TwitterThe Sad Truth
10 Feb 2013
The names continue to drip out of the Miami clinic and there are rumors that the newspaper that broke the story is going to cooperate with MLB , so expect more names to appear soon. But, none of this will solve the basic problem which the originally story outlined, the drugs are just too cheap.
Lost in the hype over the names in the original story was this little nugget:
On a 2009 client list, near A-Rod’s name, is that of Yuri Sucart, who paid Bosch $500 for a weeklong supply of HGH.
$500 a week means a yearlong supply of HGH is $26,000. MLB players who are in the majors make a minimum of $490,000 this year. And remember, up until now there has been no way to test for HGH. When you consider the millions handed out to players with even average stats, I think you would have to agree that the temptation to cheat and start using HGH must be very, very high for a lot of players.
And that’s the sad reality of all of this. There will always be new drugs developed that athletes will find out about. With millions of dollars on the line, the temptations to cheat will always be there. MLB can trumpet its drug policies all it wants, but its hard to see how we will ever have a truly clean game in the 21st Century.
Feb 10, 2013 @ 23:43:32
or minor league players taking everything they got to get to that $490k minimum…
Feb 10, 2013 @ 23:47:27
Yup, I imagine the temptations reach far down into the minors.
Feb 12, 2013 @ 20:20:38
A guy like Cervelli is the prototypical user. He’s on the cusp of making the majors and has had a couple of set backs that make him desperate. The cheating rate for somone like that is through the roof. The “Game of Shadows” book on Balco makes this point especially well.
Feb 12, 2013 @ 22:35:27
Gentlemen,
Let’s stir this pot a little bit:
Why are drugs that help build muscle mass so bad? They make you stronger but do nothing for hand to eye coordination. How about a player suffering from Low T levels? Why can’t he use hormone replacement therapy. And guys, your T levels start dropping after you hit your early 20s, don’t kid yourselves. So HRT is OK for women and non-athlete males but banned for male athletes?
How about Vitamin B12? That’s OK regardless of dosages?
HGH to heal quicker? That’s bad but platelet therapy is OK? How about topical antibiotics to help heal faster?
Here’s one of my real hot buttons: why are drugs that help a player with attention deficit issues so bad? See Ritalin and/or Adderall. I know many people who take those drugs so that they can overcome their particular type of mental focus issues (love some of those people dearly (LOL)). So, my relatives can take those but male athletes can’t? WTF is that about?
Not even Sudafed (you WILL test positive for a banned stimulant) ??
Where do we properly draw these lines?
OK – anyone to take shots at me now, that’s OK, But perhaps someone needs to open the dialogue.
Feb 13, 2013 @ 00:50:52
Mitchell- Good stir of the pot. You bring up some good points about where exactly the line should be.
But drawing the line is next to impossible because countries can’t even agree on what should and should not be legal. Look at this excerpt from a story about HGH (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/20/sports/20hgh.html?_r=0)
The United States determined that potential harm from H.G.H. is so great that federal law puts it in an unusual category of drugs that doctors cannot prescribe for unapproved, or off-label, uses. (No such ban exists in Canada.) Its approved uses are not conditions common among professional athletes: it can be used in children with severe growth problems, H.I.V. patients may receive it if they have muscle wasting, and it can be prescribed to offset exceptional weight loss in people who have had much of their small intestine surgically removed.
If the U.S. is right, this is some bad, bad stuff. If Canada is right, we are being way, way too protective.
So, how can we expect MLB and the other leagues to figure this out? I think the best thing is for them to rely on medical experts to define what should be banned and what should not be and then vigorously enforce those standards. It’s imperfect, but I am not sure what other choices we have.
Feb 12, 2013 @ 21:28:02
Peter,
But HGH can help speed recovery from injury if used under an MD’s supervision
And Sudafed really does help shrink swollen sinuses caused by colds and allergies.
And Adderall and Ritalin are given to millions of kids – and some of their parents – who can’t stay on topic for more than a few seconds. It slows them down, it doesn’t wire/speed them up, at all.
And Testosterone and it’s precursors do help males with low T levels.
So …. are we telling professional athletes that legitimate medical remedies are off limits to them as long as they play ball. That’s a rhetorical question: the answer is “yes”. So… why?
Ah well, this is something for the player’s union to tackle behind closed doors. I can see some truly valid arguments for some readily available drugs that have real benefits.
- end pot stirring.
Can someone please yell “PLAY BALL” already ? Football is done and there are these guys sliding around on ice pushing something with sticks and these other guys who seem to be unable to walk more than three paces without bouncing a big ball on the floor …how weird is that? LOL
Feb 12, 2013 @ 23:13:47
Sure, testosterone helps males with Low T levels, but how many professional athletes suffer from that particular condition? And how many of these athletes are doing any of this stuff under a doctors care? If you or I used some of these drugs without a legitimate prescription we could face some jail time.
*****
February is truly the cruelest month for the sports fan, there just isn’t enough going on after the Super Bowl ends. But, spring training games will start soon and then March Madness and then, dare I say it with more snow on the way…OPENING DAY!
Feb 12, 2013 @ 23:11:33
Lance! come back, we didn’t mean it!
ok, umm, lately I have come around to your line of thinking to some degree. I don’t care if it even hurts the player’s health in the long run, their decision, right? I do care about cross generational comparisons. They are made impossible if nothing is banned. History and historical comparisons are awesome.
Feb 12, 2013 @ 21:34:45
BL,
Yep, i like to be able to compare results over time, but the undeniable truth is that today’s players are genetically bigger, stronger and faster. See track and field, see basketball, football, etc. The species progresses over time (physically anyway, possibly not emotionally or ethically).
Sort of like your kids probably being taller than you are, and like your are/were taller than your parents as well (I’m guessing by playing the statistics.
So how can we compare a guy like Johnny Unitas to Peyton Manning to RGIII.?
Interesting exercises, granted and always fun to do …
Feb 12, 2013 @ 23:15:57
Mitchell- Are you sure they are GENETICALLY bigger, stronger and faster?
Feb 12, 2013 @ 23:58:49
Peter – I am absolutely sure that homo sapiens, on average, increases in size and size related attributes with every generation. Repeat, on average.
Talk to someone who has owned either a shoe or clothing store for a few decades or go visit an old English castle … LOL.
Feb 13, 2013 @ 11:35:26
All the preservatives and additives in everything we ingest might alter genetics and bone structure and growth over generations too