from fifth to fourth.

"Without doping there is no equal opportunity in the top international field," Kohl said. "This is absolutely the end. I have voluntarily doped – in a system in which you can't win without doping. Talent, training and iron discipline just aren't enough at some point. Doping becomes the rule. A clean sport is unfortunately an exception."

Kohl said that he would now dedicate himself to doping prevention, by speaking on the subject and organizing cycling camps.

MLB fan opinion: High salaries are more problematic for baseball than steroids

The American Chronicle carries a piece on baseball, and the problems fans perceive.  Apparently salaries -- which are set by supply and demand -- are perceived are more problematic than steroid-cheats.

I was watching Mike & Mike in the Morning on ESPN 2 today (March 2009), when they discussed an interesting survey conducted with baseball fans. The question: What is the one thing that is most responsible bringing Major League Baseball down? Both Mikes thought the majority would say high ticket prices, but this was only 23%.

Even the steroids abuse was only 22%. The answer that received 51% was the high salaries being paid to baseball players. Interesting is it not? Despite all the media exposure of big name ball players exposed as hypocrites and liars about their steroid use. Despite high ticket prices directly affecting their family economics. Exorbitant salaries are what tick fans off the most.

Perhaps this should not be such a surprise. After all, exorbitant salaries and bonuses have been getting even more media attention than steroids as of late. The public is quickly losing their taste for those being paid ridiculously high salaries and bonuses. We see so many examples of pay far exceeding the value that any one person could offer. If you are the owner of a business, then I say that this is an entirely different matter, but if you are an employee (and even a CEO is an employee), of a publicly help corporation, there should be a fiduciary responsibility to the shareholders for reasonable wages.

One argument for high CEO pay is that they are being paid according to their peers. If you do not pay, they will leave and move on. The self serving argument has produced a situation in the USA where a CEO makes over 400 times the earnings of the average worker. The next highest country is 29 times the average worker. The boards of directors that are supposed to oversee companies are composed of CEOs. Why wouldn't they participate in the escalation of salaries and bonuses?

If you argue that the business increases and they deserve these extravagant amounts, I would argue the businesses might be charging too much. If we cut baseball player's salaries then this money flows back to the owners. We then put pressure on the owners to reduce the price of attending a ball game. If we cut executive pay, then shareholders, employees and customers should all benefit.

As a nation, we need to make better judgments as to when enough is enough. Why is it that we so envy power, money and fame? Where has it gotten us? Why are we so concerned about what we have rather than who we are as a human being? What would our daily life be like if we were all more concerned with being good people rather than rich people? All we have to do is establish a mindset of sharing the wealth rather than stealing the wealth.

Interesting comment.  We noted the fan survey which rates salaries a problem.  On one hand, salaries are determined by the market o supply and demand.  Ticket prices too.  This is what baseball fans will pay.

On the other hand the high compensation drives the cheating to a degree.

Korean baseball players juice too: Ma Hae-Yeong

A top Korean professional baseball player leaked the juice: Korean pro ballers 'roid up too.  Mae Hae-Yeong's new book on his time in the Koren leagues reveals some juice, which has caused quite a stir.  To Donga.com

Xports’ commentator Ma Hae-yeong, who once played for the Lotte Giants, unleashed harsh criticism yesterday through his newly published memoirs, “The Original Character of Baseball (Those Who Have the Future).”

The slugger made his debut for Lotte in 1995. After being traded to the Samsung Lions in 2001, the Kia Tigers in 2004, and the LG Twins in 2006, Ma returned to Lotte and retired last year.

He has a career hitting average of .294, 1,609 hits, 260 homeruns, and 1,003 runs scored.

In his memoirs, Ma said around 10 pro players in Korea have taken steroids, mostly foreigners, but that certain Korean players were asked to take banned substances by the foreign players.

“Out of curiosity, certain Korean players took banned substances for a while. The number of Korean players who did is under 10 and most of them have retired. I cannot name them since I don’t want to injure their honor,” he said.

“When I was demoted to second string, I almost yielded to the lure of banned substances. But baseball players no longer took banned drugs. I hope you don’t exaggerate my statement. I wrote this book to prevent young players from falling into a trap.”

The Koreon also comments on cheating by giving away signals (?A-Rod)

Ma also said certain players exchange signs with players on opposing teams, usually friends. “When my friends on the opposing team were about to be benched and asked me for my team’s signs, I couldn’t reject the requests. But these kinds of events happened only after the results were determined,” he said.

Like America's MLB, the Korean organizations were quick to react:

The Korea Baseball Organization and the pro league’s eight teams were quick to hit back at Ma’s accusations.

The league’s director of operations Lee Sang-il said, “We introduced drug testing in 2007 in a first for a professional sports league in Korea. Ma’s claim on banned drugs has significantly damaged the reputation of Korea’s professional baseball league.”

The league conducted two dope tests last year and will conduct three this year. All foreign players are subject to drug testing from this year.

Ma’s criticism of the Giants as “a miser” also angered the club. Team President Lee Sang-gu said, “Ma was misinformed. For example, we couldn’t sign Choo Shin-soo (Cleveland Indians) and Baek Cha-seung (San Diego Padres) since they kept asking for more money.”

Other critics say Ma’s memoirs could cause misunderstanding. A source from one team said, “When certain players suddenly gained weight, we suspected possible use of banned drugs. But we found no evidence. It was rash of Ma to write a book based on his suspicions.”

Steroids, the universal language.

Catch me if you can: Did world class cyclists -- including Bernhard Kohl and Michael Rasmussen -- engage in doping conspiracy?

It's one thing to run afoul of the press and the fans using PEDs as a drug-cheat as we saw with Manny Ramirez.  Manny lost a few million dollars, and lost some face with the fans and the Hall of Fame voters.  However, it is quite another thing to be charged in a criminal prosecution.

World class cyclists -- elite competitors  --  Bernhard Kohl and Michael Rasmussen appear to be targets of Austrian prosecutors as part of an international doping conspiracy.  To Monsters and Critics:

Vienna prosecutors said Monday that they had started criminal proceedings against cyclists Bernhard Kohl from Austria and Denmark's Michael Rasmussen, as well as Austrian Nordic skier Christian Hoffman, for allegedly running a blood doping operation.

The three are suspected of having invested in a blood centrifuge which they not only used for themselves but also made available to other athletes, Austrian news agency APA reported.

Having just watched "Catch Me if You Can", the video with Leonardo DeCaprio and Tom Hanks, we don't think we would want to see the inside of a European prison (or any prison for that matter).

The third 'co-conspirator -- Christian Hoffman -- is no slouch as a gold medalist in skiing.

Hoffmann, who won a gold medal in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, denied the accusations.

'That's absolute nonsense, that's a smear campaign against me,' the Austrian daily Die Presse quoted him in its Monday edition, after his name was the first to be confirmed by prosecutors on Sunday.

Kohl has publicly admitted having used blood doping and having bought the machine together with others. He has been stripped of his third place in the 2008 Tour de France for using the blood booster CERA.

The cyclist's former manager Stefan Matschiner was conditionally released on May 7 after several weeks of detention, as he was heavily implicated by Kohl. The centrifuge was found in Matschiner's apartment in Budapest.

Rasmussen is currently banned for lying about his whereabouts at the 2007 Tour in connection with doping tests.

Blood doping is mainly used in endurance sports. Athletes are injected blood that has been enriched with performance-enhancing red blood cells.

Sounds like these boys were very heavily involved in the doping process.

In the USA, doping obviously carries much more rewards than risks.  If being a drug-cheat were risky would athletes like A-Rod and Manny dope?  There are few legal consequences.  The law trouble that dopers run into tend to occur when their egos run into a grand jury, ala Barry Bonds.  If Bonds had been truthful (according to legal charges) he might have been exposed as a juicer or he might not have been embarrassed.  Embarrassed or not, Bonds would never have seen the inside of a courtroom as defendant; the USA's legal machine looks the other way for athletes. No sports fraud, no conspiracy, etc. -- although there are exceptions (Marion Jones).

