11/05/24
November 26, 2005
Taking a Pounding over drugs: The NHL sidesteps being called on over-the-counter drug use. By sportsfilter's own wfrazerjr.
No testing? Did either of you two read the CBA signed by all the players before the season began? Testing is randomly done with every player, and each player gets tested three times a season. No announcements. The league can walk into their practice and test anyone. No warning. 1st offense: a month's suspension. 2nd offense: a year's suspension. 3rd offense: LIFETIME suspension. You two should really inform yourselves before you post.
posted by mrhockey at 09:10 PM on November 26, 2005
mrhockey: Did you read the column to which justgary linked? It is about over the counter (OTC) cold medicines like Sudafed and everyday substances like coffee. The column, which is actually written by a SportsFilter member, states that the NHL currently does not consider these items to be banned substances. Dick Pound, chairman of the World Anti-Doping Agency, whose agency will be in charge of the testing at the Olympics in 2006, does consider coffee and cold medicines to be performance enhancing. This may pose a problem for NHL players who wish to participate. While I agree that Ying Yang Mafia apparenty doesn't understand the NHL policy, I think neither he nor you read wfrazerjr's column.
posted by scully at 07:12 AM on November 27, 2005
All seriousness aside, who can get pissed at a guy named Dick Pound. It was a sad day for NASCAR when Dick Trickle retired.
posted by drevl at 08:16 AM on November 27, 2005
Yes, Terrapin, I read it. It has no bearing on the fact that the above two are criticizing the NHL's drug testing policy without even knowing what it is. Frazer should concern himself with the drugs that DO enhance performance, like those Sammy Sosa and San Fransicko's Bonds were using for years before anybody even cared. But my argument is not with him, anyway, it's with the critics of something they are uninformed with. Drevl, yes, it IS hard to be upset with someone whose name has sentenced them to a lifetime of tasteless jokes. But Mr. Trickle has made more of his career than Mr. Pound has. One would think they would have been smart enough to call themselves Richard and at least attempt to elude a good share of it. But a moniker like 'Trickle' is hard to overcome just by itself, and he really did.
posted by mrhockey at 02:30 PM on November 27, 2005
1/3 of all sportsfilter posters are on steroids
posted by Fade222 at 03:07 PM on November 27, 2005
I am --- really I am. There it feels good to come clean. Have been for 3 months and I am slowly weaning off of them.
posted by skydivemom at 03:51 PM on November 27, 2005
you guys are arguing over over the counter medication. Mr. mafia, It is apparent that you do not watch nor comprehend hockey or any of its participations, senice how there has not been a response to any other posting that contradicted your accusations. I do find absolute more concern in substances that oh say like mr. hockey had mentioned...sosa, jose, ect,. Lets worry about the sport and not benadryl, and maybe we have not heard about aby drug testings in hockey because Its an actual sport where the players play to play the sport and not for the publicity, a true sport, of the game!!
posted by Jesikabee at 03:52 PM on November 27, 2005
A minor point, but -- WADA oversaw testing at the 2002 Olympics, and nobody was caught. It doesn't prove anything, of course, since these kind of drugs have a short shelf life. Also, Dick Pound is possibly the biggest blowhard in sports (I say possibly because of the existence of Sepp Blatter). What Pound says might be true, but he hasn't presented any evidence; and shouldn't he be striving for an appearance of impartiality? It's kind of like the chief of police going on TV and saying, "If you said that one-third of all Italians in this town were in the mafia, you wouldn't be far off." Pound does this kind of thing all the time.
posted by Amateur at 08:20 PM on November 27, 2005
Mr. Hockey, I think you've been boarded one too many times. If you don't think popping Sudafed and pounding coffee affects player performance, I have two questions for you: 1) Have you read this article? Because if you haven't, you haven't done your research, as I did. 2) Why in the hell would players take OTC cold remedies and pound coffee if it didn't affect them? Because they like the taste? Feel free to post again when your head is freed from your rectum.
posted by wfrazerjr at 08:58 PM on November 27, 2005
just a few thoughts....listening to music pre-game affects performance, as do a myriad of other practices. are smelling salts performance enhancing and to be out-lawed? what about a hyperbaric chamber? caffeine is the most widely consumed and socially acceptable drug in the world. it's a tough call to say caffeine and other mild stimulants are cheating when the government doesn't even restrict caffeine purchasing or intake, and industry force-feeds it to our youth. and the U.S. government's reaction to ephedrine is over the top in my opinion, and motivated by the pharm lobby rather than sincere concern for the health of it's citizens.
