Manny beefing Manny: LA slugger tests positive

Next week's series between the Phillies and Dodgers looks a little easier for the hometown nine. Manny Ramirez has tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and will be suspended 50 games by Major League Baseball beginning today, according to multiple reports. Ramirez is expected to attribute the positive test to medication, according to a Los Angeles Times report. The 50-game suspension would make him eligible to return July 3, meaning the Phillies will not see Manny this season. The Phils host the Dodgers May 12-14, and play them in Los Angeles June 5-7.

Ozark dies: Former Phillies manager Danny Ozark, 85, has died at his home in Vero Beach, Fla. Ozark, who became manager in 1973 and guided the Phillies to a 594-510 record in seven season, led his squad to three consecutive division titles. He was named Associated Press Manager of the Year in 1976. Funeral arrangements are pending, according to the AP.

Comments

[Voice of Reason]

There's no joy in this news for this Phillies phan. It just makes me question whether every player in the league is looking for that edge. Every time a player shows up to spring training about 20 pounds lighter (David Ortiz this year, a certain first baseman for the home-town squad), it HAS to make you think. Of course I hope that no player on the Phils roster is a user (and I would love to believe Romero), but statistically there have to be Phils using, too.

[G-Town Dave]

VoR: I think you can rest assured that, if there is one, it's not Cairo. Or Coste. Or Bruntlett. Or J-Roll. Or any of the starting rotation ...

[khaiokien]

We don't even know what's on baseball's banned list. It could be stuff that people all over the country are taking legally just to work out and get bigger.

There are lots of things that are "performance enhancing" that aren't steroids.

[bay_area_phan]

I don't think being lighter is a sign of steroid use. If anything, I would think just the opposite. Steroids build muscle mass, which would cause a person to GAIN weight, not lose it.

[Phlipper]

I think the point was that if someone shows up having lost a considerable amount of weight - it could indicate that they've STOPPED using steroids - hence that they had been using them previously.

But that is a bit like asking someone when they stopped beating their wife.

[G-Town Dave]

BAP: I think he's saying that a player showing up lighter is an indication that they *had* been doping, but stopped due to increased enforcement of whatever MLB's drug policy is.

[Voice of Reason]

Bay Area: Being lighter is a sign of not using ANYMORE. (see Ortiz and his stats)

[khaiokien]

BAP: I think he meant Ortiz coming lighter to camp as meaning that he used steroids before and now he is off them.

Of course when you stop taking steroids it doesn't necessarily mean you lose weight immediately. You can keep the muscle mass you gained through steroid use even after you stop. Muscle mass just doesn't disappear because you stopped using steroids. IF you keep working out and eating it won't go away.

Steroid testing during the season won't stop players from juicing in the off season (unless there is all year random testing). If a player wants to bulk up fast in the off season he still can.

[bay_area_phan]

Got it.

[G-Town Dave]

VoR: Maybe I'm being a pathetic homer here, but I think Howard dropped the weight to get more nimble in the field. If anything, his offensive numbers to this point in the season are as good as if not better than his numbers at the same point in previous seasons.

[Bubba]

Any sign of the posters who wanted us to sign Manny as a Free Agent ?

[khaiokien]

The only people getting caught during the season doing steroids are going to be for dumb over the counter crap like Romero..unless they are amazingly stupid.

[khaiokien]

Howard had a gut last season, it was pretty obvious. He doesn't have that this season. His muscle structure doesn't look any different from what I have seen of him. He looks leaner in the face and his whole body, which would point at fat loss, not muscle loss.

[G-Town Dave]

Great text from my wife: "'Personal Health Issue?' What does he have, a bad case of 'Iwannahitadingeritis'"?

[PhillyBlunt]

I'm still waiting for Pudge Rodriguez to be outed.

[Brian G]

On Manny: Who knows the truth, but his statement couldn't have been better. If he's passed multiple steroid tests the past 5 years then that's something that should be taken into consideration in the court of public opinion.

On last night's loss: Feliz's play was mindnumbingly stupid. But Werth, who pretty much looked hungover the entire game last night, was just as bad. When the ground ball was hit he should've been sprinting over to back up first, and of course the triple clutch was a brainfart. All that said, I'm not sure Delgado ever even touched home plate, looked like a great block by Ruiz.