However, sounds like Kohl and Rasmussen are in a bit of trouble...btw, someone tell Rasmussen (photo left) to lift some weights...

Ex-San Jose State Spartan, ex-American Gladiator reveals steroid secrets

Former San Jose Spartan football player, and American Gladiator regular discusses steroid and PED use in an insightful manner.  Dan Clark discusses steroid use in his new book -- the effects and the side effects.  The problem is that Clark talks from a position of success: he made himself with the use of steroids.   How many sad tales of embezzlers in jail stops future embezzlers from stealing money?  Few.  The lure of success and fortune appears to be too strong.  To the San Jose Mercury-News:

Dan Clark can tell you all the things that steroids did for him.

They helped get him a football scholarship to San Jose State, where he was a defensive standout and media guide cover boy. They allowed him to suit up briefly with the Los Angeles Rams during the 1987 NFL strike. They were the secret ingredient that made him a Spandex-wearing star of the "American Gladiators" television show two decades ago.

But that's not all steroids did.

They nearly caused a heart attack, left him with shrunken testicles, made him urinate blood and resulted in surgery to remove excess tissue from his breasts. There were unprovoked explosions of anger, too, yet Clark couldn't give up the drugs because of the addictive feeling of power they provided.

That's the story of self-inflicted hell Clark tells now in his unflinchingly raw autobiography, "Gladiator: A True Story of 'Roids, Rage, and Redemption."

In an era when the shadow of steroids has darkened modern sport and made fans increasingly skeptical of what they see, Clark wants the book to be a catalyst for a more realistic discussion about performance-enhancing drugs. Steroids work, Clark says flatly. But they exact a terrible price.

"That's the conversation we're not having with young adults," Clark, the father of a 21-year-old son, said. "You know how teenagers are. You tell them: 'Don't you do this' and it's only going to make them do it more. So you have to tell them that you do get bigger, but you pay for those gains with a pound of flesh. It's a Faustian bargain."

The current spate of self-revealing books regarding steroid abuse will amount to nothing...and almost never have changed anyone's mind.  The irony of Clark's friend at San Jose State -- baseball all-star Ken Caminiti -- dying at 41 of drug abuse obviously means nothing to the current crop of drug cheats like A-Rod and Manny.  Deleterious outcomes of steroid abusers like Caminiti and Jose Canseco and CHris Benoit will stop no one from drug-cheating.  Did Ivan Boesky's financial demise stop Bernie Madoff?

At SJSU he was a well-liked big man on campus and fraternity brother to rising baseball star Ken Caminiti. (Clark is well aware of the terrible irony in how Caminiti, who would go on to win the National League MVP award, later would admit his own steroid use before dying, in 2004, of a heart attack at age 41.)

Thanks to Jay over at the Wizard of Odds for the story.

Chicago Sun Times writer Rick Telander points out Ryan Theriot epitimizes MLB steroid problems (but is NOT under steroid suspicion)

The Chicago Cub's shortstop Ryan Theroit hit one home run last year.  Sure the winds were always blowing in against him, and the mound was elevated only when he batted, but one home run is not impressive.  The slugger has banged out 5 this May alone.  What is this...Brady Anderson revisited?

The Chicago Sun-Times columnist Rick Telander points out that the Theriot power outburst now comes under suspicion in 2009 MLB times.  In time past, fans might conclude Theriot spent more time working out over the winter, or matured as a hitter this year.  No more: the juice is in.

Sorry, Ryan Theriot, you're a suspect. Forget Manny Ramirez and Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi and Mark McGwire and all the other hulking, accused performance-enhancing drug users.

You, sir, all 5-11, 175 pounds of you, are doing devious things.

To wit, Theriot -- no disrespect, but if he's 5-11, I'm 6-12 -- hit two home runs Wednesday night at Wrigley Field against the Padres, giving him five times more home runs in 33 games this year than he hit all last season.

Brrinnnng! Eee -- ah! Eee-ah! Zzzt! Zzzzt!

That rings the steroid/HGH/ whatever-designer-drug-is-in bell, doesn't it?

Well, yes, ''The Riot'' hit only one dinger in 2008 and only five so far this year.

But if he were, say, Manny Ramirez (37 home runs in 2008), he would have just hit his 185th homer of 2009.

Really, Theriot is not a serious suspect for juicing.  Apparently his bat found a sweet spot or two.  However, this is 2009 and post-Clemens, post-Bonds, post-A-rod, Post-Manny, post-McGwire...it goes on and on and on.

But this is what baseball has wrought.

This is what we tried to tell Bud Selig and Donald Fehr and all the head-in-the-sand executive clowns for years and years would happen if Major League Baseball and its union left athletes to their own devices, acting as though crazy numbers came about just because eating and lifting had become trendy...

  What's the old saying -- you reap what you sow?

When you plant cheating, Major League Baseball, cynicism will be your crop.

Telander's correct.  Once the slippery slope of enhanced achievement is breached, then it is a long slide down.  Speaking of enhancement,where is Ms. California when you need some positive enhancement?  Or Brady Anderson for that matter?

Justin Gatlin speaks about track and about steroids..a walk through someone's reality

Let's Run anchors a section on Justin Gatlin talking about track and roids.  Gatlin's recent interview, found here, meanders around a number of subjects, none of which include responsibility for Gatlin's positive testosterone test.

What was your immediate reaction when you found out the "A" sample was positive?

Shock. You’ve heard of somebody saying they were so in shock they fell out of their chair? That’s what really happened. I was in my house in my office, I was on the computer. I got the call and I remember breaking down and crying right there.

How long were you upset?

I was upset for almost a straight week. I was trying to get everything in order, trying to figure out why this is happening to me and if this is true. I remember breaking down in public at some points. This was my life. I feel like I’m a victim to the situation.

Worst moment of your life?

Worst moment of my life...

What do you feel bitter about?

A lot of misquotes from the press. Nike not standing up and saying anything. I fell they rode the fence and they still ride the fence until this day. I had a great rapport with Nike past a business relationship. I felt that when everything happened they kind of put themselves back into the crowd, slunk into the shadows. They suspended me while they fired Trevor and fired Chris Whetstine. That was their way of saying, ‘hey, we’re gonna hold this guy. And we’re gonna jump back on the bandwagon and if anything bad happens, we’ll just let him go’. Instead of saying ‘Justin, we believe in you, you know what the contract is, this is what it is.’

I was very upset with the sport about a lot of things. When everything was going good, everyone was patting me on the back. When things started going bad, everyone was shaking their finger in my face saying, see I told ya.

A lot of blame goes to Chris Whetstine and Trevor Graham as well. Obviously, they were there to be my inner circle and protect me. You discover a lot of things about different people. I found out Chris Whetstine could not get a credential to the (2004) Olympics because he had a criminal record.

Chris was more of a renaissance masseuse. He understood biomechanics, alignment of your body, muscle therapy, trigger points, how to stretch you, acupuncture. This guy had the total package.

When you have someone like that who has those kind of credentials to understand the body wholly, that eliminates you from working with three other masseuses or chiropractors. Though Nike wouldn’t do anything to hurt any of its athletes, if they’re going to pay this guy they knew he had some kind of record. That’s when I felt really upset. They put this guy on the payroll and they have got to do a background check on everybody you’re paying.

Gatlin appparently continues to blame his masseuse and Trevor Graham with sabotague.  In fact it was a conspiracy..somneone or oragnization was out to get him.

Do you thing it will ever come out how you tested positive?

I don’t know.

Do you think you should be looking into this more yourself?

I’ve been doing that from day one. I feel like (rappers) Biggie (Smalls) and Tupac (Shakur, both who were murdered in the late 1990s). Maybe I’ll never find my killer. That’s how things are.

Come on, man, do you really think people buy that you have no idea of PED use?  The referrals to Smalls and Shakur are unbelievable.

Roger Clemens: Over and out...legal and literary

Roger Clemens makes the news again.  Apparently he cannot stand Manny and A-Rod stealing the headlines.

