Performance Enhancers | The Baseball Zealot

There’s More Than What’s In Mitchell’s Report

I don’t think anybody is foolish enough to think that the players named in the Mitchell Report is the definitive list of all players who have used steroids or HGH in baseball. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Surely there have been more than 83 players. These names came from basically 3 or 4 sources. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that there are more than 3 or 4 sources of steroids for players. Whenever the other “trainers” start to get busted then more names will come out. My opinion is that it’s been pretty much an even playing field and that the number of players who did not juice pales in comparison to the number of players who have. And when you see some of the names in the Mitchell Report it makes you wonder how much of an impact it really has. One thing I think it did prove is that if you don’t have talent all the steroids in the world aren’t going to help. Mike Bell? First of all which Mike Bell? It doesn’t matter they both were blips on the baseball radar. Chad Allen, Gary Bennett, Larry Bigbie. Mike Judd? At first I thought they busted the Beavis and Butthead/King of the Hill guy, too. I think the most embarrassing thing for Nook Logan is that now everybody knows his name is Exavier. Cody McKay is not that surprising when you think about who his dad is. Dave had to be the Charles Atlas of first base coaches. I don’t remember him like that as a player. Can they test coaches?

All of this was done without breaking any of baseball’s rules. Of course a lot of law breaking took place and perhaps some of these players will face consequences. But I don’t think suspensions can be given for anything unless it can be proven that the offenses took place after the performance enhancing drug policy was put in place. All this talk about asterisks and stripping of records and awards is nonsense. Baseball has nobody to blame but themselves. Everybody knew it was happening and they didn’t seem to care until pressured by Congress. Are we going to take away all of Gaylord Perry’s accomplishments and boot him from the HOF? What about the cocaine guys of the 70’s and 80’s? How about Ferguson Jenkins? Heck, Doc Ellis threw a no-hitter on LSD. Are we going to take that away? I bet if anybody knew at the time he was on acid there would have been other pitchers to try the same thing! Anyway I think that what’s done is done and there’s really not much baseball can do. It’s time to move on.

Fallout from the Mitchell Report

It’s been 8 hours since the release of the report by Sen. George Mitchell on the illegal use of performance enhancers and the response has been overwhelming.

The media has been busy. My Google Reader is filled with formulaic articles by beat reporters for each team with the same theme: Current, former (fill in team name) named in Mitchell Report. Or if they’re lucky, No (fill in team name) listed in Mitchell Report.

By the way, no current Cubs were listed but some former Cub luminaries such as Matt Karchner, Todd Hundley, Kent Mercker, and Jerry Hairston Jr. were.

The denials have started to filter in. Most front and center, Roger Clemens says he is "outraged" about the inclusion of his name in the report. When I saw his name in the report, I was a tad disappointed but not surprised.

A valid point made by Mitchell…

"Everyone involved in baseball shares responsibility," Mitchell said during a news conference at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. "Commissioners, club officials, the Players Association and players. I can’t be any clearer than that."

I don’t think that can be stressed more. How this report will be spun by the MLB executives will remain to be seen but this should not be looked at as a "player’s problem". There is no doubt in my mind that MLB front office knew that steroids and other performance enhancers were an issue for years and chose to look the other way.

Finally, Congress has already reacted to the report. Specifically, the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Congressmen Henry Waxman and Tom Davis issued a joint statement requesting Bud Selig, and Donald Fehr of the Players Association and Mitchell testify at a committee hearing. Congressman Christopher Shays from Connecticut wants to address the matter quickly:

"The Mitchell Report shows how pervasive a problem performance enhancing drugs have been in Major League Baseball," Shays said in his statement Thursday. "The common sense recommendations the report has laid out should be enacted as soon as possible. I am looking forward to seeing how serious they take this issue and how quickly they will implement these and other reforms."

Pardon me, but I get a little nervous when Congress tries to solve a problem. Going on historical evidence, I guess.

Link to Sen. George Mitchell’s REPORT TO THE COMMISSIONER OF BASEBALL OF AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION INTO THE ILLEGAL USE OF STEROIDS AND OTHER PERFORMANCE ENHANCING SUBSTANCES BY PLAYERS IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL (pdf)

Mitchell List unveiled

I got my hands on what appears to be the George Mitchell List this morning. I’m calling this list “unofficial” since I got it third hand (though it did originate from the offices of Congress). We’ll all know soon enough.