[Bubba]

Sad part is - Manny most likely didn't want to play the whole season anyway and will be able to make way more money than he lose by doing the talk show circuit.
Win for Manny and his agent.
Loss for LA Dodgers, MLB and any fans who still care about Manny.

[lekh tizdayen]

I believe Manny and I believe Romero. Does the league release the results of the failed test, as in, which substance they tested positive for?

[PHIinBK]

if i had to bet which Phillies were doping a certain 30 homerun hitting shortstop comes to mind.

I'm not willing to shrug it off as a career year b/c thats the kind of rationale that was perdominant during the "steroid era"

[ozark]

It's never their fault, is it?

[mike cunningham]

Speaking of ozark...

Danny Ozark died today:

http://www.kyw1060.com/Former-Phillies--Manager-Danny-Ozark-Dead-at-85/4351760

[Hugh Mulcahy]

I hope that wasn't a serious question.

Posted by: bay_area_phan

It wasn't. I just wanted to draw attention to your completely moronic complaint tying Feliz's error to Manuel's decision to lift Park for a pinch hitter. Of course, you repeated it in your response. Pretty funny stuff.

[TNA]

Ortiz's cranial structure reflects that of someone who takes HGH. The protruding, extended forehead is almost a dead giveaway.
HGH enlarges the hands, feet and forehead. The cro-magnon look can also be seen on Sylvester Stallone.

It doesn't look like Manny took HGH. Same goes for Howard. Howard doesn't look like he's lost any strength with the weight loss; he didn't drop water weight or muscle mass which is usually the case with people who stop taking steroids. I think he was just tired of hearing that he sucked defensively and that his earning potential would be limited because he was too big to field like Lee, Gonzalez, Teix or Pujols (all of whom were former 3B). Essentially, if he can become a good defensive 1B, he's going to be able to demand the world when he negotiates his next contract.

[doubleh]

Phils losing last night on a bonehead error was a shock for sure--that's something I would have expected out of the Mets' nimble outfielders.

Not an excuse--but just maybe--getting in at 3am the day of the game from the St. Louis series had something to do with Werth looking hungover and other miscues. I know I don't perform all that well at my desk job if I only have a few hours of sleep...and I don't have to try to hit a Santana changeup or field a ground ball.

Oh, Manny. Ugh. Such a vicious cycle with these PED's. The players, the union, MLB. They are all to blame, I think, but the players will take all of the heat.

[Hugh Mulcahy]

I can't see how anyone thinks there is enough information out there to judge whether Ramirez is a steroid or HGH user. The Romero issue, to the extent we've gotten the truth, should be cautionary. For all we know, he was taking some form of amphetamine for narcolepsy. Funny, though, I recall Jose can you see my big muscles? Canseco theorizing that Manny's inability to get that fat, long contract he wanted was due to his name being on "the list." That said, this entire generation of players is under a cloud of suspicion commensurate with the pressure they all must have felt to use steroids, etc., when all around them pitchers and hitters were doing it and excelling. At some point, you just have to judge them all based on their contemporaries and the rules in place at the time, and move on.

[bay_area_phan]

Hugh: I'm trying to wrap my mind around the concept that it's "moronic" to point out that the defining play of the game would never have happened if Chan Ho Park had still been in the game.

[Hugh Mulcahy]

Brian g/ Mike C. - I never saw a replay that showed Delgado touching home. But, Ruiz's reaction told me that he did. Regardless, he beat the throw handily. Watching him 'dash' for home was reminiscent of our dear departed leftfielder, though.

[phargo]

Speaking of our lean, mean, first-base machine- I sure did enjoy the diving catch he made last night. The new defensive Howard is a lot of fun to watch. Much less cringing now!

[Hugh Mulcahy]

b_a_p: Because it implies that Park should have been left in based on hindsight.

[G-Town Dave]

mike: One of my all time favorite Phillies-related quotes is Ozark's response to a question about Mike Schmidt's future w/ the team after posting dismal numbers upon his initial call up in late '72.

"I'd trade him for a wagonload of pumpkins."

RIP, Danny. You'd fit right in here at Beerleaguer.