Roger: Out (US AG)

The United State Attorney General Eric Holder, all busy with torture and such, is calling himself recused from the Roger Clemens investigation going on in DC with the FBI. Apparently the Rocket showed Mr. Holder how to throw a backdoor slider.  From Reuters:

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has removed himself from the criminal probe into whether baseball pitching great Roger Clemens lied to Congress about steroids, a Justice Department spokesman said on Thursday.

The FBI began the investigation more than a year ago after Clemens denied in testimony before a congressional committee that he used performance-enhancing steroids. His former trainer testified Clemens had used steroids and human growth hormone.

Department spokesman Matt Miller said Holder was recused because he previously worked at Covington and Burling, a law firm that had represented Clemens.

Roger, meanwhile continues to maintain that Brian McNamee injected his rocket rear with PEDs.  The Toronto Star carries this one:

Clemens again denied that former personal trainer Brian McNamee injected him with performance-enhancing drugs in a phone interview on ESPN. "He's never injected me with HGH or steroids," Clemens said of McNamee's assertions to baseball investigator George Mitchell...

Clemens said he chose to speak out yesterday because it was the release date of a book about his alleged drug use.

"It's important for me to do that," he said. "I've seen excerpts of the book and they're completely false. ... You know, guys, it's piling on. It's hurtful at times. But I'm moving on."

Clemens must have some reason for fervent denials.  A deal with McNamee "Don't ask, don't tell what you're injecting".

Others are moving on too from the Clemens affair...like the Hall of Fame voters.

Lou Merloni: Did a physician inform MLB players how to use steroids?

MLB.com carries a story about Red Sox minor league player Merloni's recollection of a seminar on spring training while he was with Boston.

Former Red Sox utility man Lou Merloni said Saturday on Comcast's "The Baseball Show" that he remembered a Spring Training meeting in which a doctor explained to players how to use steroids intelligently and without abuse, according to multiple reports.

Merloni's exact quotes, according to The Boston Globe, were: "I'm in Spring Training, and I got an 8:30-9:00 meeting in the morning. I walk into that office, and this happened while I was with the Boston Red Sox before this last regime, I'm sitting in the meeting. There's a doctor up there and he's talking about steroids, and everyone was like, 'Here we go, we're going to sit here and get the whole thing -- they're bad for you.'

"No. He spins it and says, 'You know what? If you take steroids and sit on the couch all winter long, you can actually get stronger than someone who works out clean. If you're going to take steroids, one cycle won't hurt you; abusing steroids it will.'

"He sat there for one hour and told us how to properly use steroids while I'm with the Boston Red Sox, sitting there with the rest of the organization, and after this I said, 'What the heck was that?' And everybody on the team was like, 'What was that?' And the response we got was, 'Well, we know guys are taking it, so we want to make sure they're taking it the right way.' ... Where did that come from? That didn't come from the Players Association."

The Red Sox angrily denied the allegation:

Boston's general manager during Merloni's Red Sox tenure, Dan Duquette, responded angrily to Merloni's claims, according to The Globe.

"It's ridiculous -- it's totally unfounded," Duquette said. "Who was the doctor? Tell me who the doctor is. If there was such a doctor, he wasn't in the employ of the Red Sox. We brought in doctors to educate the players on the Major League drug policy at the time at the recommendation of Major League Baseball. This is so ridiculous, I hate to even respond to it."

In fact, there were occasions when physicians presented steroids in a favorable light, in particular Dr. Robert Millman, of Cornell.  Here is what John Rocker said about a presentation:

The loudmouth former reliever said he and then-Rangers teammate Alex Rodriguez, among others, were advised in spring training of 2002 by management and players' union doctors on how to use steroids in a way that is "not going to hurt you."

Rocker said a doctor hired by the Players' Association pulled aside himself, A-Rod, Ivan Rodriguez and Rafael Palmeiro following a spring training lecture and candidly told them how to use steroids.

"Look guys, if you take one kind of steroid, you don't triple stack them and take them 10 months out of the year like Lyle Alzado did," the doctor told him, Rocker said yesterday during an interview on the Buck and Kincade Show on WCNN-680 The Fan in Atlanta. "If you do it responsibly, it's not going to hurt you."

Here is the account from the Mitchell Report"

During baseball’s winter meetings in Nashville in December 1998, baseball executives and team physicians heard a presentation from Dr. Millman and Dr. Solomon on baseball’s drug policy. One attendee, Dr. William Wilder, was then the team doctor for the Cleveland Indians. In a memorandum to then Indians general manager John Hart that he wrote after the meeting, Dr. Wilder reported that the presentation focused on the benefits that could be obtained from testosterone. He was disturbed by the presentation, observing in the memorandum that whether or not testosterone increased muscle strength and endurance “begs the question of whether it should be used in athletics.” He believed there was “no reason that some preliminary literature can’t be sent out to the players concerning the known and unknown data about performance enhancing substances,” and recalled that Houston Astros’ team physician Bill Bryan presented a good overview of these issues with respect to supplements at meetings the previous year.   Dr. Wilder reiterated these observations and views in our interview with him.

Manny Ramirez HCG admission a smokescreen: Tested positive for testosterone

Suspended Manny Ramirez will be serving a 50 game outage for HCG right?  Perhaps wrong. 

According to the astute TJ Quinn of ESPN, Manny tested positive for testosterone -- exogenous testosterone.  The  entered into the equation only later in the chain of events.  Smokescreen?

Obviously using HCG would appear to be less of a sin than a horrible anabolic steroid.  (in our view a drug is a drug; there is no hierarchy of bad drugs or good drugs).  Admitting to HCG would sanitize other PED use, making the situation much more palatable to the regular fan - or the Hall of Fame voter.

Ramirez (and spokespeople) have been promoting the HCG angle.  HCG, a natural hormone of pregnancy that also increase natural testosterone production.  The drug may enhance the strength of one's convictions, but in our view not enhance too much else.

However, there is evidence Ramirez used the much more potent hormone testosterone:

...testing by Major League Baseball showed that Ramirez had testosterone in his body that was not natural and came from an artificial source, two people with knowledge of the case told ESPN's Mark Fainaru-Wada and T.J. Quinn. The sources said that in addition to the artificial testosterone, Ramirez was identified as using the female fertility drug human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG.

The sources said Ramirez was suspended for using hCG because baseball had documentation to prove his use of the drug. A Major League Baseball source said Ramirez's representatives indicated they would fight a suspension for using artificial testosterone.

The 'doctor's prescription' excuse just might go over in an appeal to the MLB fan public.  If Ramirez really has a legitimate use for HCG he needs to get that information out there, along with lab tests, ASAP.

If Ramirez had a prescription he would have been for one of two reasons:

1.  Low sperm count

2.  Someone bought the idea he was low on endogenous testosterone...because he going off-cycle

The Los Angeles Dodgers star said he did not take steroids and was prescribed medication by a doctor that contained a banned substance.

The commissioner's office didn't announce the specific violation by the 36-year-old outfielder, who apologized to the Dodgers and fans for "this whole situation..."

Ramirez, in a statement issued by the players' union, said: "Recently, I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was OK to give me.

So apparently we will not be privy to what really happened to the Dodger star.  One more deception.

Angry Cleveland fans demand HCG, HGH, steroids, and anti-depressants

Andy Borowitz at the Huffington Post, says angry Cleveland fans demand their players take steroids.

The national pastime suffered another black eye last night when a mob of irate Cleveland Indians fans poured onto the diamond at Progressive Field to demand that their team take steroids.

Displeasure with the championship-starved squad reached a boiling point with the news that slugger Manny Ramirez took performance-enhancing drugs -- but only after leaving the Indians.

When asked by ESPN if he ingested the banned medication while playing for Cleveland, Mr. Ramirez shrugged his shoulders and replied, "What would be the point of that?"

Mr. Ramirez is just the latest in a long line of baseball players who have refused to take steroids while playing for the Indians, says fan Chuck Goulardi, 49, the leader of last night's protest.

"Manny's comment was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back," says Mr. Goulardi, who has seen his 'roid-free Tribe fall to their juiced-up competition more times than he can recall. "These players are paid good money, and all we're asking them to do is take one measly shot in the ass."

