07.26.08
Posted in Culture, Steroids, Olympics at 9:27 am by addisport
They’re all dopers in his mind. Well, at least 40 of them he expects to be doping, according to the Associated Press.
I’d like to think that the Olympic president, Jacques Rogge, would at least be upbeat about this year’s games because of the publicity of every single scandal since 2002, particularly Marion Jones who has to give back her medals as well as her teammates.
In 2004, 26 Olympians were caught doping. That’s the basis for Rogge’s expecting 40 to succumb to juicing. Don’t you think that’s backwards? I do. I’d like to think that there has been a bit of education over the course of of the last four to six years.
But then again, the urge to succeed may overcome any logic. Your thoughts?
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07.16.08
Posted in Culture, Media, Steroids, Baseball, Morality, Roger Clemens, O.J. Simpson at 6:03 pm by addisport
The New York Daily News’ I-team is reporting that Kirk Radomski … the Kirk Radomski … has found his shipping receipts for packages of steroids he’s sent to Cheater No. 2 (aka Roger Clemens) to help solidify the case against him.
This is what I like to call a slow death. Everything is unraveling for this former great. His wife is accused of injecting steroids. He’s charged with perjury. His son is badgered with questions. Shoot, the I-team is working so hard they have a list of women they’ve found to be connected to the ex-power pitcher.
I wonder, does he ever think he can just hide and it will all go away? It certainly doesn’t work for O.J., Michael Jackson, Barry Bonds and every other disgraced star we once idolized.
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05.01.08
Posted in Culture, Steroids, Morality, Barry Bonds, Marion Jones at 12:28 pm by addisport
Got to love the politics of drugs in sports. Seeing how Marion Jones, one of America’s greatest fallen stars, is now in prison, her former Olympic teammates want to appeal on their own behalves to keep their gold medals.
Read the story here.
Not too long ago, Jones was stripped of her 2000 Olympic medals. It’s been a downward spiral ever since. I’ve only written about Jones sparsely, ignoring her lying ways until she was convicted of lying and obstruction of justice. She was backed into a corner before she told the truth.
These are truly sad times for folks in the BALCO fold. I imagine, cheater No. 1 is watching, looking for examples to squeal his way out this mess.
I wonder if jail birds watch the news? I wonder if she’s been in contact with her former teammates and whether or not they’ve forgiven her, especially now that she’s in jail paying the ultimate price of cheating.
The conversation would probably be a necessary one for Jones to piece her life back together, but in general she’s probably screwed herself beyond friendship. The only friends she has now are those in stripes.
But back to the topic at hand, should Jones’ teammates get their medals back? I think not. It’s not like they ran those relays with only three legs, there was a whole other piece in that team that they want credit for which they truly don’t deserve.
I see this getting swatted away like a six foot guard testing Kevin Garnett in the paint — it ain’t happening.
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04.18.08
Posted in Steroids, Baseball at 2:04 pm by tim
The man known only as “Max” in Jose Canseco’s new book “Vindicated” has revealed himself and denied the book’s claims (potentially proving me right (although I’ll get no credit for this)).
Trainer Joseph Dion told Sports Illustrated that he’s “Max”, and that both he and Alex Rodriguez hated steroids. Canseco wrote that he introduced A-Rod to “Max”, who he described as “a fan of steroids,” and assumed that Rodriguez used steroids.
“That’s really, really funny because I am the one person that hates steroids,” Dion said. “I’m against it 100 percent. And, A-Rod, at the time that I trained him — and this I swear to God — was 100 percent against steroids. He was one of the hardest working guys, and most natural guy, that I’ve met in my life. He hated steroids. We talked about it.”
Most importantly, if what Dion says is true, it confirms my gut feeling about A-Rod. I take pride in my gut’s win-loss record. And it’s good, practically perfect. Way off on that O.J. thing, damn “Naked Gun” movies threw me off.
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04.11.08
Posted in Steroids, Baseball at 12:09 pm by addisport
ESPN - MLB, players union agree to more frequent drug testing - MLB
Can you believe this? I can’t.
Jose Guillen and Jay Gibbons’ suspensions have been erased in an agreement on drug testing in baseball. The gist of it, though, is that drug testing will NOT be provided by an outside agency, as was suggested in the Mitchell Report and the World Anti-Doping Agency but will become more frequent.
So how does that justify erasing a suspension? Here’s where commissioner Bud Selig drew the line in the sand:
As part of the agreement, major leaguers — including those named in December’s Mitchell report — will join Major League Baseball’s efforts to educate youth about performance-enhancing drugs. The players’ association will contribute $200,000 to an anti-drug organization.
In exchange for those two provisions, baseball commissioner Bud Selig agreed not to discipline players implicated by Mitchell during his 1½-year investigation.
So there you have it. Now Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds have to worry about their perjury charges and then they’ll be in the clear, so to speak.