[RSB]

Sorry to hear about Danny Ozark. If there was any justice, that would be a bigger story in LA than Ramirez, as Ozark was a lifelong Dodger before managing the Phils.

So sick of these disputed suspensions. MLB is a decade or more late on taking this moral high ground and now the substances involved are far more nebulous than they used to be. It all reeks of scapegoating and witch-hunting, and on the other side of the coin, there's nothing innocent about players like Ramirez or all the punks before him like Rodriguez, Sosa, Bonds, etc.

Baseball, fortunately, is flawless enough a game to compensate for the manifest flaws of the people involved with it.

[TNA]

I doubt Rollins took steroids. But he definitely didn't show up in shape this year. It was really obvious during the WBC when he had a gut and was sporting lots of junk in the trunk.

The spoils of fame spoil the fame.

The people on the Phillies I worry taking steroids are those who are prone to getting nicked up. Apparently, speeding up the healing process is the main driver of widespread steroid use; of course, once you start using it for healing purposes, you're likely to push past the fine line between healing yourself and enhancing yourself competitively.

[e]

Finally David Bell is vindicated

Did I say David Bell I meant A-Rod whoops

[thephaithful]

BAP: You've got to be kidding me...

So Park has never had an opposing batter hit a weak grounder to third base before?!

Also, did you know that Tatis hit 2 grand slams in one inning off of Park and has a 1.834 OPS against him?

[Bedrosian's Beard]

I don't believe Ramirez or Romero. If it wasn't steroids but an over-the-counter supplement, they have to be smarter. No excuses.

[thephaithful]

TNA: the day I analyze baseball by checking out the player's ass is the day I pray never comes.

[thephaithful]

" hugh: Watching him 'dash' for home was reminiscent of our dear departed leftfielder, though."

Luckily for Chooch it wasn't memories of our dear'er departed'er left fielder P. Inky! Memories of him 'dashing' towards home will never be forgotten!

[Unikruk]

So, shifting away from speculation about usage, let's discuss the effects punishment. Will the Dodgers still lead the division when he returns? And more importantly, will the assumed extra wins they will be giving away bunch up the wild card?

[bay_area_phan]

phaithful: You obviously haven't been paying attention to the argument. Yes, Park has allowed weak ground balls. No, I do not know what would have happened if Park had stayed in the game. But do you seriously believe that the inning would have played out exactly the same way if a completely different pitcher had been in the game?

And, Hugh, if I were really using hindsight to criticize the decision, then I would agree with you about the fallacy of such logic. But the moment Cholly made the decision, I wrote a post calling it idiotic. My hindsight observations are merely a follow-up on my original point.

[thephaithful]

Uniballkruk: I say the Giants close the gap quickly and end up taking the West by less than a couple games, which everyone will squarely blame on the Dodgers record without Manny. Then Manny will tell LA to F Off and that he demands a trade and it will drag out for the entire offseason once again.

[TNA]

phaithful: lol. that's probably a good move on your part.

but i do think that athletes need to put themselves in prime physical condition to compete at a high sustained level.

howard, whether he was motivated by dollars or by the fact, as he said, that all the other teams were going to be gunning for them this year, got himself in shape to improve performance. hamels, not so much. rollins, not so much. even vic, not so much.

[Kevin]

The only person Ramirez can blame is himself. At least he is not dragging this out to a challenge of the suspension.

Playing 7 games against the Dodgers w/o Manny though should put the Phillies in line for a minimum of five wins, no?

[doubleh]

Whoa, let's not act like Manny was the entire Dodgers team...yes, it's easier for our pitchers to face LA's hitters without Manny in the lineup...but the Phils still have to face their pitchers, who have a collective ERA of 3.72, best in the NL.

[MG]

He deserves the right to appeal but pretty hard to believe that MLB wouldn't suspend him unless they though they had overwhelming evidence.

If that is true and Manny was on PED, it is just another incident in a lengthy career of them. This will finally really tarnish his rep though with common fans and especially writers. Never understood how Manny got such a free pass largely though except from some of the Boston sport writers who knew what a jerk he was off & chronicled his notable lapses on it.

Only way it doesn't really stick with Manny is if he handles his apology in his well from a PR persepective and comes back and leads the Dodgers deep into the postseason again.