Name the best juicier who suited up for the Indians?  Paul Byrd?  Isn't that sad?  Give Cleveland a huge hit of anti-depressants.

Manny Mania: HCG story pregnant with possibilities

A compendium of stories after the Manny Rodriguez HCG story, which is pregnant with possibilities:

1.  Sports Illustrated gives us a time line of MLB steroid use.

2.  I'm back, R-Rod injects himself back into baseball. (USA Today)

3. SI, who must have an army of writers chopping at the bit, surveys MLB cities about Manny.

4.  How does Curt Schilling work his way into this story?

Add you favorites below...

The Dodgers Manny Ramirez: Jacked with HCG, and now suspended from MLB

A zillion media outlets picked up on the Manny Ramirez story today.  AfP carries the outlines:

American baseball hero Manny Ramirez has tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and has been slapped with a 50-game ban, Major League Baseball announced on Thursday.

Ramirez is the first marquee player to be suspended under MLB's stepped-up drug policy which followed the damaging Mitchell Report investigation into steroid use in baseball.

The 12-time all-star Ramirez, who turns 37 later this month, is also the best player in the Los Angeles Dodgers squad who have won 13-straight games at home and have the top record in baseball.

US sports broadcaster ESPN reported that Ramirez tested positive for the drug human chorionic gonadotropin or hCG.

As other reports indicate HCG is used for testosterone support.  The letters stand for human chorionic gonadotropin.  The hormone level rises in pregnancy, which constitutes the urine pregnancy test. Perhaps Manny is simply pregnant?  According to Manny it's a doctor's fault:

Ramirez's ban is effective immediately which means he will not be eligible to return to the Los Angeles lineup until July 3.

Ramirez, of the Dominican Republic, blamed the positive drug test on a doctor, but didn't say whether it was a Dodgers team doctor.

He denied taking steroids and said the problem stems from medication he took for personal use.

"Recently I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid," Ramirez said. "I have taken and passed 15 drug tests over the past five seasons."

Is it ludicrous to believe Manny?  Not really.  Here are the indications for HCG:

HCG is used to cause ovulation and to treat infertility in women, and to increase sperm count in men. HCG is also used in young boys when their testicles have not dropped down into the scrotum normally. This can be caused by a pituitary gland disorder.

Manny would not be taking the drug for infertility.  Hopefully his testicles have 'dropped down'.  It is concevable (no pun intended) that the hormone was prescribed for low sperm count.  If so, there would be no reason for Manny and his doctor not to obtain a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE).

Manny could be using the hormone to boost testosterone after a cycle of anabolic steroids.  If he got nailed in the spring he would have been finishing a cycle in preparation for the baseball season.  Use of an anabolic steroid reduces a man's own natural testosterone production.  Thus the need for a drug like HCG.

Ramirez will lose 50 games and 7.7 million dollars.

As Renault says:  I am shocked, shocked to find that juicing is going on in here!" No one in 2009 should be shocked a star like Manny juices.

What, no Manny Ramirez Post? It doesn't meet Government priorities

As someone asked us once (me) 'Don't you actually have a real job"?  And yes there is a real job.  At the real job our team (which means me basically) has been writing grants all spring.  A much gratifying thing, writing grants: Stay up all night writing; in between all the usual clinical work write all day; document everything you can think of to make it politically correct-- like how we are going to recruit the correct number of native Alaskans for proper demographics in the study -- jump through 5000 bureaucratic hoops only eventually to be told by the bureaucrats in Washington DC we stink and that the grand money will go to the usual old boys network gang who really had an inside deal the entire time.  It's kinda like dealing with organized crime, only the criminals get more sleep.  Academic death is not as sudden as organized crime however certainly as painful, and alot more political.

So we completely missed the Manny Ramirez story.  Completely.  Oh well, we cannot compete with the major news outlets who likely devote entire teams of writers to this story.  Wish we could borrow those writers to put some flair on the grants.  Oh wait, the rejection notices has started flowing like blood from a lance wound...or LH from a pituitary.

And the proposal on performance enhancing drugs (PEDs):  We were told that it doesn't "appear to be consistent with the listed (Government) priorities"" ...go figure.

Austrian cyclist Christian Pfannberger drops out of Giro following positive doping test

Another pro cyclist nailed doping, this one on an unexpected doping test visit.  To the Charlotte observerand the AP:

Austrian cyclist Christian Pfannberger has pulled out of the Giro d'Italia and been suspended by his team after failing a doping test.

A surprise test on March 19 at Pfannberger's home in Austria came back positive. Pfannberger's agent informed the Katusha team of the failed test Wednesday, one day after the rider sent a letter to the Russian team saying he was pulling out of the race for personal reasons.

Katusha spokesman Andrea Agostini told The Associated Press that "we thought it was best to suspend him immediately." He added that it was still unclear what substance the test revealed.

Intrigue revolves around almost-Olympic swimmer Jessica Harding, AdvoCare, and clenbuterol contamination

Remember USA swimmer Jessica Harding?  She was set to participate in the 2008 Beijing Olympics when almost on the plane to China when she was 'sabotaged' by a positive urine test for clenbuterol, which of course is banned.

This led to much consternation for #3 swimmer Tara Kirk, who finished 3rd to Harding by a fingernail, however could not be included in the USA swim teams entourage as the doping results came to late to alter the roster.

The situation became even more entangled.  Harding claimed the clen came from a supplement of the company AdvoCare, and two of the companies products:  Arginine Extreme and  Nighttime Recovery.  Now the plot thickens:

1. Hardy sued AdvoCare, a company she was retained as an athlete spokesperson.  Hardy claims Con Catlin's UCLA lab showed clenbuterol in testing supplement she took. (more here)

2.  AdvoCare sued Hardy for defamation.  Advocare says their product was tested at a Michigan firm, which showed it was clean. (from Swimming World)

The company's case says it "specifically tested the lots of AdvoCare products provided to Hardy," the tests performed by NSF International, a non-profit organization based in Ann Arbor, Mich., that certifies supplements as free from taint for the NFL, among others. Those tests "confirm that no clenbuterol is present in the AdvoCare products," the lawsuit says.

Hardy's lawsuit says she retained Anti-Doping Research in Los Angeles, the lab founded by Don Catlin, the former director of the World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited lab at UCLA.

ADR "tested all of the AdvoCare products used by Ms. Hardy during and immediately prior to the Olympic Trials, using remaining samples from those she had with her at the U.S. Olympic Trials in July 2008, or samples from the same product lot or lots as those she used at the U.S. Olympic Trials in July 2008.

"After extensive testing, ADR detected the presence of clenbuterol in samples of Arginine Extreme and Nighttime Recovery."

So — one lawsuit says the tests didn't find anything, the other says the tests assuredly did.

Now, Olympic insider Ron Judd (at the Seattle Times) put together a column that says:

• An arbitration ruling from (?) the USADA reduced Hardy's mandatory 2 year suspension to 1 year.  The suspensions (counting back time) will end in July 2009, which makes her eligible for the 2012 London Olympics....except...
• There is mandatory exclusion of the subsequent Olympics game for any athlete suspended for doping for over 6 months.

Didn't Hardy serve a suspensions for 2008?  And wasn't her sentence reduced because she claims contamination (which was never proved?).  It wasn't reduced below 1 year, which would continue to support her 2012 Olympics suspension.

Furthermore Hardy claims this was a last minute contamination, however data indicates she actually dropped 3 dirty urines even prior to the US Olympic swimming trial:

But new evidence presented in the arbitration ruling sheds some new light. It discloses, for the first time publicly, that the same UCLA lab that tested Hardy's other samples informed USADA on July 23, two days after reporting the initial positive result, that two Hardy samples from July 1 (when she won the 100 breast) and July 6 (when she finished second in the 50 freestyle), initially reported as negative, "actually revealed the presence of 'suspect clenbuterol transitions.

This chain of events disturbs common sensibility on many levels.

