11/21/24
August 02, 2005
Oh, yeah, and he TOTALLY looks like he's roiding: Seattle pitcher Ryan Franklin becomes the latest suspended under MLB's steroid program. Of course, there's only one question to ask -- does this ruin his chances of getting into the Hall of Fame?
The Palmeiro situation, if it's true he used stuff found in a GNC only, is only further reinforced by Ryan Franklin getting "caught". As a mediocre pitcher who's only a buck-ninety at 6'3", he certainly doesn't sound like he's beefing up. This "drug-testing" is starting to look less like a get-smart measure than the kind of get-stupid measure you expect of clueless "zero tolerance" high school principals.
- It isn't clear to me how they avoid false-positives- even a 99% accurate tests means 7 of 750 major leaguers will get a false positive.
- The nature of the ban and the PR around it makes it unclear what drugs are being used. In other words, we can't tell who's "steroiding" in the classic, 'hypodermic- shot- in- the- ass- from- a- teammate' sense, and who's using far more innocuous things, things that are available to anyone walking into a GNC storefront.
- It seems more like the silly IOC rules where nasal spray can suddenly get you kicked from the Olympics.
- It certainly doesn't sound like they've done any actual work to create a clear "gold-certified" supplement list- thus making any athlete who does any conditioning using Over- The- Counter, perfectly legal supplements or nutritional aids vulnerable to "positive" tests.
posted by hincandenza at 07:12 PM on August 02, 2005
Maybe I better buy my vitamins someplace else. I'd hate to get fired from work for a positive drug test.
posted by dbt302 at 07:27 PM on August 02, 2005
posted by chris2sy at 07:50 PM on August 02, 2005
the sport's rules are fucked up Amen.
posted by graymatters at 08:18 PM on August 02, 2005
Well, this does lead credence to the idea that steroids won't necessarily make a player a star or turn him into a hulking mass of muscle... As silly as it seems, this might be the best thing to happen to Palmeiro.
posted by grum@work at 08:43 PM on August 02, 2005
There will be some quirks in the system until eveything gets worked out. The NFL had simalr problems when they started thier program.. I wouldnt call this a "bud Seleg-screw-up".
posted by daddisamm at 12:08 AM on August 03, 2005
lots of players played for the Mariners and ARE headed for the HOF! Ken Griffey, Arod and Randy Johnson and possibly Ichiro! So your feeble attempt at humor completely FAILED dude!
posted by bluekarma at 12:24 AM on August 03, 2005
Hal, the NYT is reporting Palmeiro tested positive for stanozolol, which doesn't seem like a mixup down at the GNC in the mall. As for Franklin's physique, what does that have to do with anything? Steroids are also used to help atheletes' bodies recover. I don't want any of this steroid stuff to be true and I wish it would go away, but it's not going to.
posted by yerfatma at 06:08 AM on August 03, 2005
Isn't it funny (disturbing) that after all this, from media attention to denials to congressional hearings, the only person we can believe anymore is Jose Canseco?
posted by dyams at 06:34 AM on August 03, 2005
kind of get-stupid measure you expect of clueless "zero tolerance" high school principals. ..sounds like somebody got caught with a little (medicinal use only) marijuana in their glove compartment. Zero tolerance is not a policy that principals choose. It's forced upon them by legislators. Selig would be wise to allow himself more flexibility in enformcement. He's painted himself into a corner.
posted by mayerkyl at 07:38 AM on August 03, 2005
lots of players playED for the Mariners the key is ED
posted by MNJ1193 at 08:03 AM on August 03, 2005
If it was stanozolol than Raffy, unfortunately, is probably lying. There is no way that can find itself included in a supplement. That's a hardcore 'roid. For those that are unaware it was the steriod Ben Johnson was on in Souel.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 08:10 AM on August 03, 2005
huh-huh, you said Johnson.
posted by garfield at 08:55 AM on August 03, 2005
I think some people are missing the point. If steroids help you recover faster, then pitchers are as likely as anyone to use them. What pitcher wouldn't want to stave off the effects of a dead arm? And if MLB is going to have a successful no tolerance policy, we don't need to qualify drug abuse with whether or not you have great stats.