[Wes Chamberlain]

Feliz made an error, it lead to the winning run. Get over it.

As for the few people who pointed out that it looked like Delgado never touched the plate, I agree completely. I watched the replay a number of times and from what I could see there is no way he touched home plate. Delgado still hasn't touched the plate.

[thephaithful]

BAP: Alright, obviosuly there is no way the exact same scenario could have played out.

But what I'm saying is that leaving Park out there could have easily been even a worse outcome than having him taken out.

I might be coming in late to the argument, but it sounds as if you are validating your claim that leaving Park in was the right choice because of what happened in the 7th.

I disagree with that. If our bullpen came in and got rocked, than I would agree, but to give up a run on a combination of an error and delayed reaction from the OF can not be blamed on the pitching - and therefore shouldn't factor in to 'who should have been on the mound'.

[keith]

Failure to comply with treatment program

* First failure to comply: 15 to 25-day suspension or up to a $10,000 fine
* Second failure to comply: 25 to 50-day suspension or up to a $25,000 fine
* Third failure to comply: 50 to 75-day suspension or up to a $50,000 fine
* Fourth failure to comply: at least a one-year suspension or up to a $100,000 fine.
* Any subsequent failure(s) to comply: The level of the discipline will be determined by the Office of the Commissioner, consistent with the concept of progressive discipline.

All suspensions are without pay.

[edit] Positive steroid test results

* First positive test result: 50 game suspension
* Second positive test result: 100 game suspension
* Third positive test result: lifetime ban

I thought you only got 50 games for steroids...someone tell me how this ISNT steroids?

[Lake Fred]

phargo, I just saw the Dixie beer reference. New Orleans used to be the home of a number of breweries including Falstaff and Jax. Dixie was the last brand standing, but was never that big a seller due to a "bad batch" back in the 60's or 70's that slammed the beer's quality rating and causing it to lose many drinkers to other brands. The name itself is perceived by many to represent a rascist heritage, making many of the local shun Dixie in favor of the big national brands. Actually, the word Dixie means a ten dollar bill, from the French word for ten...dix.

In 2005, the Dixie Brewery was severely damaged when it was flooded due to the levee break caused by Hurricane Katrina. After the flood waters went down, the brewery was looted with much of the equipment stolen. They have never rebuilt the brewery and it may be torn down and the land used as part of a mega-hospital complex. With the brewery down, the owners hve contracted the beer manufacture to another brewer. To the best of my knowledge, Dixie is now brewed by Joseph Huber Brewing, out of Monroe, Wisconsin. That's close to where you are. To them, this is probably a trash beer that they donated or sold cheap to you all in Fargo.

When I was a much bigger beer drinker, Dixie used to be my beer of choice because it was less carbonated than the national brands, causing one to drink faster during the hot summer. Dixie also had a distinctive taste. I haven't tasted the Wisconsin version. Maybe I'll pick up a six pack this weekend to drink while trying to find out how the Phillies are doing.

[bay_area_phan]

"If our bullpen came in and got rocked, than I would agree, but to give up a run on a combination of an error and delayed reaction from the OF can not be blamed on the pitching."

Yeah, I guess you've got a point. But I wasn't blaming Eyre. I was just trying to point out the direct chain of causation between Cholly's pinch-hitting decision and the run which scored. But I guess I've about beaten this point into the ground.

[CJ]

keith: It's steroids or other performance enhancing drugs as defined by major league baseball. There is a list of them somewhere, although I heard there are only a handful of PED's on the list that aren't steroids.

[keith]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Baseball_drug_policy

Stimulants and drugs get you one type of punishment, steroids gets you another. 50 games first offense = steroids. Now, you can argue that some of the drugs on the steroid list are better or worse, but they are all under the umbrella called steroids.

[CJ]

Yahoo reporting that sources say it was a sexual PED.

[doubleh]

CJ: I saw it on ESPN News--that it was a Chlomid or similar feminine hormone that's supposed to restart testosterone production. In sports, it's typically used in combination after a steroid cycle FWIW. Not implying that that's what occurred in this case, but just what I've read/seen/heard.

[Sully]

ESPN.com is reporting that it was "hCG -- human chorionic gonadotropin. HCG is a women's fertility drug typically used by steroid users to restart their body's natural testosterone production as they come off a steroid cycle."