1.  What about 'strict liability' for the athlete who is responsible for what goes into their Olympic body?  Athletes are frequently warned about supplements and other crap.  Judd comments:

The term means what it says: Athletes are responsible for what they put in their bodies. Intent doesn't matter. You can test positive by accident and still see your career -- and your Olympic dream -- go up in flames. It's happened already to other athletes. But the American Arbitration Association seems ready to literally take on the world to prevent it from happening to hapless victim Jessica Hardy. And USADA, which was party to this exercise in jurisdictional aggrandizement, apparently is right there with them.

2.  What about the conflicting claims of supplement contamination?  Hardy claims her lab tested the supplements, however there was no strict 'chain of custody' (obviously Hardy could have contaminated the supplement herself looking for an excuse).  Advocare says their product was clean.

3.  And how about the arbitration committee thumbing it's nose at the IOC and at WADA who maintains strict liability policies.

4.  Dana Kirk filed a negligence suit in the case too:

Nobody has bent over backwards to do anything for the now-retired Kirk, beyond urging her to go away. Her legal motion to be added to the squad was denied before the Beijing Games, but her claim that she was damaged by USA Swimming's negligence in the case remains alive, and will get its own arbitration hearing later this month.

This is a mess.  To conclude:

But what kind of thermonuclear mixed message does all this send to the nation's impressionable young athletes? Don't use supplements, wink, wink. But if you do (and to be multiple-medal material, you pretty much have to) just make sure you can afford a good attorney, and we'll be behind you 100 percent?

Idaho newspaper tells Selena Roberts to move on from A-Rod...before book even published

Interesting view from the Idaho Press-Tribune which advises author Selena Roberts to move on from her A-Rod obsession.  Fine, except Robert's book isn't published yet.

I understand why Selena Roberts is on the witch hunt to further embarrass Alex Rodriguez, but honestly, what's the point? The fact that he'll be screaming "show me the money" pretty soon my be her motivation.

Will her new book, which is ironically slated to come out just in time for Rodriguez's return to  baseball, shed new light on the steroid age? Will it prove that Rodriguez did in fact do steroids longer than what he has already admitted? Was he doping in high school?

Who cares! We all know he cheated. Let's move on.

In the book, we're basically going to read Roberts' side of the story, which of course, will conflict with Rodriguez's side.

The part that bothers me most is this: Because Rodriguez makes a ton of money and plays for the Yankees (a team we all love to hate), he's held to a higher standard. And frankly, like Barry Bonds before him, he rubs people the wrong way.

Now if he were a top talent and did hard-core drugs for years, then he stopped, we'd all praise him for kicking drugs and finding faith in the process.

Because we prone to spelling errors, we will not point out the problems the style of the piece  However, where is the logic:

- A witch hunt implies that the hunted is something that doesn't exist.  Obviously steroid use in baseball does exist.  It is not a witch hunt.

- Rodriguez is not held to a 'higher standard' (whatever that means); A_Rod is held to the standard standard or in fact a lower standard -- likely benefiting from his superstar status.

- Roberts doesn't have a 'side' to the story, she is a journalist; 'sides' are for protagonists.

So, yeah, let's move on from this book, before it is published.

2009 Kentucky Derby first in history to check for steroids post-race

Last year Big Brown juiced before he won the Kentucky Derby.  This year, if a horse uses the same drug as Brown (Winny, stanozolol), he gone. Post race steroids testing will be administered to the top 4 finishers for the first time in Derby history. To the Press-Enterprise

The biggest change at this year's Kentucky Derby won't be noticed by any fan or disrupt the routine of any horse. In fact, its only evidence will be sealed and stored in a padlocked refrigerator minutes after the race.

For the first time, the signature American thoroughbred race is screening for anabolic steroids -- a quiet step that industry officials are hoping will help the sport's image.

"Our existence depends on public confidence," longtime breeder Arthur Hancock said. "If we lose that, we lose our livelihood. Its extremely important we get this mess cleaned up."

Last year's Derby winner, Big Brown, was on steroids at the time of his victory -- a fact known only because trainer Rick Dutrow acknowledged he injected the horse with the then-legal steroid stanozolol.

If this year's winner tests positive for more than a trace amount of stanozolol, the horse will be disqualified and the trainer subjected to a lengthy suspension.

The race gained some excitement this morning with the favorite scratched.

More to the A-Rod controversy: Did Alex Rodriguez juice in high school?

Looking into the story behinds prominent juiced athlete is like opening a Pandora's box, as more and more comes out.  It also becomes difficult to separate fact form fiction as these stories spread wide and fast.

The Los Angeles Times (along with every other media outlet in the solar system) reports on claims made in the new book about Rodriquez by Selena Roberts.

A new, unflattering biography of Alex Rodriguez reportedly says he may have used steroids as early as high school and even after he joined the New York Yankees.

Rodriguez admitted in February to using steroids while with the Texas Rangers from 2001-03 but insisted he stopped before he was traded to the Yankees in February 2004. He brushed off a question Thursday about details from Sports Illustrated writer Selena Roberts' upcoming book "A-Rod" that cast doubt on his earlier statements...

The New York Daily News reported Thursday that Roberts' book offers a portrait of the three-time American League most valuable player as a needy personality who wanted his ego stroked constantly and a player who tipped opponents to pitches in blowout games, hoping the favor would be returned someday.

If Rodriguez juiced in high school, he joins about 5% of males and 2.5% of females who use some sort of PED before adulthood.

ON the other hand, Doug Mientkiewicz, who attended high school with A-Rod, says he never saw the Yankee use 'roids.

Dodgers utilityman Doug Mientkiewicz said that he, Alex Rodriguez and their teammates on the Westminster Christian High spent as much time together as possible.

They were always together in school, Mientkiewicz said. They often ate dinner together. Many players, including Rodriguez, frequently slept over at Mientkiewicz's house, which was only 10 minutes from the private school in suburban Miami.

Mientkiewicz said he never saw any signs that Rodriguez was on steroids, as is being alleged in an upcoming book by Sports Illustrated's Selena Roberts, according to a report in the New York Daily News.

"From my perspective, it would be 99.9% impossible for us not to know," said Mientkiewicz, who was a year ahead of Rodriguez in school.

Mientkiewicz makes a valid point about weight gain and pubertal maturation:

Rodriguez put on 25 pounds of muscle between his sophomore and junior years in high school, according to the book.

"You're basically accusing every kid that's gone through puberty that they're on steroids too, huh?" Mientkiewicz said. "He gained a couple of inches height-wise too, if I remember right. . . . I knew what he looked like in ninth grade. He was skinny. Who isn't in ninth grade? He was very dedicated back then, he worked harder than anyone else."

One of Roberts' sources was a high school teammate of Rodriguez's, according to the Daily News.

More doping suspensions: Cyclist Redondo, skier Salameh

Spanish cyclist Jose Antonio Redondo tested positive for testosterone metabolites.  Cycling News:

Spanish rider Jose Antonio Redondo has been provisionally suspended by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) for failing an out-of-competition dope test taken in March.

Redondo returned a positive result for methyltestosterone metabolites - indicating possible steroid abuse - from a urine sample taken on March 13, 2009. The UCI notified Redondo on April 9 of his suspension, but only publicly released details of the case on Friday, May 1.

The Andalucia-Cajasur rider will not be allowed to compete until the Spanish Cycling Federation holds a hearing to determine whether he has committed a doping violation.

A Lebanese skier -- Georges Salameh -- will be banned for 2 years when he tested positive for cocaine.  Cocaine can be used as a PED, but likely recreational.

Dominican women's weight lifter positive for CERA EPO

A very interesting story out of Reuters,says a female power lifter from the Dominican Republic -- Yudelquis Contreras -- tested positive for CERA EPO.  This positive EPO is interesting because weight lifters usually use anabolic steroids, HGH, or insulin as primary anabolics.  EPO would generally be utilized by more distance and endurance athletes -- cyclists and runners.  Here we have a female strength athlete using EPO.

Women's weightlifter Yudelquis Contreras of the Dominican Republic has tested positive for the banned blood booster CERA, the Dominican Today newspaper said on Thursday.

Dominican Today said the positive test had been confirmed by the Dominican Olympic Committee and the Dominican Weightlifting Federation on Wednesday.