Since MLB has disputed some of the names on a few of the leaked lists out there, I’m removing the names from the post.

Update: Here is the official Mitchell report that just came out (pdf format). More later when I have time.

OH NO, NOT LUTHER HACKMAN!!!

Luther Hackman

MLB-Suspended free agent RHP Luther Hackman 50 games for violating baseball’s minor league drug program after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.

When is baseball going to get serious about performance-enhancing drugs? Well here’s the first step, no baseball isn’t going after the guy with more homers than anyone in the history of the game, but rather the notorious Luther Hackman. In his minor league career Luther is 57-76 with a 4.46 ERA, and has a 9-10 record with a 5.09 ERA in the bigs. But at the age of 31 in the Independent Leagues Hackman posted an 8-0 mark, with eight saves, and a 2.81 ERA. It’s obvious something was fishy and I’m glad baseball did something about it.

Gene “Therapy” may replace performance enhancing drugs

Obscure reference? Hmm… this is looks rather disturbing. Gene doping or “therapy”, if you will may be the performance enhancer for athletes in the future. How it works (from Scripps): Through gene therapy, doctors can target specific, problematic genes by injecting a virus into the person’s body. The virus has been stripped of its disease-causing … Continue reading “Gene “Therapy” may replace performance enhancing drugs”

dr bashir

Obscure reference?

Hmm… this is looks rather disturbing.

Gene doping or “therapy”, if you will may be the performance enhancer for athletes in the future.

How it works (from Scripps):

Through gene therapy, doctors can target specific, problematic genes by injecting a virus into the person’s body. The virus has been stripped of its disease-causing materials and instead carries a human gene that is mutilated or missing in that person. When the virus multiplies, the new, healthy gene will have different traits than the one it replaced.

In athletes, the injections could add traits that didn’t exist before or reinforce existing traits.

How it works or how WELL it works or even what the side effects are really up in the air at this point. But I bet that won’t stop some people once it becomes viable.

Inventor of “the clear” sentenced to jail

Patrick Arnold, inventor of “the clear” has been sentenced to 3 months in prison. He has been convicted of “steroid-distribution charges”.

Local readers may or may not know that Arnold is a Champaign resident. Proviant Technologies, his research laboratory (since raided by federal agents) is also located in Champaign.

Arnold, of course, put forth an apologetic front:

“I’m very regretful for what I’ve done and especially since what it has precipitated in sports and society,” Arnold said outside court. “I do believe there should be a level playing field and that this whole things [sic]needs to be addressed.”

Yeah, you’re a real crusader.

Palmeiro reaches 3000. Is there still doubt?

On a double he hit against the Seattle Mariners last night, Baltimore Oriole Rafael Palmeiro became the 26th player to reach the 3000-hit plateau. He added a single before the night was through. Palmeiro has always been an underrated player but talk of the Hall of Fame is inevitable. Of the 26 players with 3000 … Continue reading “Palmeiro reaches 3000. Is there still doubt?”

On a double he hit against the Seattle Mariners last night, Baltimore Oriole Rafael Palmeiro became the 26th player to reach the 3000-hit plateau. He added a single before the night was through.

Palmeiro has always been an underrated player but talk of the Hall of Fame is inevitable. Of the 26 players with 3000 hits, all but four are in the Hall. Three of the four (Ripken, Gwynn, Henderson) are not yet eligible. The other one… well, you know about the other one.

But let’s not stop there. Let’s not forget Raffy has passed the 500 mark in homeruns and is within striking distance of 600. Last count, he has 566. Using the same methodology, there are 20 players with 500 career homeruns. Every eligible player in that group in is in the Hall (Bonds, Sosa, Griffey and Palmeiro are still active, McGwire is not yet eligible).

And yet, after all that, there are still those who do not believe. Buster Olney says in his latest article,

Palmeiro has reached 3,000 hits, and the debate is ongoing about whether he has the credentials for the Hall of Fame.

I would like to think that any thinking baseball fan would not need any more credentials than 3000 hits and 500 homeruns. Not that Raffy doesn’t have ’em. I am curious as to what debate there is.