Tag: steroids

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All Other Sports

Report: Armstrong admitted doping

The French newspaper Le Monde is reporting that while being treated for testicular cancer, Lance Armstrong admitted to his doctor that he had taken banned performance enhancing drugs.


Armstrong’s alleged admission was made Oct. 28, 1996, to a doctor who was treating him for cancer. Betsy Andreu testified that the doctor asked Armstrong whether he had ever taken doping products, and that the cyclist replied “yes,” according to Le Monde. The newspaper said she and her husband were with Armstrong on that day.

“He asks which ones. And Lance replies, ‘EPO, growth hormones, cortisone, steroids, testosterone,”‘ it quoted her as telling the court in January.

Meanwhile, Armstrong’s lawyer called the charges absurd and one of his doctor’s that treated him for cancer said that he and other colleagues visited armstrong the day before his treatment and no such admission was made. Amstrong himself said in a November deposition that no doctor had asked him about taking doping products and that Betsy Andreu is making it up because she hates him.

Why is it that allegations of cheating always come up from the French newspapers. Look, Armstrong kicked your ass 7 times. He’s retired now. Get over it.

Links:
[MSNBC]: French newspaper says ex-Tour king told doctor in ’96 he had taken drugs

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MLB General

Jason Grimsley is no snitch



photo from NY Daily News

Jason Grimsley was asked to wear a wire to gather evidence against Bonds but he refused. (The Diamondbacks play San Francisco next week.) His attorney also denied that Grimsley sold out any of his ex-teammates and (former) friends and that the court documents merely included names of people that federal investigators questioned Grimsley about.


They asked him specifically about Barry Bonds, and Jason said he didn’t know Bonds well and didn’t know if he did or didn’t use drugs. Grimsley refused, Novak said, and told investigators “baseball players don’t go around talking about who is using and who isn’t.

So far, the only two players named, either by investigators or Grimsley, are Bonds and Lenny Dykstra. Is there any baseball story that comes out without Bonds being mentioned in it? Is there anyone left who doesn’t think he has used steroids?

Links:
[MSNBC]: Steroid investigator wants to interview Bonds
[NY Daily News]: Grimsley tale growing wild

Categories
MLB General

The Grimsley fallout

You knew it was only a matter of time before someone in baseball was caught with steroids and started squealing. While everyone is trying to figure out what names were blacked out on the affidavit, Jeff Nelson spoke out. Clearly, Grimsley is persona non grata in any clubhouse in the country.

You just take care of your own back yard and go about your ways,” said Nelson, who predicted Grimsley’s fate would be similar to that of Rafael Palmeiro, who hasn’t returned to baseball since testing positive for steroids last summer.

“I don’t worry about guys in the past. I just worry about what I have to do on the field. If everyone else would do that, none of this stuff would have happened, and Jason Grimsley naming guys wouldn’t have happened either.

Why he did it, I don’t know. Maybe he was facing a bunch of criminal chargers and tried to protect his own [rear]. That’s all I can see.

Jason Grimsley was also the guy who climbed through a duct to retrieve Albert Belle’s corked bat from the umpires’ room. Hmmmm… would that make Albert Belle a “close acquaintance”?

Links:
[ChicagoSports.com]: Guillen, Nelson enraged by Grimsley’s revelations

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MLB General

The Full Count: Going Going Gone

1. A Grim Goodbye: Jason Grimsley, who has pitched 17 major league seasons, now finds his career over after the huge drug bust yesterday. Grimsley was released by the Diamondbacks a day after authorities searched his home and found evidence of drug use. Grimsley’s admitted drug use includes human growth hormone, amphetamines, and steroids. While the MLB bans all three, they don’t test for HGH, which according to Grimsley is widely used across the MLB. You need a blood test to find evidence of HGH, while the MLB only uses a urine test. We think it’s time to do both.

2. Tied up: Anyone who expected the Reds and the Cardinals to be tied 59 games into the season would have been thought crazy before the year started. But now, that is just where the teams stand after a dominant Reds sweep. They won the series by a combined score of 22-11, including a 7-4 win last night. Ryan Freel had two hits and two runs, Felipe Lopez stole his first base in almost a month, and Rich Aurilia went 4-5 with 5 RBIs. St. Louis starter Sidney Ponson had his worst start of the year with 5 runs allowed in five innings pitched. The Cardinals lost despite 2 RBIs and 2 hits each by Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen. Rolen’s average on the year now stands at an impressive .343. Both teams face weak divisional opponents in their upcoming series; the Cardinals play the Brewers while the Reds try to take first place outright against the Cubs.