Contreras is the sixth and final athlete to test positive for CERA after the International Olympic Committee re-tested samples taken at last year's Beijing Olympics.

The weightlifter, who finished fifth in the 53 kgs category, faces a two-year ban.

Bahrain's Olympic 1,500 metres gold medallist Rashid Ramzi and Italian cycling road race silver medallist Davide Rebellin were among the six to test positive for the new generation of EPO.

The athletes can ask to have their B samples tested in their presence. If the B samples are positive the athletes face two-year suspensions, if they are first time offenders, and possible life bans if they have been caught cheating before.

More on 2008 Beijing Olympics positive doping tests: Davide Rebellin, Rashid Ramzi & Stefan Schumaker

More news emerges from the news wires today on the new 2008 Beijing Olympic doping results.  Focus is directed on 2 sports and 3 athletes:

Cycling: Stefan Schumaker, Davide Rebellin
Track: Rashid Ramzi (Gold medal 1500)

Again, it appears CERA-EPO constitutes the doping agent.

From Monsters and Critics:

Stuttgart - Olympic 1,500 metres gold medallist Rashid Ramzi of Bahrain and Italian cycling  road race silver medallist Davide Rebellin have tested positive for the latest generation of the blood booster EPO at retests of samples from the Beijing Games.

German cyclist Stefan Schumacher was also named by the German cycling federation while the ruling athletics body IAAF confirmed reports that three of the overall six suspects are from its sport.

Ahmad Ben Hamad Al El Khalifa, deputy general secretary of the Bahrain Olympic Committee, told German Press Agency dpa on Wednesday that the committee has been informed about Ramzi's positive test.

At the same time the Italian Olympic Committee CONI named Rebellin as a doping suspect and summoned him to a hearing on May 4.

And Germany, hit with a spate of blood doping scandals, announced this:

The Germany cycling federation then confirmed that Schumacher had also failed a retest for CERA. Schumacher had already tested positive for CERA at retests of 2008 Tour de France samples.

If found guilty, the athletes face disqualification, will be stripped of their medals and banned from the 2012 Games on top of sanctions from their respective sports federations.

Weird 'doping photos' of ex-New York Ranger star Alexei Cherepanov

Last year, budding NHL hockey star Alexei Cherepanov collapsed and died of 'myocarditis' at a hockey game in Russia.  His demise seemed fishy at the time.  Russian news releases were not all that helpful in clarifying the situation.

Now, photos emerged from Russian showing the young hockey star receiving an iv infusion of something.  It is referred as an 'injection' however that is not an injection.  To the National Post:

Remember a few months back when Russian investigators said that New York Rangers draft pick Alexei Cherepanov was taking banned substances before his death during a game with Avangard Omsk last October? Well, now photos on a Russian Web site suggest that those examining the case might have been on the right track.

The photos, which you can see here, depict Cherepanov taking an injection of something, and while it's always best not to jump to conclusions, the events that came after these photos were taken are kind of damning.

Cherepanov died of cardiac arrest on Oct. 13 during a game between KHL teams Omsk and Vityaz.

Here is translated Russian:

Attorney [Cherepanovykh] asked to introduce to the matter of the photo 27.04.2009 15:33 The attorney of the family Of [cherepanovykh] Sergey [Amfiteatrov] sent to the consequence on business of death of the forward of " [Avangarda]" Aleksey Cherepanov three photographs,  reports Sports.ru. " These photographs granted the family Of [cherepanovykh], one of them - the last photo before the game, made on October 13, during the day of death of hockey player. We see on two others how someone carries out the unestablished procedure. I sent to their inspectors with the request to introduce to the materials of [dela]" , he said amphitheatres. The dates of the second and third photographs are unknown. They are named " [Narkomaniya]" and " Addiction of 2" by hockey player himself, who sent to their family.

More 2008 Beijing Olympians test positive for doping: Cyclist Davide Rebellin and unnamed track gold winner

News agencies report today that several 2008 Beijing Olympians tested positive for doping. (NBC)  A cyclist from Italy -- Davide Rebellin -- was named.  Also interesting was unnamed male track gold medal winner.  Appears CERA-EPO was the culprit.

A person familiar with a new round of drug tests from the Beijing Olympics says two medalists were among six athletes who turned up positive when their blood samples were rechecked.

The person tells The Associated Press the tests nabbed three track and field athletes, two cyclists and one weightlifter.

The person also says one of the track and field athletes is a male gold medalist. The other medalist was in cycling.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the names haven’t been officially released by the International Olympic Committee.

The Italian Olympic Committee says one of the six was an Italian athlete. The Italian news agency ANSA identified him as cyclist Davide Rebellin, silver medalist in the road race.

Unnamed male track gold medalist.  Hmmmmmmmmmmm. Any guesses?  CNN reports 7 positive tests from 6 athletes; one doper was a double winner.

A total of 948 samples were analyzed, with seven tests, from six athletes, coming back as positive.

More from the NY Daily News:

The IOC announcement didn't identify the six athletes, who each failed a newly-designed test for CERA, an endurance booster. They are being notified through the governing bodies of their sports. CERA, which stands for continuous erythropoietin receptor activator, is an advanced version of erythropoietin, which increases the development of red blood cells, bringing more oxygen to the muscles.

The IOC's anti-doping rules allow for the storing of samples for up to eight years so athletes tempted to cheat know that they may test positive even if the anti-doping technology hasn't yet caught up to cutting-edge doping products and techniques. The testing took place in accredited laboratories in Switzerland, France, and Germany, and targeted samples from athletes in cycling, rowing, swimming and track and field.

The IOC said it tested a total of 948 samples after developing new tests for CERA and insulin, the diabetes treatment that has some performance-enhancing properties. The insulin re-test, performed on 101 urine samples, didn't result in any positives. But the CERA test identified seven positives for six athletes.

Houston Chronicle debunks Brian Cushing steroids banter

The Houston Texans, long known for their wise draft picks, chose USC linebacker Brian Cushing in the first round of the NFL draft.  As long as Houston has been known as rather vaudevillian organization, Cushing has been rumored to juice.  Today, the Houston Chronicle defends Cushing as a victim of nasty internet rumor-mongering.

Frank Bush didn’t want to go there, tried his best not to, but it was too late.

In discussing why Texans first-round draft pick Brian Cushing was the guy the Texans’ defensive coordinator wanted the team to take in the draft, Bush explained that it was partly because Cushing reminded him of someone.

“His demeanor, his intensity and the way he played the game reminded me of a player I coached at Denver,” Bush said.

The player? Bill Romanowski.

Oops.

The last thing Bush wanted to do on such a special day for the linebacker from USC was initiate a discussion of steroid use, but when you bring up Romanowski. …

Actually, with Cushing you can’t really initiate steroid talk, only join in.

Fantastic Freudian slip.  However, the Chron debunks the myth of Cushing and 'roids.  How?  Taking Cushing's word  (that's never gone wrong before has it?; note the photo on the left was taken when Cushing was rehabbing from shoulder surgery thus it isn't quite 'fair' to be used as a comparison)

But the days when those who succeed simply faced accusations of working hard are long behind us.

Instead, we get “He’s fast. He’s strong. His body is cut. So he must be cheating.”

“I told every team that I never did (steroids),” Cushing said. “I’ve passed every drug test out there.

“I’m not that kind of guy.”

No athlete who juiced ever denied it, right?  Even one who proclaimed himself as part of USC's "White Nation" a couple years ago.

Cushing, who measured in at 6-3, 246 pounds at the NFL Combine, is an admitted health nut who doesn’t do junk food. He has his meals delivered to him by a nutritionist. He has worked with a trainer since high school. And of course he hits the weight room with passion.

To many, that adds up to a steroids user.

After he went from being a 165-pound freshman to a 225-pound terror and the top linebacker in the country at Bergen Catholic (Park Ridge, N.J.), students at rival high schools taunted Cushing with steroids-based chants.

