Jump to content

A-Rod, Melky, Gio Gonzalez, others named in new PEDs Allegations


CrazyCarl40

Recommended Posts

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mlb/news/20130129/alex-rodriguez-steroids-hgh-gio-gonzalez-yasmani-grandal-melky-cabrera/index.html

tom_verducci.jpg

Tom Verducci>INSIDE BASEBALL

Tom Verducci's Mailbag Submit a comment or question for Tom.

NameEmailHometown

Question

A-Rod, game take another severe hit with latest PED allegations

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mlb/news/20130129/alex-rodriguez-steroids-hgh-gio-gonzalez-yasmani-grandal-melky-cabrera/#ixzz2JNsIyrxl

The tale Alex Rodriguez wove in spring training of 2009, upon being identified by Sports Illustrated as one of the 103 players who flunked baseball's survey drug testing in 2003, was that he was but a naïf caught up in a "loosey, goosey" steroid culture and used drugs he couldn't remember or could barely pronounce only from 2001-03 -- a careful, narrow window that predated his tenure with the Yankees and baseball's penalties for usage. So slick was Rodriguez that not once did he even use the word "steroids."

Today the Miami New Times, a weekly publication, presents a much more conniving picture of Rodriguez, as well as five other baseball players, as someone who delved deep into the world of performance-enhancing drugs even in the immediate aftermath of that 2009 contrition and baseball's tougher drug policy. He is portrayed as a serial doper.

The Miami New Times obtained from a former employee of a Miami "wellness" clinic what it said are the personal notebooks of Anthony Bosch, the director of the since-shuttered Biogenesis clinic who was not licensed to practice medicine in Florida. The notebooks contain the names of customers, either in code name or by recognizable names, and their detailed doping regimens. The baseball names are Rodriguez, Toronto outfielder Melky Cabrera, Padres catcher Yasmani Grandal, Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz, Nationals pitcher Gio Gonzalez and former Padres pitcher Cesar Carillo.

Those notebooks offer a trove of information about modern doping in all sports. They detail how and why testing alone doesn't stop the cheaters. They now hold the key to not only a possible criminal case, but also to the 2013 pennant races -- suspensions could be forthcoming -- and whatever shred of credibility is left to Rodriguez's baseball and personal legacy.

The next phase of this story is to hear from the players, none of whom commented to the Miami New Times when given the chance, as they scramble for a defense strategy that makes the truth as undetectable as they believed the PEDs to be.

But the bigger shoe to fall is the one belonging to commissioner Bud Selig. The notebooks of Anthony Bosch are figuratively on his desk at this very moment. The man who in union with the players association has crafted the toughest anti-PED policies in pro sports has the power to suspend the players even without a positive test.

Under section 7.G.2 of the Joint Drug Agreement, the commissioner can rule for disciplinary action against a player for "just cause" in the cases of violations not specifically referenced in the JDA. Prescriptions and records of PED use and purchase fall under the "just cause" umbrella.

In 2009, for instance, Manny Ramirez entered an appeal of a test that showed an elevated level of testosterone. When an investigation of that appeal turned up a prescription from a doctor for a banned substance, Ramirez dropped his appeal and accepted the 50-game suspension. Ramirez was not banned because of the test, which technically was not entered as a positive, but because of the records of his prescription for hCG, a female fertility drug often used to kickstart testosterone production after steroid cycles.

Ramirez's doctor? Pedro Bosch, the father of Anthony Bosch.

It was that same year, 2009, that Rodriguez was using Anthony Bosch's cocktails of PEDS, according to the Miami New Times. Rodriguez, who turned 34 that year, returned surprisingly fast from hip surgery to bat .286 with 30 home runs and 100 RBIs while helping to the lead the Yankees to the world championship. A notoriously poor postseason player for the Yankees, Rodriguez batted .365 that postseason. Rodriguez also had been treated post-surgery by Anthony Galea, a Canadian doctor who pleaded guilty in 2011 to bringing unapproved drugs, including HGH, into the U.S. to treat athletes.