Wikipedia (not exactly a scientific source, but we'll run with it for now) says that hCG can be used for males both to help with fertility treatments or to help with a steroid cycle.

[Phlipper]

Ok, so imagine this. Cholly doesn't life Park, and Park grounds out weakly. The next inning, Tatis (who owns Park) hits a game winning bomb.

Afterward, the posters who originally said leaving Park in was "idiotic," will say that Cholly's poor decision cost them the game.

I don't exactly feel sorry for Cholly (he's well compensated for being subjected to criticism), but I am glad I don't have anyone second-guessing every decision I make at my job.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

Rumors that Manny's drug of choice was a "sex drug"!?

[ozark]

Gotta get a new posting name...

[CJ]

Getting uglier and uglier for Manny. The drug is used by steroid users who have stopped using steroids? That sounds pretty bad. No wonder Manny and his agent aren't releasing the name themselves.

[Wes Chamberlain]

I am sure there is a perfectly reasonable health related reason why a doctor would prescribe a female fertility drug to a perfectly healthy man.

That being said, this story has just broke and details are sketchy at best at this point. I'll reserve judgment on this until the full story comes out. It could possibly be an innocent mistake along the lines of Romero. But it doesn't look too good for Manny or Major League Baseball at this point.

[Wes Chamberlain]

On a more tastelss and morbid note...

If the whole Pete Rose scandal killed Bart Giamatti, how the hell is Bud Selig still alive and kicking through this PED debacle!!!

[Bubba]

On Danny Ozark:

"Danny was the guy that took us from last to first," said former catcher Bob Boone. "He was the perfect manager for the Phillies in the '70s. He had the patience of Job and helped all of us grow up as men and players."

[Kutztown Fan]

As of now, I have a hard time believing Manny's story.

IF (notice the capital letters) Manny's story is true that a physician prescribed the drug, and IF the drug is what other posters have been describing, then that physician should, at the very least, have his license to practice medicine revoked. Only a quack would prescribe something like that and NOT know it would show up on a drug test as a banned substance.

I know there are "marginal" physicians out there, especially orbiting around sports stars and other celebrities, but I cannot believe a physician would be this dumb.

[Doc]

Testosterone is one of MLB's banned substances because it is considered a performance enhancing drug. Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, hCG, is used in males to increase the production of testosterone, and in doing so, to treat conditions such as hypogonadism and male infertility.

Hypothetically, if the physician who treated Ramirez with hCG documented that Ramirez suffered from hypogonadism or infertility and was being given hCG specifically to treat those afflictions, Ramirez might be able to appeal for reinstatement. There are a number of MLB players who are allowed to take banned substances, such as the stimulant methylphenidate, for treatment of their attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, ADHD. Could MLB punish a player for taking a medication that might improve or restore fertility?

[Bubba]

Are we now saying that "It's just Manny being Manly"?

[RSB]

Bubba: very nice. Also like "Manny beefing Manny". I was trying to come up with a good play on words for that when I first heard - it's a story which plainly deserves mockery - but couldn't come up with anything.

[doubleh]

The 700 Level posters came up with some good ones:

"Manny Being Banny'd" and "Manny Being Barry"

[clout]

CJ: "Yahoo reporting that sources say it was a sexual PED."

Maybe Madonna wore him out.

[clout]

Flipper: Or how about this. Cholly doesn't like Park, and Park grounds out weakly. The next inning, Tatis (who owns Park) hits what looks like a game winning bomb. Pedro Feliz, who is really Superman, flies 50 feet into the air to snag the drive.

Afterward, the posters who were going to criticize Feliz for throwing the ball away will fall all over themselves admitting that Flipper has been right all along about Pedro's magical powers.

[doubleh]

clout: No, that was A-Rod. You're getting your future HoF PED users mixed up. LOL

[J. Weitzel]

"Manny Being Banny'd" and "Manny Being Barry" are both brilliant.

[thephaithful]

Sexual PEDS? Hey MyersAtTheBat, better put your earmuffs on, or maybe dark sunglasses in this case...so you dont get offended and come cry to JW.

clout: Madonna was getting banged by Arod not Manny, although I guess it probably wouldn't be a stretch if Manny dug her out at least once ow twice before too.

