Steroid Nation

Will Connecticut elect the steroids WWE fighting-senator, Linda McMahon?

Voters in Connecticut decided to run WWE executive Linda McMahon against Connecticut AG Richard Blumenthal.  Mrs. McMahon funded her campaign with generous amounts of cash from her personal fortune.

McMahon's husband Vince McMahon is the chief exec of the WWE and is a widely known and admitted friend and user of steroids.  Why not have Mrs McMahon join government as the steroids senator..we have at least one steroids governor in California...(the Wall Street Journal)

 Democrats picked the former mayor of Stamford as their best hope to win the Connecticut governor's mansion for the first time since 1986, while wealthy wrestling executive Linda McMahon will take on Attorney General Richard Blumenthal in the race for the state's open U.S. Senate seat.

Mrs. McMahon will have a hard fight in this heavily Democratic state. But her vow to spend up to $50 million of her own money on her campaign will make her a formidable opponent to Mr. Blumenthal, who has had a strong but narrowing lead in recent polls.

The race will likely continue to receive intense national attention, as an upset by Mrs. McMahon in the race for the seat held by retiring Sen. Christopher Dodd would help tip the balance of power in the Senate toward the Republicans.

Anabolic steroids and painkillers in home of Andrew "Test" Martin

We are not huge fans of the WWE, to say the least.  It took a few minutes to get up to speed when our man Sal M (Blog Critics) emailed that a pro wrestler named Andrew Martin died very young the other day.

Authorities say former professional wrestler Andrew Martin, who was known as "Test" and "The Punisher" to fans, has died at his Tampa home. He was 33.

The former World Wrestling Entertainment champion was found dead at his apartment Friday night. Police say a neighbor reported that she could see into his apartment window and that Martin appeared motionless for several hours.

The St. Petersburg Times reported -- surprise -- authorities uncovered anabolic steroids and painkillers at the deceased wrestler's house.  It is very interesting that Martin kept deep ties with the first family of the WWE, the Vince McMahon crew...even when the WWE released the wrestler as the result of a spinal wrestling injury.

As “Test”, Martin was involved in a love triangle with Stephanie McMahon (the owner Vince McMahon’s daughter) and Triple H (the wrestler who has been married to Stephanie McMahon for years) which was one of the top story lines in WWE history.

Today would have been Andrew Martin's birthday -- 34.

The professional wrestler known as "Test" or the "Punisher" planned to leave Monday to celebrate in France, Sweden and Belgium, according to his MySpace page.

But authorities found his body Friday night at about 8 o'clock. And officers have since disclosed that they discovered prescription drugs, including painkillers and steroids, in the Harbour Place apartment.

A neighbor had become suspicious after watching him lie motionless on a couch for hours and called police. It appeared Mr. Martin was in the middle of a meal when he died, said police spokeswoman Laura McElroy. There was a half-eaten pizza and soda nearby.

Officers do not suspect foul play. There were no signs of trauma to Mr. Martin, she said. "He was obviously very healthy, McElroy said. The mystery of his death will likely be solved by his toxicology report.

First, anytime a person passes away, it is sad; condolences to the family.  However, an informed observer will note the string of dead wrestlers, including the spectacular Chris Benoit, most with a string of steroids, HGH, painkillers, and other drugs.

Batman -- John C. Oden -- minor league pitcher traded for bats, ends up broken

John C. Odom, the minor league pitcher traded for 10 bats, ended his life in Georgia more broken than any discarded bat in the clubhouse.  Odem, apparently hit right in the trademark by the fluky bat trade story, ended up overdosed and dead in Georgia of a mixed drug overdose (NBC News).

The medical examiner said Odom’s death in Georgia on Nov. 5 at age 26 was an accidental overdose from heroin, methamphetamine, the stimulant benzylpiperazine and alcohol.

The NBC story documents his life: pitcher in the Giants system, guitarist, free spirit, broken spirit.  Once rooming with Giants pitcher Tim Linecum who commented 'It really is sad".

Odom’s death had drawn little notice by the start of spring training this year. Now, former teammates, managers and club officials keep asking a question for which there is no satisfying answer.

“I guarantee this trade thing really bothered him. That really worried me,” said Dan Shwam, who managed Odom last year on the Laredo Broncos of the United League. “I really believe, knowing his background, that this drove him back to the bottle, that it put him on the road to drugs again.”