According to a report, A-Rod used performance-enhancing drugs in 2009 when he helped lead the Yankees to a World Series title.

Reuters

The Bosch notebooks contain information about Rodriguez's doping regimen from 2009 through 2012, including the drugs, payments and schedules. The banned substances include HGH, IGF-1, and creams and "troches," a type of drug lozenge, that contain testosterone.

The notebooks refer to Rodriguez by name and also by the code name "Cacique," a term originally referring to Caribbean tribal chiefs but has come to be used to describe local political or street bosses with excessive power -- a corrupt leader.

Major League Baseball is not terribly surprised by the breaking news, especially with Rodriguez, Cabrera, Grandal and Colon all previously having been tied to failed tests and synthetic testosterone previously identified as the drug of choice of cutting edge cheats. The inclusion of Cruz and Gonzalez were new developments.

Cruz was a journeyman with his fourth organization before he had a breakout season with Texas at age 28 in 2009. His connection to Bosch harms the reputations of all such players with late breakouts, leaving a cynical fan base to wonder if drugs are in play for such stories.

Gonzalez, who attended high school in Miami, is 52-29 over the past three seasons with Oakland and Washington. Lengthy suspensions for Cruz and Gonzalez would greatly impact Texas and Washington, respectively, two playoff clubs from last year with World Series aspirations.

Baseball's Department of Investigation, in cooperation with federal authorities, has been looking into the wellness clinics of South Florida for months. A major league source said MLB has been tracking all positive tests in the past year or more to look for any common denominators in terms of geography, trainers, suppliers, etc. The Miami area kept coming up as a possible main vein of the PED trade, and MLB investigators were focused on the area. The MLB Department of Investigation is a direct response to recommendations outlined by former senator George Mitchell in his 2007 report on steroids in baseball. Carrillo and Grandal attended the University of Miami and Cabrera and Rodriguez live in Miami.

The revelations also make abundantly clear why MLB and the players association tightened their testing protocols only weeks ago. What Bosch and his clients did from 2009-12 was to use cutting edge science to jump through loopholes of an outdated testing system. Though HGH was banned, for instance, baseball did not test for it until last year -- and only then as one announced test when a player arrived at spring training. Moreover, drug cheats could pass tests as long as they used transdermal, fast-acting testosterone-packed creams that elevate testosterone levels but can go undetected in tests as quickly as 24-48 hours.

Bosch and his clients were only the latest in a long line of stories of how every advance in testing begets another advance in cheating. Baseball moved to close such loopholes by instigating in-season random blood testing for HGH -- the first for any North American sport -- increasing the more sophisticated radio-isotope urine tests, and adopting so-called "longitudinal" testing protocols in which labs keep a baseline testosterone level on players. Any noticeable spike in the level would trigger an inquiry and more sophisticated tests. It was this kind of "bio-passport" testing that caused disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong to say during his recent confession of drug use that testing in his sport became much tougher to beat.

The union and MLB moved quickly toward the adoption of such tougher protocols as more major league and minor league players were getting caught for using synthetic testosterone. The investigations into the South Florida clinics ran on parallel tracks to those concerns.

Likewise, the strange events surrounding Rodriguez's second hip surgery will bring about questions about his involvement with Biogenesis. Rodriguez had no problems with his left hip before a complaint about his right hip, the one surgically repaired in 2009, eventually led to the diagnosis that he would need surgery on his left hip. That surgery was postponed for nearly two months for "pre-habilitation" in order to better prepare the area for the rigors of recuperation. Rodriguez was expected to miss half the season, though Yankees general manager Brian Cashman did not rule out the possibility of Rodriguez missing the entire season.

{C}{C}

Indeed, Rodriguez's career never has been in more doubt than it is today. His health and reputation are in tatters. He turns 38 in July. The incentives the Yankees included in his contract for "milestone" home runs now stand as even more awkward reminders that his achievements are fraudulent.