If the report of a high school kid increasing his weight from 165 to 225 form age 14 to 18 doesn't give one pause for thought, nothing does.  True, significant growth occurs in adolescents.  And true, Cushing sports a tall 6-3 frame.  But gaining from 165 to 225lbs, or 60 pounds IN HIGH SCHOOL in 4 years is incredible.  All muscle too we bet.

Are there any McDonalds in New Jersey?

Linebacker U (Southern Cal) started with the 2005 class.  All incredible stories.  All will be alumni of the same school that produced Mark McGwire.  Interesting.  Whats in the water down there?  Test it.

Alyssa Milano on steroids in baseball and botox in actresses

Actress Alyssa Milano has a new book on baseball: Safe at Home: Confessions of a Baseball Fanatic.  She traces her interest in baseball, and association with the game.  She also discusses steroids and PEDs in the game.

Milano admittedly is a bit confounded by baseball's ever-present albatross - the steroid issue. "There have always been scandals in baseball," she philosophizes. "Steroids is a sign of the times. We are a pharmaceutical nation.

"You can't find a woman over 40 who is an actress who hasn't used Botox. I get the players' perspective. What I don't get is how it got so out of hand, and how they let it go on for so long. I can forgive a player if he is honest about it. I don't view Alex Rodriguez any differently than anyone else. He may be different to some because he's a Yankee, but I don't think it's any worse for the sport because he did it.

"The players' union should support a come-clean program. Just say 'I was wrong, I got caught up in it, and I'm sorry.' Apologize for it, then move on."

The remarks about appearance enhancement in actresses is right on.

German pro cyclists Kloeden and Kessler under doping suspicion

A huge doping scandal in pro cycling continue in Germany involving the T-Mobile team.  Latest caught up were Andreas Kloeden and Matthias Kessler.  To the Earth Times:

German cyclists Andreas Kloeden and Matthias Kessler have been implicated in illegal doping practices following an independent investigation, news magazine Der Spiegel reports. The former T-Mobile cyclists are suspected of having received banned blood transfusions by doctors at Freiburg University Clinic, the magazine reports in its edition to appear Monday, quoting the results of an investigation by an expert commission.

The independent commission has spent two years looking into doping allegations against the doctors, Lothar Heinrich and Andreas Schmid, who are alleged to have created a systematic doping system between 1995 and 2006 for the former T-Mobile and Team Telekom team.

Kloeden, who now rides for Astana and is regarded as Germany's top cyclist, and Kessler, who is serving a doping ban, did not comment to Spiegel on the report. Kloeden has always denied doping. Former T-Mobile rider Patrik Sinkewitz has admitted having received banned blood transfusions from the Freiburg doctors and also to having used the illegal blood-booster erythropoietin (EPO).

Once again medical professionals aid the dopers.

Dwayne Wade accused of steroid use by disgruntled business partner

Take this for what it is, which may not be much.  Former Dwayne Wade business partner, Richard Von Houtman appears to be out to ruin D-Wades reputation.  Von Houtman not only sues Wade for fraud, but also accuses the Heat star of wild parties in an apartment, as well as illegal steroid use. Says Wade's behavior reminds him of roid rage. 

Remember these are unsubstantiated accusations. To the Miami New Times:

Richard von Houtman does not like Dwyane Wade. Today, von Houtman and business partner Mark Rodberg filed a federal antitrust suit against Wade and right-hand man Marcus Andrews for pulling out of their D Wade's Sports Grills franchise after allegedly demanding a larger share of the venture in return for his likeness and name. (Von Houtman was also involved in a charter school chain with Wade, which, according to our sister paper in Broward, the superstar left in the lurch.)

Wade owned 10 percent, the suit states, and Andrews owned 2. Court papers filed late yesterday allege "efforts to boycott and destroy a potentially competitive channel" for the marketing and sale of "personalized Wade sports paraphernelia." In other words, Wade is being sued for allegedly monopolizing the use of his own name, violating a contract made with von Houtman and Rodberg

That's Von Houtman's beef.  Here is his steroids accusation to explain why Wade dumped the marketing plan:

"Part of it is steroid rage. Dwyane has all of the signs of a steroid user, besides from the fact that he asked to buy steroids from me, twice. Because I was using [Deca-Durabolin] for my  rotator cuff. I said 'I'll give you the telephone number of my doctor and maybe he'll prescribe it to you, I'm not a steroid user.'" (Von Houtman offers no proof of this claim, which has not been verified by any other media or report.)

Steroid use in the NBA is extremely rare.  One wonders if a defamation suit from Wade will be forthcoming.

Lenny Dykstra, 'Nails' with steroids, a complete sports and business fraud

EPSN compiled an in-depth story on Ex-Philadelphia Philly, Ex-New York Met Lenny Dykstra once known as 'Nails".  Dykstra was a  hustling aggressive ballplayer in the MLB, but when it was revealed that Nails used steroids to juice up his play, his athletic reputation appeared a a bit rusted.  (commentary at Deadspin)  Now, like other steroid cheats (Marion Jones, Barry Bonds, Tim Montgomery) we see his business dealings are also fraudulent.

Fish's article looks at the fraud that is Lenny Dykstra's business 'empire'.  Like the fake stats he juiced up in baseball, Dykstra fraudulently juices up his business acumen, massaging the data to look great, meanwhile he lies, cheats, misrepresents, and defrauds his clients, friends and family.

In case you missed the HBO profile last year or the magazine stories that trumpet Dykstra's business acumen, his life beyond baseball includes acquisitions such as hockey legend Wayne Gretzky's old house ("the best house in the world," Dykstra says) in Thousand Oaks, Calif., which he bought for $18.5 million. He drives a black Rolls Royce Phantom with an extended wheelbase, and hires pilots to fly him around in his Gulfstream II jet...

And after thumbing through a series of lawsuits that stretches from coast to coast and chatting up his business associates, you wonder if this aspiring financial Pied Piper is, indeed, living in a fantasyland. You wonder if the dream, built on glitz and greed in a time of economic uncertainty, is a teetering house of cards. You wonder if anyone this side of Bernie Madoff has ticked off more people -- business partners and family, alike -- than Lenny K. Dykstra.

The lawsuits suggest that one of two things is going on here: Either Lenny hates to pay his bills, or he's a financial train wreck.

Just in the past two years, Dykstra has been the subject of at least 24 legal actions, including 18 since November. Three suits hit the courts on Jan. 29. He's been sued by publishers and print companies, by three different groups of pilots and by a Maryland-based financial and litigation consulting firm that offered expert testimony on his behalf in an earlier lawsuit. He's even been sued by a die-hard Mets fan who was the best man at his wedding 20-some years ago, though that New York investor claims there is no bad blood. 

Dykstra cheated at baseball with steroids and PEDs, and it also appears he cheats at business.  Critical point: look at Barry Bonds, Marion Jones, Tim Montgomery, and Lenny Dystra.  Heck, look at A-Rod too.  These athletes expose serious character flaws that cheat the games, the fans, their competitors, and now their clients.

Those who say illicit steroid and PED use presents no big deal need to answer to the cheating.  The cheaters are consistently flawed and frequently fraudulent.  Sports fraud leads to business fraud leads to personal fraud leads to a wacky moral compass.

Baseball may not be really important or as revered as devotees think.  Then again, ostensibly the sport offers a break from the stress of life...the sport defines itself between the lines where the setting is controlled and the results immediate.  Man v man, like the old days.  However, the cheating and back-stabbing that now takes place daily in the business sphere, is mirrored between the lines.  Great refuge huh?  Human nature, huh?

If Baseball doesn't give a dran about reputation, let the cheaters go on about their way, and we look on the sport as an interesting pastime, kinda like Vegas.  However devotees demand 'integrity'.  Clean up the game and the records if that is the case  From 1990 on there is little  integrity in the game in the 'Steroid Era'.

Dystra's brother turned against him, after the business burns; guess who supplied Nails with Roids:

Kevin Dykstra acknowledges that he briefed investigators for the Mitchell report as well as Major League Baseball security on what he describes as Lenny's use of recreational and performance-enhancing drugs during his playing days. Kevin says he was a source of the drugs for his brother, even after Lenny's baseball career ended.

