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Proposal for Major Steroid League Baseball

May 13, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Mike Markson has an interesting proposal for confronting the problem of anabolic steroids (and performance enhancing drugs) in baseball – “let them cheat.” His steroid comments were included in suggestions to make baseball more exciting.

I started thinking, if I was to come up with a baseball variant to try and take on MLB, what would it look like? Well, it would be baseball, but, I’d market it as a faster, more exciting version. I’d make the following rules changes to try and re-enforce the brand [...]

No steroid testing. Leave that for the cops. This is baseball – let’s the conversation revolve around the action on the field, not off of it.

In a previous post, Markson expands on his feelings about steroids in sports with some insightful comments on the issue. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Steroid Commentary, Steroids and Baseball, Steroids in Sports Tagged With: , , , , ,

Roger Clemens Steroid-Fueled Extramarital Affair?

April 29, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Country singer Mindy McCready tacitly confirmed she had an extramarital affair with Roger Clemens. Clemens, through his attorney Rusty Hardin, has acknowledged a long-term “relationship” but denies Clemens had a sexual relationship with McCready.

Does Roger Clemens’ personal and/or sexual relationships have any bearing on his alleged use of performance enhancing drugs (or vice versa)? Already, the blogosphere is suggesting that steroids may have caused Clemens’ infidelity. But as far as the legal proceedings are concerned, Yahoo Sports’ Tim Brown doesn’t think his philandering has relevance to his alleged steroid use [Read more...]

Filed Under: Steroid Law, Steroids and Baseball Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Anonymous Hotline to Uncover Steroid Users in Baseball

April 11, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Major League Baseball has acted on some of the recommendations from the Mitchell Report with the implementation of an anonymous hotline to uncover users of performance enhancing drugs in the sport (“Baseball uses anonymous hotline to nab steroid cheats,” April 10).

The hotline, recommended by Sen. George Mitchell in his report on baseball and steroids and implemented by commissioner Bud Selig in January, is one of the tools the investigative unit is using to catch drug cheats, along with information from outside investigators.

Everybody is baseball is said to have access to the anonymous hotline which hopes to break the so-called “code of silence” of steroid use in baseball. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Steroids and Baseball Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Missouri Baseball and Football Stadiums Threatened by Steroid Use

April 2, 2008 By Leave a Comment

State Representative Jeff Roorda has introduced legislation to coerce professional sports in the State of Missouri to change their rules by increasing penalties for anabolic steroid use in their respective sports.

Roorda, a Democrat from Jefferson County, filed a bill today that would bar state tax credits from going to professional sports teams in a league that does not place at least a one-year ban on athletes caught using steroids.

That would mean: No state breaks for the Cardinals, as well as the Royals, the Chiefs, the Rams, the Blues, the state’s minor league baseball teams, or pro soccer outfits…

“Since when in baseball is it four strikes and you’re out?” Roorda said in a statement today.

Never mind that in baseball, it is not one strike and you’re out either. Roorda obviously intends to highlight what he believes to be a weak steroid and doping policy in Major League Baseball. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Steroid Commentary, Steroid Law, Steroids and Baseball Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Steroids in Our Supplements is More Important Than Steroids in Baseball

March 10, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Uber-lobbyist to the supplement industry, Loren Israelsen, recently forwarded selected remarks from an editorial by Rob Eder of Drug Store News to members of the United Natural Products Alliance. I was dismayed to see Rob Eder (and by extension Loren Israelsen) rave about the good job the supplement industry does at policing itself.

“As I have previously suggested, perhaps the Congress should examine whether the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act–DSHEA, as it is commonly known–is being adequately enforced,” Fehr said [...]

I have got some news for Donald Fehr: They don’t sell steroids in the supplement aisle. They don’t sell the “cream” or the “clear,” either. That’s because this industry does a better job of policing itself than Major League Baseball ever could.