What will become of him? The Yankees would wish he never puts on their uniform again, writing him and his contract off to the insurance companies or, if they have the stomach for it, to try to invalidate the agreement because of his use of PEDs, the way they once threatened to do with Jason Giambi. Rodriguez must give a full accounting of himself and this report to Selig and, quickly, to baseball fans. You can see Oprah, Katie Couric and Dr. Phil already lined up at his doorstep for the next sports confessional.

In any case, the news is worse for Rodriguez than it is for anybody else in the report, if only because of his stature and that 2009 confessional production under the tent in the Yankees' spring training complex. Until now, Rodriguez was careful to shield the Yankees from his taint, telling the story about how he stopped using PEDs before he became a Yankee -- as if it made perfect sense that he used for a last-place Texas team but suddenly would have no more use for performance enhancers upon being put on the New York stage. The story seemed to fly for many people. But now, with this story, the franchise and its 2009 championship are smeared by Rodriguez's connection to PEDs.

Now Rodriguez must bring to bear all of his advisers and Hollywood image makers for some kind of severe recovery strategy -- even bigger than the last. No matter the damage control Rodriguez brings, it is a terribly sad story. It is sad because the scouts who watched him play in high school will tell you they never saw a better, more complete player at that age. He needed no help. And now he stands as someone defined by his help, not by his talent. What is there left of him that is believable? Only this: the Cacique has fallen.

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mlb/news/20130129/alex-rodriguez-steroids-hgh-gio-gonzalez-yasmani-grandal-melky-cabrera/#ixzz2JNs9Ravd

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What ever. Officially in WGAF territory. Same media who will go the the bathroom on themselves about this and the baseball HoF are celebrating Ray Lewis and his deer spray and pretend the NBA is filled with guys who bench press Hondas all day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I find it hard to believe people still care about athletes using steroids.

We watch NFL football every weekend...never understood why baseball players get singled out when every single athlete is using PED's.

It's not "people" it's the media. :D

The media, for some reason, have an absolute hardon for PEDs in baseball. They ignore it in the NFL and only give it slight attention in other sports when a national figure is involved.

There are multiple journalist investigative reports on steroids in baseball and not a single one on football. That's all you need to know.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They are going to try very hard to do so and they will probably fail.

Yeah, they probably will fail, but they have new amunition now. Supposedly, ARod made certain representations to the Yankees during the time that they stupidly agreed to re-sign him after the opt out, insisting that he was clean. After the steroid story came out, he again told him that he only did it before he joined the team.

This new story blows that all up. There are elements of standard contract law which the Yanks could use now to get out of the $114 million they still owe him.

But ultimately they hope he retires right now because then 85% of his contract is insured.

There's a reason Hank Steinbrenner is no longer heard from. He agreed to the worst contract in the history of professional sports.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, they probably will fail, but they have new amunition now. Supposedly, ARod made certain representations to the Yankees during the time that they stupidly agreed to re-sign him after the opt out, insisting that he was clean. After the steroid story came out, he again told him that he only did it before he joined the team.

This new story blows that all up. There are elements of standard contract law which the Yanks could use now to get out of the $114 million they still owe him.

But ultimately they hope he retires right now because then 85% of his contract is insured.

There's a reason Hank Steinbrenner is no longer heard from. He agreed to the worst contract in the history of professional sports.

Lawyered!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Meh. MLB dropped the ball so much with PEDs that I honestly can't find it in me to care anymore.

as a Yanks fan I care, he's a FA after next year,and I dont want the guy locked up for 8 years in a contract if he was drinking bullsemen washing down with riods and HGH. But overall at this point nothing is shocking.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, they probably will fail, but they have new amunition now. Supposedly, ARod made certain representations to the Yankees during the time that they stupidly agreed to re-sign him after the opt out, insisting that he was clean. After the steroid story came out, he again told him that he only did it before he joined the team.

This new story blows that all up. There are elements of standard contract law which the Yanks could use now to get out of the $114 million they still owe him.

But ultimately they hope he retires right now because then 85% of his contract is insured.

There's a reason Hank Steinbrenner is no longer heard from. He agreed to the worst contract in the history of professional sports.

