Baseball Fueled The Steroid/Home Run Fire

This story is from: CommonDreams.org

Some genetically engineered chickens are coming home to roost for Major League Baseball. Grand Jury testimony from the Bay Area Lab Company (BALCO) investigation has been leaked to the San Francisco Chronicle, and the clucking has begun. We now know that former MVP and Yankee first baseman Jason Giambi admitted under oath to using all kinds of steroids. Reigning National League MVP Barry Bonds, in further transcripts, conceded to administering a “flackseed oil cream” that he found out was a steroid after the fact.

Giambi in particular took grand jurors down a harrowing rabbit hole of steroid use during his 2001-2003 seasons. He testified to injecting human growth hormones in his stomach and testosterone into his buttocks. Giambi in addition rubbed an undetectable steroid knows as “the cream” on his body and placed drops of another, called “the clear,” under his tongue. He also admitted ingesting a Female Fertility Drug called Clomid, which some medical experts say can exacerbate a pituitary tumor. Giambi suffers from such a tumor. His revelations occur in the wake of the drug related death of 1997 National League MVP Ken Caminiti who admitted to steroid use and a horror show of health problems in the months before he died.

Now baseball is suffering yet another PR debacle, as their biggest stars start to resemble self-contained chemistry sets. MLB Commissioner Bud Selig scurried to point fingers at the players and their union as the root cause of steroid abuse because they have the temerity to fight the strict unilateral testing Bud drools for. Selig said Thursday in Washington, D.C., “We’re going to leave no stone unturned until we have [a very tough program] in place by spring training 2005.” But as Selig attempts to use the scandal to turn the tables on the union he abhors, Big Bud and all MLB owners need to take a long, hard look in the mirror.

Steroids and their link to increased power numbers appear to be a fact of life in baseball’s recent history. Only 17 times has a player hit 56 or more home runs. Eleven of those seasons came between 1997 and 2001, including all six 63-plus campaigns. Adrian Beltre, in this first year of a marginal steroid testing program, led the NL in home runs with 48. That number would not have made the top five in 2001 when Bonds set the all time mark with 73 dingers. The moon-shots were epic, and Major League Baseball loved every minute of it. It was Major League Baseball that hyped the hypo using sluggers of the mid-late 90s. It was Major League Baseball that rode the 1998 home run battle between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa - commonly called “the home run race that saved the game” - to a returned popularity not seen since before the lockout/strike of 1994. It was Major League Baseball that approved Nike’s “Chicks Dig the Long Ball” ad campaign. It was Major League Baseball that spent the ’90s building ballparks the size of Dick Cheney’s hot tub to encourage high scoring and increased home run totals. It was Major League Baseball that advertised its Home Run Derby and All Star Game two years ago using cartoons of players with freakishly huge muscles, slamming the ball out of the park. And it was Major League Baseball that rewarded the big bashers with eye-popping contracts.

It’s certainly true that steroids don’t belong in baseball. They can destroy your body and even kill you. But as long as baseball pays the big money to the big bashers and glorifies the long ball, drugs will be ingested and as long as players are pressured by agents and management to keep up with the guy in the locker next door, there will be more Giambis to come. That’s not the union’s problem, or even the player’s problem. That’s on owners who see players as pieces of equipment, easily disposed and easily replaced.

MLB Makes Example of Young Player

This is an article from: The Boston Globe

Don’t underestimate the message sent by Bud Selig and Major League Baseball last week when Atlanta Braves prospect Jordan Schafer was suspended 50 days for a human growth hormone violation. While details are sketchy as to whether Schafer took it or bought it, Selig’s new investigative unit apparently means business.

The emphasis seems to be on high-profile younger players because MLB wants the next generation of players to be super clean.

A baseball official said, “There are some players who might think that the Mitchell Report is out, ‘I’m not in it, I won’t get caught now.’ They’d better think twice about feeling that way.”

Because there is no accepted test (by Major League Baseball) for HGH, there’s no way a player can test positive. But there are paper trails, tips, and other evidence that investigators deal with daily.

The official said the unit “is acting on everything” that implicates anyone in current or past use, which is why MLB wants to discuss the contents of Jose Canseco’s latest book with him. It’s no secret that Canseco’s first book sparked the interest of George Mitchell.

While Canseco has hinted strongly in recent interviews that he’s holding back information, the latest claims in his book, “Vindicated,” are that he injected Tigers superstar Magglio Ordonez and that he gave Alex Rodriguez the name of a steroid distributor.

Selig is acting on the recommendations in the Mitchell Report, one of which was to form an investigative unit to look into drug use by players. It started work in December.