Shwam added: “There were some demons chasing him, they’d been after him for a long time. But there’s no way to really know whether the trade did it, is there?”

At first, Odom seemed to handle it well. He gladly agreed to interviews. He kidded about the kooky deal and said it would make a better story if he reached the majors someday.

Odem witnessed trouble during his life.  He was known as a long-haired guitar-playing loose hanging flake, with talent, but troubles.  After the bat trade, troubles magnified:

On June 5 in Amarillo, the “Batman” theme played while Odom warmed up for Laredo, and he tipped his cap to the sound booth. But he was battered for eight runs in 3 1-3 innings and mercilessly taunted by the crowd. Shwam went to the mound.

“The chants, the catcalls, they were terrible. I had to get him out of there for his own good. He was falling apart, right in front of our eyes,” Shwam said.

When Shwam noticed Odom becoming more withdrawn, he called a team meeting. The message: No more talking about the trade or the bats by anyone.

Odom pitched five good innings at San Angelo on June 10 in what turned out to be his third and last start. On the bus after the game, Odom said he needed to speak with Shwam the next day.

“He came in and said, ’Skip, I’m going home. I just can’t take it. I’ve got some things to take care of. I’ve got to get my life straightened out,”’ Shwam recalled. 

And with that, Odom disappeared.

Oden joins Angel pitcher Donnie Moore -- who could not live with the indignity of giving up a pennant losing home run -- on the mortality list.  Sometimes sports, misfortune, and street drugs don't mix.

Alex Rodriguez faces media during spring training in Tampa; To make donation to Taylor Hooton anti-steroid Foundation

A-Rod opened spring training today with a press conference where he discussed steroid use.  He also announced that he will make a donation to the Taylor Hooton Foundation in Plano Texas.

Reports indicate A-Rod admitted to taking an over-the-counter preparation that contains anabolic steroids.   Although he just now admitted to injections  (the two are very different).

Listening to the press conference A-Rod dodged a question about 'cheating', but he blamed steroid use on being 'young and stupid'.  A-Rod identified his cousin as the supplier of the drug, transported from the Dominican Republic to the United States.

A-Rod is now invoking God, as putting him in a forum where 'I can be heard'.

A-Rod is talking about the steroids being 'over-the-counter' and 'amateur'.  Interesting, in that veterinary anabolic steroids must be 'over-the-counter' in the Dominican.  A-Rod comments that he didn't even know the drugs were steroids.  "I was 24 or 25" (as a note 24 or 25 year-olds graduate from law school and medical school; We would not characterize them as 'young and stupid')

A-Rod refers to 'bolie' which has to be Primobolan, a typical anabolic steroid.  What are the (suspected) effects of anabolic steroids: increased muscle mass, increased power, in proved injury repair, and perhaps improved vigor.  Remember, no study has ever looked at the effects (short or long term) of anabolic steroids in gifted professional athletes.

Benoit's doctor -- Dr. Phil Astin -- pleads guilty on perscription abuse charges

Dr. Phil Astin, who supplied Chris Benoit steroids and HGH among other drugs -- pleaded guilty to 175 charges of illegal prescription drug distribution.  Benoit, the WWF wrestler suffering from concussions, drug abuse (anabolic steroids, HGH, narcotics, benzodiazepines, alcohol) killed his son, wife, and himself on a weekend rage rampage in 2007.

To WSBRadio:

The former doctor of pro wrestler Chris Benoit has changed his plea to guilty.

Dr. Phil Astin entered the new plea to a 175 count indictment in court on Thursday.

The indictment charges Astin with conspiracy and illegal distribution of prescription drugs.  The charges are not related to the 2007 of Benoit, his wife and the wrestler's son.

Benoit was taking anabolic steroids when he killed his family and then himself in their Fayette County home.

Astin's attorney portrays him as a country doctor willing to bend a few rules to try to ease his clients aches and pains.

Astin will be sentenced in May. 

Darrius Miles -- NBA player inactive for 2 years -- would be suspended 10 games in comeback

Incredible as it sounds, an NBA player -- inactive now since 2006 -- would sit out the first 10 games of 2008-9 if he is added to a roster even as a last ditch option.