Why would he retire and walk away from all that cash?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, they probably will fail, but they have new amunition now. Supposedly, ARod made certain representations to the Yankees during the time that they stupidly agreed to re-sign him after the opt out, insisting that he was clean. After the steroid story came out, he again told him that he only did it before he joined the team.

This new story blows that all up. There are elements of standard contract law which the Yanks could use now to get out of the $114 million they still owe him.

But ultimately they hope he retires right now because then 85% of his contract is insured.

There's a reason Hank Steinbrenner is no longer heard from. He agreed to the worst contract in the history of professional sports.

ESPN...FWIW.... is quoting some that it would be hard for the Yankees to get our from under the remaining contract.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ESPN...FWIW.... is quoting some that it would be hard for the Yankees to get our from under the remaining contract.

at this point it'd be better they just buy it out and continue without him

too much of a distraction for a guy who won't be playing until July at the earliest

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why would he retire and walk away from all that cash?

I'm not talking about "walking away", I was talking about him not being physically able to play. If he is forced to retire because of his bad hip, such as what happened to Albert Belle, the Yanks will only have to pay 15% of his contract with the rest coming from insurance.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's not "people" it's the media. :biggrin:

The media, for some reason, have an absolute hardon for PEDs in baseball. They ignore it in the NFL and only give it slight attention in other sports when a national figure is involved.

There are multiple journalist investigative reports on steroids in baseball and not a single one on football. That's all you need to know.

Double that for the NBA. Unless these are a collection of athletes who sleep 10 hours a day and spend all their free time in the gym there is no way this many guys are that cut unless they are using PEDs. Also the NHL stops testing April 1st, or the playoffs might be 3 on 3 games.

I no longer think it's as big a deal because suspect almost every pro athlete is to some degree using something. Further the medical tehcnology is far beyond some guy shooting syringes in the gym lockerroom like the olden days. And where is the line between legitmate medicine, nutrition, supplements and PEDs? If you concede that all of this is true about Rodriguez, it was still prescribed by a doctor. Why our government spends billions investigating this nonsense with a $16 trillion deficit is totally lost on me. And the "drug war" in general-a joke.

Ulltimately I want Rodriguez gone because the player they signed in 2007 is never taking the field again. if this gives them an out on the contract, great. He seems like a very odd guy, but he has a big pile of cash. No one will shed any tears for him nor should they.

But the media circle jerk that A-rod and all these users are The Devil is officially bullspit. It's merely a very easy story for these guys to get on their soapbox and act high and mighty about "the children". The only difference really is Rodriguez got caught and the other 70% of players didn't, at least yet. And Ray Lewis, whom I would bet in in heartbeat has almost always been a user, is as per the same media a wonderful human being despite obviously being a total POS of a human being from day 1.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Double that for the NBA. Unless these are a collection of athletes who sleep 10 hours a day and spend all their free time in the gym there is no way this many guys are that cut unless they are using PEDs. Also the NHL stops testing April 1st, or the playoffs might be 3 on 3 games.

I no longer think it's as big a deal because suspect almost every pro athlete is to some degree using something. Further the medical tehcnology is far beyond some guy shooting syringes in the gym lockerroom like the olden days. And where is the line between legitmate medicine, nutrition, supplements and PEDs? If you concede that all of this is true about Rodriguez, it was still prescribed by a doctor. Why our government spends billions investigating this nonsense with a $16 trillion deficit is totally lost on me. And the "drug war" in general-a joke.

Ulltimately I want Rodriguez gone because the player they signed in 2007 is never taking the field again. if this gives them an out on the contract, great. He seems like a very odd guy, but he has a big pile of cash. No one will shed any tears for him nor should they.

But the media circle jerk that A-rod and all these users are The Devil is officially bullspit. It's merely a very easy story for these guys to get on their soapbox and act high and mighty about "the children". The only difference really is Rodriguez got caught and the other 70% of players didn't, at least yet. And Ray Lewis, whom I would bet in in heartbeat has almost always been a user, is as per the same media a wonderful human being despite obviously being a total POS of a human being from day 1.