“Without a test, anyone taking HGH feels they can get away with it as long as they hide the paper trail,” said the official. “I think this unit is going to find ways to put the pieces together. They are very diligent, and if they suspect someone of use, they’re going to put a case together.”

The unit, according to baseball sources, was “very active” in spring training in investigating leads. The Schafer case started in spring training, but it wasn’t until last week that MLB felt it had enough evidence to issue punishment.

So many players have taken a post-Mitchell Report attitude of “putting this behind us” or the ever-popular “turning the page.” But MLB isn’t turning any page. Late last week, MLB and the Players Association came to an agreement on an independent overseer of the drug-testing program. This is a major concession by the association, which has been very protective of players’ rights and privacy. Recent pressure from Congress and the public surely has made the union far more cooperative.

Under the new way of doing business, which was another recommendation of the Mitchell Report, Dr. Bryan Smith, a longtime confidant and friend of Selig, would continue in his role as independent administrator of the testing program. Smith would not be tied strictly to Selig but would answer to both him and the union.

The Mitchell Report also recommended more offseason testing, which will be a nuisance to players and costly to MLB. There will be 600 more tests overall, 375 more in the offseason. Independent testing, though, still hasn’t been agreed on.

“We are extremely disappointed that Jordan has violated the Commissioner’s Performance-Enhancing Drug Policy,” said Braves GM Frank Wrenn. “We are supportive of the program and continue to educate all of our players.”

Fans Concerned About Steroid Use

This is an article from: New York Times Sports Section

Despite a contentious off-season, in which he found himself linked to the use of performance-enhancing drugs, Roger Clemens is drawing more support from baseball fans than Barry Bonds, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

The poll also found that fans — those who said they followed baseball fairly closely — say that it matters to them if players use performance-enhancing drugs and that the news media are more diligent about covering drug use in baseball than they are in football.

The poll also asked fans to estimate how many major leaguers use steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs; 34 percent said they thought at least half of the players did, 36 percent said about a quarter did, and 22 percent said only a few players did.

On the issue of Clemens and Bonds, fans were asked whether they thought they should be eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame. Both players have found their achievements on the field tarnished and their credibility questioned because of continuing legal cases and accusations that they used performance-enhancing drugs.

Of those polled, half said Clemens should be eligible for the Hall, and 44 percent said the same of Bonds. To be eligible for the Hall of Fame, a player must be retired for five seasons. Bonds and Clemens are not signed for the 2008 season. If they do not play again, they will become eligible for the Hall the same year.

To be inducted, each would need to be named on 75 percent of the ballots cast by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Those who were polled were not asked about induction, only eligibility. No matter how the current legal issues for Bonds and Clemens play out, there is a good chance that their eligibility for the Hall will not be affected.

The 45-year-old Clemens, with 354 career victories, is being investigated by federal authorities seeking to determine whether he committed perjury when he testified before Congress that he had not used performance-enhancing drugs. Bonds, 43, holds the major league record with 762 home runs; he is now under indictment on charges that he lied to a federal grand jury about his connection to performance-enhancing drugs.

Their situations are similar, but some poll respondents saw distinctions in follow-up interviews after the poll was completed.

“Everybody knows that Barry Bonds was on steroids, but it has yet to be proven that Roger Clemens was,” said Johnny Todd, 56, who lives in Conway, S.C., and owns a car-repair business.

Todd said if it was proved that Clemens used steroids, then he should not be in the Hall of Fame, either.

Susan Haynes, 43, who lives in Stamford, Conn., and owns a gardening business, said she thought that steroids helped hitters more than pitchers. She was, therefore, more willing to consider Clemens a Hall of Fame candidate than Bonds.

“I still believe Clemens is among the best, and I don’t think the steroids have that much of an impact.” she said. “Even if he did do it, I don’t think it affected his performance that much. It’s not like hitting.”

Nino Tozzi, 63, who lives in Jupiter, Fla., and builds swimming pools, sided more with Bonds. “Barry Bonds didn’t necessarily lie like Roger Clemens did to Congress,” he said. “I know he might have been evasive, but Roger Clemens, in my opinion, is flat-out lying.”

The poll findings also illuminated significant differences among fans based on education level and income. Those with a college education and those earning more than $50,000 a year were more likely to say Clemens and Bonds should not be eligible for the Hall of Fame than those who did not have a college education or earned less than $50,000 a year.

The poll found that over all, 53 percent of those who identified themselves as fans said that it mattered a lot to them if a player used steroids. Twenty-nine percent said it mattered a little, and 16 percent said it did not matter at all.

Nearly half (45 percent) of those who identified themselves as fans agreed that the news media came down harder on Major League Baseball on the issue of steroids than it did on the N.F.L. Only 5 percent said the news media were harder on the N.F.L.