[Phlipper]

That was particularly lame, clout.

Even for you.

[kilbillrain]

Makes you wonder about Raul being 37 n all no?

[AWH]

clout, bad bad bad.

This story just goes to the point I have made on this board before:

Ken Caminiti, when he admitted his steroid use, estimated that 60% of MLB players were using steroids, a statement he was vilified for.

Manny getting busted just lends further credence to Caminiti - and guys like Jose Canseco.

The entire era is tainted, because we don't know "who was" and "who wasn't".

The players, agents, union, and MLB itself have all contributed to this cloud of stench.

IMO, it doesn't matter in the context that we enjoyed the game less - I sure didn't - but it does matter when we evaluate the statistical accomplishments of the players from the steroid era. And, until they test for HGH, a pall hangs over the stats of today's players as well.

[sifl]

On Deadspin I read "Manny being Mommy"... you know, because of the female hormones...

[sifl]

Hey thephaithful, you missed the point on Myersatthebat's complaint. He wasn't bothered by frank discussion, he was bothered by the use of bigoted terms by a commenter. Big difference.

[lekh tizdayen]

sifl: In that case, why not "Manny being mamm(or)y"

[laramie]

Is it normal for a MLB player to see a personal physician, outside of the normal medical staff the team provides? You'd think that, especially in the case of star players, management would want to be very careful about what kind of medical care their players are getting and what sort of things are being prescribed to them...

[AWH]

And to add, RSB is caorrect:

"Baseball, fortunately, is flawless enough a game to compensate for the manifest flaws of the people involved with it."

[Doc]

Assuming that Ramirez sits out 50 games, the Dodgers will be only too happy to get him back. The Dodgers wouldn't be where they are today in the standings without Manny who is one of the most dominant hitters of his generation. Watching Ramirez hit is like watching Santana pitch. They both approach the game with extraordinary confidence and immediately intimidate their opponents. They both make a baseball go exactly where they want it to go.

A number of posters on this board advocated the Phils acquiring Ramirez in the off-season, and they did so with very good reason. Ramirez has the kind of extraordinary talent that can turn a struggling team around and make a good team great. Fans who promoted Ramirez on this board promoted the guy they see on the field, not the guy who seems to make just as many headlines off the field. The real pity of the matter is that MLB fans may never really see just how good Manny Ramirez could have been as a baseball player. Everything on a baseball field seems to come so easy to the guy that one can only wonder what Ramirez might have done with his career with a little more focus and foresight.

[Willard Preacher]

My favorit part of all of this is the Yanks sneaking A-Rod back into the MLB lineup tomorrow, while all of the attention is out West. Brilliant!!

[bay_area_phan]

This whole thing was really just a misunderstanding. Manny went to the doctor complaining that he couldn't get it up. The doctor thought he was talking about his batting average, so he prescribed him PEDs.

[bay_area_phan]

Seriously, it would be quite a stretch to suspend a guy for using an entirely lawful substance, on the ground that he might have used it to trigger testosterone production. That's like punishing a guy for opening a bank account, because bank accounts can be used to launder money.

As with Romero, I suspect there's more to the story than we know. As one professor pointed out in the article on Yahoo Sports, it would be very odd for a guy to use this particular drug to treat his ED when Viagra and Cialis are already widely distributed and easily available.

[ozark]

ManRam=ShamMan

[RSB]

If (some of) the jokes are this good hours after the fact, how great are they going to be after the 50 days are up?

AWH: many people have said that in other ways...that was just my way of phrasing it today. MLB tries its damndest to make the game a joke, but the game itself endures all. I guess that's what they mean when they say 'no one is bigger than the game'. Not even collectively are the frauds, shysters, and no-counts poking out of its every corner bigger than the game.

[lil lebowski urban achiever]

Will the earth fall off of its axis if/when Albert tests positive?

...and oh yea, I really hate Brett Favre.

[TNA]

BAP - infertility is not impotence.

on average, about 1 in 20 guys have male infertility issues. inducing more testosterone production (not artificially adding) is seen as one of the more effective methods of increasing sperm count, although even that is not very effective.

that said, manny has three sons, the last being born Feb 2006. although you never know if something happened in Manny's life caused a sudden lack of sperm, i find it to be a little too convenient.