You don't get "cut" by taking PED's and sitting back waiting for your sixpack.... It still requires a lot of work.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Aqib Talib or whatever his name is on the Patriots got busted for PEDs and the announcers spent all game kissing his ass when the Pats played the Texans

not ONE mention of his suspension whle on TB earier this year

Baseball is a very different sport than football in its romanticism with numbers. Baseball has plateaus that are engrained in the fans' mental measuring sticks that mean something. .300, 40hrs, 100rbi, 30sbs, 2.00era, 200ks, 20ws.

Throw those numbers out to any baseball fan 20 years ago and they really meant something. They were a constant gauge to evaluating a season and talent. PEDs took those numbers away from the fan.

Football never had anything like that, and the pinball scoreboards create more excitement. You can't gauge this era's football players to the past. They are totally different and the numbers don't relate.

They don't in baseball now, either. And that is a little sad.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Baseball is a very different sport than football in its romanticism with numbers. Baseball has plateaus that are engrained in the fans' mental measuring sticks that mean something. .300, 40hrs, 100rbi, 30sbs, 2.00era, 200ks, 20ws.

Throw those numbers out to any baseball fan 20 years ago and they really meant something. They were a constant gauge to evaluating a season and talent. PEDs took those numbers away from the fan.

Football never had anything like that, and the pinball scoreboards create more excitement. You can't gauge this era's football players to the past. They are totally different and the numbers don't relate.

They don't in baseball now, either. And that is a little sad.

yeah i often still think of Hank Aaron as the home run king and Babe Ruth as 2nd place...then it hits me "oh wait"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Aqib Talib or whatever his name is on the Patriots got busted for PEDs and the announcers spent all game kissing his ass when the Pats played the Texans

not ONE mention of his suspension whle on TB earier this year

He was busted for adderall. While it is a PED, it is not designed to enhance muscle growth.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

He was busted for adderall. While it is a PED, it is not designed to enhance muscle growth.

if he doesn't have ADHD then it def helps him out

how do i know? i have ADHD which I (sometimes) take meds to speed me up to "normal".

my old "normal" college buddies used to illegally take the same meds to stay up late and study for midterms lol :-/

now maybe Talib has ADHD but i'm pretty sure you can clear that with the league with doctor testimonial (a la Derek Lowe in MLB). maybe not...i'm not an expert I just play one on TV.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Baseball is a very different sport than football in its romanticism with numbers. Baseball has plateaus that are engrained in the fans' mental measuring sticks that mean something. .300, 40hrs, 100rbi, 30sbs, 2.00era, 200ks, 20ws.

Throw those numbers out to any baseball fan 20 years ago and they really meant something. They were a constant gauge to evaluating a season and talent. PEDs took those numbers away from the fan.

Football never had anything like that, and the pinball scoreboards create more excitement. You can't gauge this era's football players to the past. They are totally different and the numbers don't relate.

They don't in baseball now, either. And that is a little sad.

Spot on. Maris single season HR record falling to PED's is another example.

Baseball, for me at least, was as much about looking back at its history as it is watching the present players. PED's has soured that aspect to a large degree.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

if he doesn't have ADHD then it def helps him out

how do i know? i have ADHD which I (sometimes) take meds to speed me up to "normal".

my old "normal" college buddies used to illegally take the same meds to stay up late and study for midterms lol :-/

now maybe Talib has ADHD but i'm pretty sure you can clear that with the league with doctor testimonial (a la Derek Lowe in MLB). maybe not...i'm not an expert I just play one on TV.

It helps him out by making him smarter more focused. It does not make him stronger, quicker or recuperate faster.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Everyone tests positive for "Adderall" in the NFL these days. The NFL doesn't publicly release which drug someone tests positive for, so anyone who tests positive for pretty much anything in the NFL can claim Adderall. Some of these players might actually be using Adderall or some other amphetamine (NFL testing actually doesn't distinguish between different amphetamines for some reason). Some of them could be using HGH or steroids for all we know though.

Furthermore, PEDs were used in baseball as early as the 60s. Amphetamines were pretty widely abused in the MLB in the 60s and 70s and are making a comeback lately.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...