“I think we have a bias because baseball is traditionally the national pastime,” said John Davis, 67, a retiree who lives in Myrtle Beach, S.C. “We’re harder on things that we have a greater respect for. Or at least did have a greater respect for.”

Jeff LaBond, 43, who lives in Chesterfield, Mich., and is seeking a degree in industrial maintenance, said, “Maybe baseball is getting so much coverage simply because there are baseball players in front of Congress.”

He added: “But I don’t think it’s Congress’s business to get involved. It’s not a government issue. It’s up to the owners and the union to police their own.”

The poll was a nationwide telephone survey that was conducted March 15-18 with 1,067 adults, of whom 492 said they were very interested or somewhat interested in baseball. The margin of sampling error for baseball fans is plus or minus four percentage points.

Those polled were also asked to identify a favorite player. Derek Jeter finished first, with 1 in 10 fans naming him. A Yankees teammate, Alex Rodriguez, finished second.

Suspicions Among Players, Who Was Using?

This is an article from : The St. Cloud Times

There are few things more unfair than guilt by association. But it happens all the time these days in major league baseball, where the syllogism often goes something like this:

A. Many major league baseball players from the last quarter-century have admitted to or been accused of using illegal performance-enhancing drugs.

B. Joe Blow was a major league baseball player during that time, and at some point in his career had a major spike in productivity.

C. Therefore, Joe Blow must have been consuming steroids like they were Pez.

Perhaps it’s easier to ignore this issue when it’s Joe Blow.

But how about when it’s a beloved player from your favorite team? Or a Hall of Famer? Or both?

For Minnesotans, that hypothesis gets tested in The Bill James Gold Mine 2008, the latest in a series of annual books of baseball statistical analysis by historian and statistician Bill James.

Among other features, James’ book has a section on atypical seasons: Players who — for one year, for whatever reason — grossly overachieved (Norm Cash in 1961, Darin Erstad in 2000, etc.) relative to their career numbers.

It also chronicles players who grossly underachieved for a year, at least from a home run standpoint. And among them are a pair of 1984 Minnesota Twins: Kirby Puckett and Gary Gaetti.

“Two of the greatest home run under-producers of all time were teammates: Kirby Puckett and Gary Gaetti in 1984,” James writes. “Puckett hit no home runs, Gaetti hit only five.

“Suggesting the possibility that the Twins’ two World Championships may have been aided by their team being among the first to discover … well, I’d better not go there. Nor will I point out that Gaetti was bald and had acne and Puckett died young.”

In between those lines, James basically is insinuating that Puckett and Gaetti got into performance-enhancing drugs in the mid-1980s, helping the Twins muscle up and win the World Series in 1987 and 1991.

Want a little more guilt by association?

As a (relatively) skinny 175-pound rookie in 1984, Puckett did not hit a home run in 557 at-bats. He hit four homers in 691 at-bats in 1985.

And then, all of a sudden, Puckett cranked 31 homers in 1986, 28 more in 1987 when the Twins won it all. He went on to hit 203 homers over the final 10 years of his career.

Puckett also beefed up to about 225 pounds by the time he was done playing, and probably was in the neighborhood of three bills when he died in 2006.

Did he just learn how to hit with power? Did he just like to eat? Or, was there something else involved?

Gaetti, after hitting 25 homers as a rookie in 1982 and 21 in 1983, suffered his inexplicable power outage in 1984.

Then he took off: 20 in 1985, 34 in 1986, 31 in 1987 and 28 in 1988. Gaetti ended up hitting 360 homers in a career that didn’t end until 2000.

He also lost his hair and had complexion issues, factors that can be byproducts of steroid use. Again, the insinuation is that the G-Man hit the juice, which enabled him to hit a lot of those homers (and save on haircuts).

Fair or not, there’s a drug-related shadow of doubt about virtually every statistical accomplishment of baseball’s last quarter-century.

Nobody can pinpoint exactly when the steroid era began. But there is overwhelming evidence that the feats of a lot of players wouldn’t have happened without artificial enhancement.

And every time there’s a ridiculous power blip in a career path (like Luis Gonzalez’s 57 homers in 2001, Brady Anderson’s 50 in 1996, and pretty much anything Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa did from the mid-90s on), there’s an assumption of guilt.

Some players deserve that assumption. Some don’t. But the line between the two has been forever blurred.

Twins fans who remember those joyous Octobers in 1987 and 1991 would like to think that their guys were clean, that Puckett simply learned to drive the ball and Gaetti just happened to have a bad year and bad follicular genetics. We’d all like the memory of those World Series championships to remain unsullied.

But because of the specter of performance-enhancing drugs, that’s the reality. And baseball has nobody to blame for this but itself.