Darius Miles, who last saw action in the 2006 NBA season before a career-ending injury throttled him, is being considered by the desperate Memphis Grizzlies.  However Miles still owes the NBA 10 games On he suspended list for an unnamed steroids policy violation.  To Hoops World:

Darius Miles signed a minimum-salary contract with the Memphis Grizzlies, according to a report from Yahoo! Sports on Saturday.

Citing an anonymous source, the web site said that the Grizzlies inked the 27-year-old Miles after considering D-League options to fill an open roster spot.  Memphis had room after trading point guard Javaris Crittenton to the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.

Miles, who reportedly also worked out for the Los Angeles Clippers, has not played an NBA regular-season game since April 15, 2006, thanks to a right knee injury.

In fact, Miles was waived by the Portland Trail Blazers last season when an independent doctor deemed his injury career-ending.  The Blazers, as a result, were allowed to remove the $18 million that was owed to Miles over two seasons from their salary cap.

The ruling allowed Portland to become a threat in the summer of 2010, when a bevy of superstars - including LeBron James - hit the free-agent market.

However, according to the report, the Blazers again would be saddled with the money if Miles plays in 10 games this season.  The forward will be suspended for the first 10 games he is on a team's active roster after violating the league's anti-doping policy.

The third overall pick in the 2000 draft by the Clippers, Miles was drafted out of high school and has averaged 10.7 points and 5.2 rebounds in parts of six seasons with three teams.

He spent training camp with the Boston Celtics this season but was waived before the start of the campaign.

Steroid use appears to be rare in the NBA.  The record indicates only 3 players earned suspensions due to violation of the NBA's steroid policy (despite this incorrect answer online):

• Matt Geiger , 2001
• Don MacLean, 2000
• Soumaila Samake (Lakers)

Like many pro athletes the basketball players blamed supplements:

Los Angeles Lakers backup center Soumaila Samake was suspended for five games by the NBA on Tuesday for violating the league's steroids policy.

Samake, 24, a native of Mali in his third NBA season, will not be paid during the suspension, which began with Tuesday night's game against Atlanta.

The league and the NBA Players Association do not disclose details regarding the testing or treatment of players in the program, but Samake issued a statement saying he had taken a dietary supplement that contained Nandrolone, a substance banned by the NBA.

Charles Barkley didn't think McLean juiced up:

Charles Barkley has the most famous two-liner about steroids and the NBA. When journeyman Don MacLean tested positive in 2000, Barkley stuck up for the former UCLA star.

He tried to, anyway.

"Don MacLean?" Barkley said on TNT, "I've seen Don MacLean naked, and he doesn't use steroids."

MacLean was 6-foot-10 and 235 pounds, not exactly brimming with an A-list, body-building frame. He spent most of his nine-year career working through injuries after winning the Most Improved Player Award his sophomore season.

A guy with that build couldn't possibly be on steroids, Barkley joked, but he easily could have reached an opposite conclusion.

There was a question of Memphis forward Chris Anderson's use of 'roids, however he was booted from the league on his first public violation, which indicates something hard like heroin or amphetamines.

Congress investigated NBA steroids by interviewing Juan Dixon.  Juan Dixon?  Because he knew the drive to Capital Hill? 

The Hill dressed down David Stern, who redid the steroid policy to implement a huge 10 game suspension for a first AAS violation.

If Miles used steroids, it certainly hasn't been broadcast widely.  The use of anabolic steroids seems not to be in the NBA culture.  As a Laker blogger attests, most trainers have to drag their players into the weight room:

With all the recent hubub of steroids in baseball, it's not surprising that the NBA wants to proactively deflect any potential suspiscion of steroid use amongst its players.  A recent article by Marc Stein, Stern On Steroids: 'It's Not a Problem We Think We Have,' talks to a couple of NBA players around the league who state that steroids are not really an issue.  These players explain that basketball players want to remain nimble, quick, lean - they aren't looking to pack on muscle, muscle that will only render them a quick slower and reduce their overall stamina.

Memphis' Shane Battier echoed Massenburg's assertion that steroids are unlikely to appeal to NBA players – now or in the future – when weight training appeals to so few.

"Something you've got to understand is that basketball players just don't like to lift weights," Battier said. "Most of us would rather be out playing ball. We all grew up either on the playground or in the gym. If we're going to spend time working on our game, we're going to be on the court."

Although some fans suggest NBA players could abuse HGH, we know of no NBA player to abuse growth hormone (unless naturally from their own mutant pituitary).  The NBA players association will not even hear of HGH testing.