3. We’re here: The White Sox have been trying to catch up to the division-leading Tigers for almost a month, and now they have finally arrived. The Sox won last night 4-3, an identical score to the night before. Jim Thome and the red-hot Jermaine Dye each homered for the Sox, while Game 1 hero Alex Cintron stole 2 bases and drove in a run. Starter Jose Contreras, after his worst start of the season, pitched well and earned the victory. Tigers starter Justin Verlander pitched his second straight bad start, allowing all four Sox runs in a loss. The Tigers only lead by a half-game over Chicago now, with a slight 37-22 to 36-22 advantage. But with a win tonight the White Sox can take the outright division lead for the first time in a long time.

4. Coming back: While the LA Angels still stand at last place in the AL West, they have been playing better recently and have won 6 out of 9 games. Last night they defeated the Devil Rays 6-2, and will look for a series sweep tonight. Though MVP candidate Vladimir Guerrero went 0-5, the Angels offense still put up 2 homers and 6 runs. Stud 23-year-old Jered Weaver continued his dominance and earned his third straight victory, allowing 2 runs in six innings. Carl Crawford homered for the Devil Rays, but it simply wasn’t enough for the victory in front of the 9,517 fans at Tropicana Field. The Angels stand at 27-32, improved considering they were once 21-29, but they are still 5.5 out in the West.

5. What happened to him?: Remember when Pirates starter Olivier Perez was dominant? In 2004 Perez had a 2.98 ERA and allowed a .207 average against. This year he has a 7.18 ERA and .308 average against, both among the worst totals in the majors. Last night he was torn apart in a loss to the Rockies, allowing 9 runs in only two innings. Colorado starter Josh Fogg did not do much better in a crazy game, as he allowed 8 runs of his own. But the Rockies still won 16-9, in one of the majors’ highest scoring games of the year. The Rockies had 4 players with multi-RBI games, and 5 who had multi-hit games. They scored in six of the eight innings that they hit in as well. However, both teams are still in last place in their respective divisions.

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MLB General

Jason Grimsley spills the beans

Jason Grimsley is going to be the most hated man in baseball. The 15-year veteran not only admitted to using steroids but also started naming names of current players he suspects are on steroids or HGH, including some “close acquaintances”.

Among his disclosures were:


* Until last year, major league clubhouses had coffee pots labeled “leaded” and “unleaded” for the players, indicating coffee with amphetamines and without.

* Latin players are a major source for the amphetamines within baseball.

* Amphetamines also come from players on California teams that could easily go into Mexico and get them.

Amphetamines in baseball is nothing new. There have been countless books indicating that “greenies” have been part of baseball for the past 40 years and, of course, owners and managers have looked the other way. However, this is the first time we’ve heard of the “leaded” coffee.

Links:
[Arizona Republic]: D-Back admits steroid use

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High School Sports

New Jersey high school steroids testing plan approved

The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association today became the first high school governing body to approve a plan for random steroid testing. The NJSIAA plans on randomly testing 500 of the 100,00 athletes that participate in state tournaments every year. The cost for the test is about $150 per person with the state funding half of it.

One study shows that 2% of high school athletes will try steroids while the CDC estiamtes that 6% of U.S. high school students took steroids in 2003. And they say that pro athletes don’t influence kids.

In completely unrelated news, the Original Whizzinator has set up a satellite office in New Jersey.

Links:
[Philly.com]: N.J. breaking ground on steroid testing

[1010 WINS]: NJ School Association Approves Steroid Policy

Categories
MLB General

The Full Count: Steroids don’t always work

1. The Grimsley Reaper: There was a huge steroid bust on Tuesday, from one of the least likely sources. Arizona reliever Jason Grimsley, after admitting the use of performance enhancing drugs, had his home searched by federal authorities. They did not say what they found, but they were looking for all evidence of contact with other people about the use of these drugs. The most important thing coming from this will be the list of players, according to Grimsley, that have used or distributed these drugs. The list has not been made public yet, but it will likely be extensive as Grimsley has played with 7 total teams dating back to 1989. He has used steroids, human growth horomone, and amphetamines, and is scheduled to be sentenced in August. Despite the use of these drugs, Grimsley is a marginal player at best, with a 4.77 career ERA.

2. The Battle Begins: The White Sox and the Tigers have played once before this season, but that was in early April before we knew that the Tigers were for real. Now they have started a three-game set, and in Game 1 the White Sox barely prevailed. After three solo Tigers homeruns, including one by the suddenly quiet Chris Shelton, the Tigers were up 3-1 entering the eighth inning. But then Alex Cintron, the former Diamondback, stepped up to the plate for the White Sox. With two runners on, Cintron hit a game-winning three-run shot to right, his first homer of the year. Chicago escaped with the victory, but they still trail the Tigers by two games in the AL Central division.