And here is what the tainted records are worth:

So Dykstra, an assistant and a driver dash out of his office en route to the meeting, carrying plastic-wrapped bundles of The Players Club magazine. Inside the office elevator, Dykstra lifts his right leg like a dog relieving itself -- he retains a degree of the old flexibility -- and farts.

Steroids at Buckingham Palace?

Scandals everywhere.  A Herald-Sun report tells us that the Buckingham Palace guards juice with 'roids, along with selling hard core porn.  No wonder those guys stand at attention all day.

PALACE guards allegedly dealt in hard-core pornography and steroids and sat on Queen  Elizabeth's throne in comical poses when on duty, a court has heard.

Former royal protection officer Paul Page appeared in court yesterday charged with conning colleagues at Buckingham Palace out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in a property fraud.

But defence counsel John Cooper in turn alleged there was a "culture" of scandal within the walls of the Palace...

Mr Cooper asked Mr McGregor if he had been aware of any officers he had worked with having been involved in "any other illicit dealings", such as selling steroids.

He also suggested that at times hard-core pornography would be sold and traded in the locker rooms of royal protection officers.

ESPN writer Howard Bryant calls out 2002 Angels - Giants World Series as apex of steroid juiced MLB

ESPN writer Howard Bryant (Juicing the Game) calls out the players and management of both teams in the 2002 World Series between the Anaheim Angles (Troy Glaus) and the San Francisco Giants (Barry Bonds).   Bryant doesn't spare the doctors, also popping unethical California physician Ramon Scruggs who supplied steroids to the Angels' players.

The cornering of Alex Rodriguez and his subsequent admission that he used performance-enhancing drugs represented, for all intents and purposes, the nadir of the steroid era with few, if any, remaining ambiguities: The A-list, Hall of Fame's best used drugs; and so did the mediocre; and so did the worst. The general managers demurred, the leaders shrank and the men who signed the checks, like everyone else, made a fortune. The shock is gone. Little else can surprise our calloused sensibilities.

That said, the intricate details of just how this confidence game was carried out still carry immense value, for they cement a discredited time with facts instead of speculation. Understanding the foundations of the steroid era also reveals that this industrywide failure stretched far beyond the players connected to Brian McNamee, Kirk Radomski or the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative. It provides even more evidence that so much of what we've seen on the field during the past decade and a half needs to be recast.

Recently, The New York Times obtained transcripts of interviews by federal agents with four major league players conducted as part of the ongoing criminal investigation of Ramon Scruggs, a physician under indictment for illegally distributing steroids to big leaguers, police officers and corporate executives, among others.

As we have said, dirty trainers, doctors, and health professionals often stand behind the doping curtain:

Meanwhile, dirty doctors such as Scruggs have applied the same cheap excuses for their behavior that we've heard for years from the players. Glaus told investigators he used steroids to recover from a shoulder injury that was not healing. According to the Times, Schoeneweis told federal agents he felt run-down. Greene said he was fearful of losing his spot on a major league roster and so would not be able to support his family. Valdez said shoulder and knee injuries were not healing. Suggs mailed him steroids and syringes.

Each player used an old rationalization -- I wasn't trying to cheat; I was trying to stay on the field -- to soften the appearance of his actions, but the domino effect remains the same. At this late date, the excuses grow thin, the lies nothing more than a self-created noose.

And that 2002 Series pitting Glaus and the 'Angels' v. Bonds and the 'Gaints'.  We will not point out the delicate irony behind those monikors (we just did):

The 2002 Angels, for example, are the legitimate champions of an illegitimate time, just as Bonds is the legitimate home run champion of a discredited era. Despite Angels manager Mike Scioscia's adamant public stand against drugs, people around the game point privately to that club as one of the premier steroid-fueled teams thanks in part to a bullpen rife with career minor leaguers who suddenly began throwing in the mid-90s after their 30th birthdays.

Glaus was the MVP of that 2002 World Series, which is looking more and more like the definitive Steroid Series. Glaus, Brendan Donnelly and Schoeneweis, all of whom have been implicated, played for the Angels that season. On the Giants, there were Bonds, Benito Santiago, Marvin Benard, David Bell and Rich Aurilia. And that doesn't include the players who were suspect.

Bryant's exleeent writing is very dense reading, packed full of fact and logic.  Excellent piece.

British teenage cadet dies after taking anabolic steroids

A 17 year-old British teenager died in hospital after what appears to be ingesting anabolic steroids.  To the Times:

Post-mortem tests will today be carried out on a 17-year-old body builder who is thought to have died after taking steroids to bulk himself up for selection into the Royal Marines.

Matthew Dear of Southend, Essex, had been an Army cadet since the age of 12 and was planning to hea take the grueling selection test for the Marines when he turned 18, in three months' time.

He was admitted to Southend University Hospital eight days ago after becoming seriously ill and died yesterday morning.

"He lived for joining the Armed Forces but fell to pieces before our eyes," his father, Chris Dear, 43, told the Daily Mirror.

We heard other health professionals describe a systemic collapse after using anabolic steroids.  There are cases of teenagers like Taylor Hooton who suicided after anabolic steroid use.  This case, however is physiological and medical collapse.

He was discharged the following morning but was rushed back to hospital that night after losing his sight and was moved into intensive care. The teenager, who had three brothers and a sister, finally died yesterday morning. "They said his brain died and his kidneys packed in," his father told the Mirror.

Police said that tests were being carried out to establish what tablets the teenager had taken, and that a pathologist would examine the youngster’s body.

Those on the inside know about use of PEDs in the military.  Those recruits don't come back all big and bad just from good food.

Professional hockey (NHL) lays off dope testing in playoffs

The National Ho Hockley League, not known for steroids or doping will lay off steroids testing now that the playoffs are on-going.  In fact, the NHL will lay off dope testing for over 5 months.  Some experts say that is a ridiculous policy in 2009.  To the Columbus Dispatch:

...the NHL doesn't test for performance-enhancing drugs during the playoffs. For all the prices paid to hoist the Stanley Cup, a fear of being caught taking banned substances is not among them.

The NHL's performance-enhancing drug policy, enacted three years ago by the league and players union, does not permit testing during the playoffs and off-season. It's a five-month window in which the only enforcement against doping is the honor system.

Doping experts do not endorse that approach:

"You would have to be an idiot to get caught under a system like that -- an absolute moron," said Charles Yesalis, a Penn State University professor who specializes in the use and impact of performance- enhancing substances. "To me, you have to go far beyond that testing system to have a true sense of whether players are not doping."...

National doping experts say the NHL policy is "woefully inadequate" and too flawed to allow a judgment on what percentage of players might be using steroids, stimulants or other banned substances.

"I think most people in professional sports wish the problem away," said Dr. Gary Wadler, a New York official with the World Anti-Doping Agency and an expert on drug use in sports. "They tweak their programs to take the heat off, but there hasn't been any heat on hockey."

Under current policy, an NHL team can receive up to three no-notice tests a season. The Blue Jackets were given the league maximum last season but only one test this season.

Is there a doping or steroids problem in the NHL?

Since the drug policy went into effect, only one player, former NHL defenseman Sean Hill, tested positive for a banned substance, in 2007. Hockey's doping record stands in contrast to the National Football League, Major League Baseball, the Olympics and other international sporting events in which cheaters routinely are caught.

So, are hockey players that honest or is the policy that ineffective?

"I'd say we're that clean," said Nash, who added that he has never considered using banned substances and would support a year-round testing program. "I have been here for five or six years, and I haven't seen anything once."

The Dispatch conducted an anonymous survey of the Jackets, and not a single player thought that the league has a doping problem.

Obviously NHL hockey players could use steroids to bulk up in the long off-season, then slip by during the sparsely monitored playing season. Problem or not?

Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock noticed a change in body types in the mid-1990s, and it wasn't a subtle one. Hitchcock coached minor-league hockey then and recalled marveling at the physical transformations on the ice. "Guys changed over the summer in a huge way," Hitchcock said. "Small guys became big. There was a time maybe 15 years ago that you thought, 'What's going on here?' 

Read more of the comprehensive report at the Dispatch's site.