posted by garfield at 10:55 PM on November 27, 2005
nice column, fraze. oddly enough, i was talking to my family about sudafed popping in hockey on thanksgiving. on preview, caffeine, yeah, that's overblown and shouldn't be considered cheating. but i have to disagree with you a bit about the ephedrine, garf. while you may be right about the concern over ephedrine being "motivated by the pharm lobby rather than sincere concern for the health of it's citizens," i do think there are serious risks when taken as an upper. i may not be the best example since i do have a slight heart condition (mitral valve prolapse), but one sudafed and i feel like my heart is going to explode. my brother (who is healthy) is the same way, as are others i know. that shit is harsh, and taken on a regular basis can fuck you up pretty good. so personally, i wouldn't mind the stuff being regulated i pro sports.
posted by goddam at 11:17 PM on November 27, 2005
What wfrazerjr said. mrhockey sent up a strawman and it got burnt to a crisp. If these OTC drugs don't do anything to enhance performance, then banning them won't do anything to harm the sport. The article in Sports Illustrated that wfrazerjr referenced mentions that some players get so hopped up on the OTCs and coffee that they have heart palpitations, shakes, anxiety, etc. Those things aren't good for the human body, so they can't be good for the sport. Next thing, I bet, someone's going to play the "well, everyone else is doing it so in order to be competitive...blah, blah, blah." If the sport is so freakin' pure as Jesikabee suggest then perhaps fans should be concerned about keeping it so, rather than having it become a joke like MLB.
posted by scully at 08:11 AM on November 28, 2005
Man, I can't believe people could get spastic over such a nonsence issue. Here's an idea. Since athletes, and most everyone else, have been taking coffee, tea, alcohol, or aspirin etc literally forever - lets throw out all records and statistics from all sports and start anew. The new all-time home run hitter will be whoever hits the first one in April, providing he can provide proof that he drinks nothing but water and has never taken a pill for anything. Meanwhile, I'm going to have a beer with Dick Pound, Dick Trickle and Joe Blow.
posted by drevl at 08:51 AM on November 28, 2005
agreed, goddam. Ephedrine can be rough on the system, but not everyone's system. I'm generally a fan of anything straight out the ground. Ephedrine is a naturally occuring chemical, so I group it in with tea and weed. I was just watching 86's favorite show, Survivorman, this weekend, and he was stuck in Utah, and he was making tea from a plant that supposedly had ephedrine. Folks down in South America regularly chew the coca plant for energy. Back in high school, people would pop ephdrine to supposedly "smoke more pot" which is just stupid, but apparently it is a bronchial dilator or something.
posted by garfield at 10:48 AM on November 28, 2005
Don't hockey players use smelling salts? The use of these RESPITORY STIMULANTS has been pretty commonplace but never mentioned.
posted by HATER 187 at 11:27 AM on November 28, 2005
yup, right on the bench.
posted by garfield at 11:38 AM on November 28, 2005
I'm sorry I never did read the agreement though apparently I should have before posting. Now that I know the policy I think it is a very good policy. I'm very much in favor of the third strike you out policies, sorry for my misguided post above.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 03:19 PM on November 28, 2005
Oh my god!!! garfield, so you never have drank coffee, or taken sudafed? and if so...how destructive was it to your ability to function as a human? It is legalized, and for a reason, and consider the sources of your imformation; from a tv show called survivorman. Your butt must really hurt with you head so far up it!! thanks ying yang mafia for comming to realization of your first posting, its nice for you to stand up like a man and admit it and correct yourself unlike some of theses nerds posting!!
posted by Jesikabee at 08:31 PM on November 28, 2005
can you read?
posted by garfield at 08:47 AM on November 29, 2005
no just have the capability to type is all!!! Can you? theres a huge difference between an opinion and fact, just because you read it does not make it real, shit i read harry potter does that make wizzards and magic real, if so i must be confused!!!
posted by Jesikabee at 09:36 AM on November 30, 2005
They have them everywhere else, why not hockey? You never hear about hockey drug tests and results so either no one uses them or the policy sucks. Take your pick.