Clearly, Fehr was disingeniously trying to blame DSHEA for the problem baseball was having with anabolic steroids. He tried to use the supplement industry as a scapegoat for MLB’s problems and it deservedly failed.

But the supplement industry needs to pull their heads out of the stand, stop patting themselves on the back for a job well-done, and respond honestly to criticisms of their industry. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Steroids and Baseball, Steroids in Supplements Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Unintended Consequences of War on Athletes Using Anabolic Steroids

March 8, 2008 By Leave a Comment

The federal government’s obsession with eliminating anabolic steroids from Major League Baseball is compromising state law enforcement efforts to fight drug dealers and violent criminals thereby jeopardizing the public safety according to Oakland County Sheriff Michael Brouchard.

“While Congress focuses on the need to eliminate drug use from baseball, law enforcement is struggling to get action on Byrne . . . which fights drugs not just in baseball, but on our streets and in our neighborhoods,” Bouchard said. “Literally thousands of children have been saved from drug scenes by this program.”

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Steroid Commentary Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Professional Athletes Treated Differently in Steroid Cases

March 6, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Sally Jenkins, writing in the Washington Post, observes that professional athletes who use anabolic steroids are treated more harshly than others who have committed similar crimes.

Perjury cases are rarely prosecuted by the Justice Department according to Jenkins:

It charged just 99 people with the crime in 2006, out of more than 88,000 federal defendants. Between 2001 and 2006, 566 perjury cases were filed — about 1 percent of all criminal charges. Cases brought before the federal criminal justice system are supposed to be top-notch in quality, and of overriding size and importance.

Unless, of course, the defendant is famous.

Prosecuting trivial lies by the likes of Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, and Marion Jones in federal court is highly unusual. This is especially true when serious lies have been told to Congress with no perjury charges: [Read more...]

Filed Under: Steroid Commentary, Steroid Law, Steroids in Sports Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

More Important Things for Congress to Do Than Investigate Steroids in Baseball

February 16, 2008 By Leave a Comment

The DailyKos chastised Representative Henry Waxman for wasting time (and taxpayer money) investigating anabolic steroids in baseball. Since Congress is having a difficult time determining our nation’s priorities, Kos offered a list of “100 things Congress could do that matter more than steroids in baseball.” This could have have just as easily been a list of 1000 things as there is no shortage of more important issues facing the United States.

Filed Under: Steroid Commentary, Steroids and Baseball Tagged With: , , , , ,

Steroid Dealer Gets Probation for Helping Feds Catch Steroid Users

February 9, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Kirk Radomski, steroid dealer to professional baseball players, avoided jail time when he received 5 years probation. He pleaded guilty to distributing anabolic steroids and money laundering charges in a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. He cooperated closely with federal prosecutors, particularly with investigators involved with the Mitchell Report, in naming almost 30 current and former MLB baseball players to whom he sold performancing-enhancing drugs including anabolic steroids and growth hormone.

The customary practice for federal prosecutors is to prosecute dealers rather than users. In a reversal of this practice, Radomski was given leniency in exchange for his testimony against his clients (individual steroid users who happened to be professional athletes). [Read more...]

Filed Under: Steroid Law, Steroids and Baseball Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Pro-Steroid Sylvester Stallone Endorses Anti-Steroid John McCain for President

January 28, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Sylvester Stallone has apparently endorsed anti-steroid crusader John McCain for President. Sylvester Stallone has been using his Rambo promotional tour to advocate growth hormone and testosterone in age management medicine. Senator John McCain is well-known for his anti-steroid grandstanding in Congress. Nonetheless, Senator McCain’s positive reaction to the endorsement was priceless as seen on Fox & Friends stating “I’m going to Philadelphia and running up the steps.”

Senator McCain has expressed his disappointment with Roger Clemens’ alleged use of anabolic steroids and growth hormone, but that is probably only because Clemens has not endorsed him. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Steroid Commentary, Steroid History, Steroids in Sports Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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