[bay_area_phan]

TNA: My understanding is that it's a fertility drug FOR WOMEN. It can also be used, evidently, to increase testosterone production in men.

Anyway, here's the relevant excerpt from the Collective Bargaining Agreement:

G. Therapeutic Use Exemption
1. A Player authorized to ingest a Prohibited Substance through a valid, medically appropriate prescription provided by a duly licensed physician shall receive a Therapeutic Use Exemption ("TUE"). To be "medically appropriate," the Player must have a documented medical need under the standards accepted in the United States or Canada for the prescription in the prescribed dosage. A urine sample which is found to contain a Prohibited Substance will not be deemed a positive test result if such sample was provided by a Player with an effective TUE for that substance. A Player with a TUE for a Prohibited Substance does not violate the Program by possessing or using that substance.

[TNA]

on a side note, I believe Jeter is on record saying to a journalist (I think Gammons) that the busty woman ARod was seen with in Las Vegas a few years back was his PED dealer. Don't know if that takes Madonna out of the PED picture, but she IS associated with both Canseco and ARod.

[RSB]

I'd still react with genuine surprise if Pujols turned out to be a 'juicer'. Most of the bigger names who have tested positive, other than Palmeiro, had always struck me as low-character guys in the first place. I know you never can tell for sure at this distance, but Pujols seems to be a very proud and principled man.

[doubleh]

TNA: You're joking, right? But I wouldn't be surprised if Madonna had taken something. Her body completely metamorphasized from a curvy woman to scary looking man in recent years.

Lots of performers take PED's. Stallone is one we know of for sure.

[thephaithful]

Pujols was in a roid mood swing when he lost the MVP to Howard in 2006, which caused to him to whine and complain that his team won the WS so he should have been MVP, not Howard.

Then in 2008 when Howard led his team to a WFC, it was Pujols in another mood swing saying how happy he was to receive the award.

[TNA]

Wonder if Boras can somehow be held culpable for this (as well as ARod). He and his fellow agents benefit greatly from PEDs. I realize agents get a commission off the contract, which is between the player and the agent, and that players can switch agents mid-contract. but I wonder if MLB can somehow bring agents into this situation by stipulating that the agents pay a hefty penalty if the player tests positive for PEDs.

[TNA]

hh- joking about what? A-rod getting PEDs from the woman in Vegas?

[Jack]

RSB: I think you are doing yourself a disservice by assuming that "character", however you define it, as anything to do with PED use. A guy like Mark Mcgwire was an ambassador for the game during his time in the spotlight, and has done a ton of good work with his charity for abused children. I'd be hard-pressed to classify him as a "low-character" guy.

[doubleh]

TNA: That Jeter said the woman in Vegas was his PED dealer. Is that true? I never heard that if it is.

[timr]

Just saw Bill Plaschke on ESPN and remembered that I also hate the trumped up outrage over steroids by the sports media. This has been going on for at least a decade and a half now, and for at least the first decade, nobody wanted to report on it. In a single season, two swoll-up muscle bound freaks crushed the thirty seven year old home run record, and then two years later another swollen muscle-bound freak crushed THAT record, and almost none of those sportswriters were really investigating it. Their outrage is at least ten years too late.

(Off to the game tonight. Hopefully no rainout!)

[bay_area_phan]

TNA: Pretty far-fetched to blame an agent for his client's misdeeds. How can an agent be expected to know what his client is doing, or what substances he's taking, 24 hours a day?

[RSB]

Jack: you're right about McGwire. That's why I said 'most' of the bigger names and not all. Consult case histories of Clemens, Sosa, Rodriguez, Bonds, Ramirez, and Dykstra for further details.

[IOP]

Manny Ramirez is a juicer? Hulk Hogan needs a manzier?

Some things are obvious.

What I don't get are the masters of revisionist history saying that "Manny never really bulked up."

I say, bulked up from when? Look at Manny when he was first with the Indians (hitting about 20 HR's, BTW). He looks like a skinny version of Ronnie Belliard.

Sure guys can get bigger over time, but this is a Ken Caminetti (assuredly misspelled), Barry Bonds, Andruw Jones type transformation.