3. About Schmidt: San Francisco starter Jason Schmidt looks well on his way to another great season after a marginal 2005. Schmidt is 6-2 this year with a 2.53 ERA and a .204 opponent’s average. Last night he pitched his best game of the season, with 16 strikeouts and one run allowed in a complete game. The strikeouts tied the all-time Giants record and the major-league season high. Schmidt was named the NL pitcher of the month for May, and has now reeled off 6 straight wins. The Giants defeated the Marlins 2-1 and passed San Diego for 3rd in the NL West.

4. The league’s quietest good team: They are one game back from their division leader, have scored the 4th-most runs in the NL, have one of the highest win totals in the majors, yet they still get no respect. Who are they? The Cincinnati Reds, who beat the Cardinals again last night and have earned the title of the majors’ most disrespected team. Yesterday Eric Milton pitched strong and their offense knocked out Chris Carpenter after five innings. Adam Dunn hit his 18th homer and drove in 3, and the Reds lineup featured six players with multi-hit games. The 7-0 shutout proved once again how valuable Albert Pujols is to the Cardinals, who featured several no-names in their lineup. If the Reds can complete their sweep of the Cards today, than the once-invincible Cardinals will be tied with the Reds in the Central.

5. Rocket takeoff: Roger Clemens pitched his first in a series of minor-league rehab starts on Tuesday, and the results were just alright. Clemens gave up a homer in the first inning, but didn’t allow a run the rest of his three innings pitched. He struck out six, threw 62 pitches, and allowed three hits for the Lexington Legends. Next he’ll go to double-A until he arrives June 22 in what will be the most anticipated mid-season free agent debut in history.

Categories
MLB General

Jose Canseco is tearing it up



MSBL uniform?

Jose Canseco insists he can still hit Major League pitching but while he’s waiting for the call, he’s honing his skills in the Los Angeles Men’s Senior Baseball League. Or maybe he just enjoys being the ringer. Valley Mets manager Gary Zelmen quotes, “What a weapon. It’s like cheating.”

Aluminum bats, high school fields, Canseco hitting it about 480 feet. That pretty much sums up the league. That, and Jose’s gotta chip in $5 to pay the umpire. You gotta give it to Canseco though. The guy clearly loves to play the game. People (ok.. we) make fun of Canseco and Rickey Henderson all the time for trying to stay in the game past their expiration date but unless they’re doing it for the money, it’s actually refreshing. Could you imagine Barry Bonds playing any kind of organized ball after he retires? Bonds doesn’t just not love the game, he clearly hates it.

Meanwhile, Canseco is jacking em out of high school fields and the other guys in the league get to say they played ball with a major leaguer. Oh, and if you want to go check it out. The Mets are playing the Cardinals at Westminster High School on 5/21.

Links:

[SF Gate]: Canseco back on the diamond, having fun as an amateur
[MSBL]: The Men’s Senior Baseball League of Southern California

Categories
MLB General

Odds and Ends for Mon May 15 2006: The myth of steroid testing

There’s an excellent piece in the Charlotte Observer today by Stan Olson about why the major league steroids policy is a sham. Olson contends that if steroids testing were working, then home runs should be down. Instead, home run totals are the highest they’ve been since 2000, the “heart of what we now believe to have been the steroid era”.

Why? Because the best performance enhancer is HGH, which can only be detected in a blood test. So despite MLB’s recent tough penalties on minor league players, it’s all a joke. Major Leagues know that they only have to pee in a cup… and so the homers go on.

In other news…

[SwanShadow]: Doug Flutie calls it a career

[Tom Bejamin’s NHL weblog]: Why the Ottawa Senators screwed the pooch

[Chicago Sports]: Azumah taken to the cleaners

[HockeyDirt.com]: As if low ratings for hockey on OLN weren’t enough, the USHHOF closes

[Detroit Free Press]: Need4Sheed blogger gets some love

[Jes Golbez]: There’s nothing better than irrational hate for a team

Categories
General Sports

Odds and Ends for Thur Apr 27 2006: The most whipped athletes

Maxim has named the 5 most whipped athletes in professional sports. These are the guys whose wives make more headlines than they do for controlling their careers or basically just saying too much in the press. To no one’s surprise, Doug Christie made the top of the list, followed by Kris Benson, Nick Harper, Antonio Davis, and Kurt Warner. The Nick Harper listing is a little harsh. The guy can’t help it if his wife is pyscho, stabbed him in the leg, and cost the Colts a playoff game.

In other news…

[Sydney Morning Herald]: Quick! Someone call and tell them Barry Bonds is doping.

[Fox Sports]: USC backup QB suspended after being charged with sexual assault.

[Twin Cities.com]: Onterrio “Whizzinator” Smith is released by the Vikings

[Yahoo]: This is why the media sucks. Must Favre get credit for everything?

[Off Wing Opinion]: Family who bought the St. Louis Blues in 1999 have lost $200M on their investment.

Real Odd of the Day: 3 to 1 that Colin Finnerty will be found guilty in Duke lacrosse trial.