posted by usfbull at 09:04 AM on August 03, 2005
Wow, he needed steroids to become the worst pitcher in MLB...
posted by smithnyiu at 09:16 AM on August 03, 2005
The reason they built Seattle's new stadium with a retactable roof is so they can air out the stench created by the Mariners play .
posted by evil empire at 09:28 AM on August 03, 2005
I was just joking about the physique thing. I think 'roids are actually most beneficial to relief pitchers, who need to be able to recover as quickly as possible. *hands bluekarma a Quaalude* Lighten up, Francis.
posted by wfrazerjr at 09:33 AM on August 03, 2005
retractable * my goof
posted by evil empire at 10:02 AM on August 03, 2005
Perhaps it is unfortunate that so much scrutiny is allowed to be cast upon our sports personalities today—perhaps not. At a time when this country needed it to, Baseball stood up and provided heroes. To an extent, the writers of each era helped the public to suspend their own sense of reality; comic books came out of this bending of the American mindset and its need for escape. Today, with so much exposure, with so many cameras pointed at and ready to take an instant recording of history-as-it-happens, why are we then bemoaning the condition of the reality we uncover? If reality dictates that we must signify the differences: juiced, corked, drunk, womanizer or Branch Rickyish angel-boy-who-can-do-no-wrong, should we not simply do as the powers-that-were-at-the-time did with poor, un-juiced, un-corked, bless-his-heart-for-being-a-real-hero Roger Maris? Put the asterisk beside the name if you really must. Fifty or a hundred years from now, this discussion will merely be a backdrop for yet another issue we haven’t even thought of as a problem with a perfectly pure(?) American sport.
posted by GalLiTeR at 10:33 AM on August 03, 2005
Stanazolol, are you kidding me? What a moron. That is *so* 1980s. A couple of responses to Hal: We can take it for granted, I think, that these athletes have tested positive for steroids. The point about supplements is that some contain steroids or steroid precursors that are not listed on the label. Unlike drugs, supplement purity is poorly controlled and you can not know for certain that your jar of powder is clean. For the same reason, there's no way for MLB to certify that certain supplements are OK. Anybody who fails a drug test due to cross-contamination is still an idiot, since this is a well-known story by now. It's pretty simple, really; if you are subject to drug testing, stop taking supplements. Having said that, I am not aware of any previously confirmed case of contamination with stanazolol. Also, I object to your characterization of the IOC rules, but that is the subject of another discussion, I think.
posted by Amateur at 10:50 AM on August 03, 2005
should we not simply do as the powers-that-were-at-the-time did with poor, un-juiced, un-corked, bless-his-heart-for-being-a-real-hero Roger Maris? Put the asterisk beside the name if you really must. There was never an "asterisk" in the record books beside Roger Maris' record. It's an urban legend.
posted by grum@work at 11:20 AM on August 03, 2005
I am tired of the analogy between drinking/womanizing players and players on steroids. Two UTTERLY different things. Drinking or womanizing might compromise a player's moral standards, but at the end of the day they have nothing to do with the play on the field. Steroids, conversely, affect every player in the game, because those who are juicing have an advantage over those who are not. Doing nothing to remedy the widespread steroid epidemic creates a situation where all players are under pressure to measure up by shooting up. I'm glad Palmeiro got caught because it shows that it's not just ridiculously bulked-up sluggers using 'roids to succeed in the game. Not only did the drugs help him to get 500 homers, but they played an essential part in the 3,000 hits. The greatest net effect of steroids is in aiding recovery and endurance, two traits Palmiero has displayed over the past two decades, in addition to the mysterious power boost a few years into his career.
posted by Venice CA at 12:57 PM on August 03, 2005
If it was stanozolol than Raffy, unfortunately, is probably lying. There is no way that can find itself included in a supplement. That's a hardcore 'roid. It's a hardcore 'roid that he had to go to an awful lot of trouble to accidentally obtain and accidentally ingest. Stanozolol is not something you can easily get around here.
posted by curlyelk at 05:19 PM on August 03, 2005
No, he ruined his chances by playing for the Mariners.