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03.26.08
Posted in Steroids, Baseball at 7:37 pm by tim
Jose Canseco has written his second book that rats out former colleagues, teammates and friends for using steroids, and the most notable mention was New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez.
In “Vindicated: Big Names, Big Liars and the Battle to Save Baseball,” Canseco claims he introduced A-Rod to a steroids dealer (although he never actually saw him use anything), and that A-Rod was trying to sleep with his wife. It’s that last part that makes me wonder how valid this is.
Canseco’s been right before, but my gut tells me he’s wrong about Rodriguez. And my gut’s almost never wrong, unless there’s gambling involved. Maybe it’s his relatively normal sized body and forehead, or that he’s been consistently great for years. I’m not sure.
Why in the world is he accusing him of going after his wife? What does that have to do with steroids, or baseball? Now it just seems like Canseco doesn’t like him. “I asked Alex if he had eaten my cookie and he said no. But there was clearly chocolate on the side of his mouth, and I had shown him where he could find the cookie.” Maybe he did try to sleep with his wife and that’s why Canseco’s trying to bury him in this new book.
Another question that must be asked, is why wasn’t this in the first book he wrote? Sports Illustrated’s Phil Taylor wrote a column with some great perspective on the situation, including the fact that Canseco’s first “tell-all” book was supposed to…tell all.
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03.08.08
Posted in Culture, Steroids, Baseball, Morality at 12:33 pm by addisport
I was cruising through my e-mail this morning when I spotted this piece of art handed down from the assistant sports editor from the Boston Globe. He said it was from an anonymous source, so I take my hat off to whoever is out there that wrote this.
It’s god damn hilarious.
Check it:
Clemens: You want answers?
Congressman: I think I’m entitled to them.
Clemens: You want answers?
Congressman: I want the truth!
Clemens: You can’t handle the truth! Son, we live in a world that has
baseballs. And those balls have to be hit by men with bats. Who’s
gonna do it? You? You, Congressman?
I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep
for steroids and you curse HGH. You have that luxury. You have the
luxury of not knowing what I know: that HGH - while illegal - probably
sells tickets. And my existence - while grotesque and incomprehensible
to you - sells tickets.
You don’t want the truth. Because deep down, in places you don’t talk
about at parties, you want me on that mound. You need me on that
mound. We use words like fastball, slider, splitfinger… We use these
words as the backbone to a life spent playing a sport. You use ‘em as
a punchline.
I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man
who rises and falls asleep to the Sportscenter clips I provide! And
then questions the manner in which I provide them! I’d rather you just
said ‘Thank you’ and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick
up a bat and dig in.
Either way, I don’t give a damm what you think you’re entitled to!
Congressman: Did you order the HGH?
Clemens: (quietly) I did the job you sent me to do.
Congressman: Did you order the HGH?
Clemens: You’re god damn right I did!!
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02.28.08
Posted in Steroids, Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte at 2:18 pm by addisport
There’s not a day that can go by without me chiming in on cheater No. 2. What can I say, I don’t like liars.
Apparently, neither do the feds and congress.
One question for Roger, are you going to cry like Marion Jones when this is over or are you going to apologize sympathetically, fully understanding the wrongs you’ve committed and the harm you’ve done?
I’ll wait. No, seriously, I don’t think this man has the integrity he claims in any of these stories where he’s questioned. Always talking about how he’s going to handle this the right way.
That’s funny. Nobody ever seemed to tell him the right was telling the truth. Good thing he has friends like Andy Pettitte to help him out.
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02.27.08
Posted in Culture, Steroids, Morality at 11:36 am by addisport
Every time you think this story is going to die, Congress kicks it back to life.
Steroids, HGH, liars.
Apparently, the good guys on the hill want to finally clean up this mess with a federally backed law against drugs in sports leagues.
Yeah, it hit the fan just this morning.
The same congressional committee tried to enact some legislation back in 2005, but hit a wall with the whole “should we be involved” argument.
Of all people, David Stern has a huge rift with congressional oversight.
“Federal legislation in this area is not necessary for the NBA. Nor do I believe that a uniform, federally mandated approach to drug testing for all sports leagues would be appropriate,” Stern said, a sentiment echoed by others.
Let me make this clear: I am so for this. There’s just no way that professional leagues, especially MLB, can be trusted to work with their player’s association for the best interests of fans and integrity. The two don’t mesh well and the MLBPA is a perfect example of that. (I can remember fondly how former Senator George Mitchell ripped into them. Good times.)
But the buzzword(s) of the day have become “congressional oversight,” leaving little room for detractors to argue anything other than congress’ right to intervene in these matters. A certain congressman has the answer to these folks.
“The purpose of today’s hearing is to restart — and perhaps finish — the legislative process we started” in 2005,” said Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection.
“Let me just say, I do resent the elitists, the cynics and cultural critics who dismiss this issue as a populist spectacle,” Rush said in his opening remarks. “I believe that we can move forward in a measure, deliberative and bipartisan manner with legislation that seriously tackles drugs in sports.”
Need I say more.
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02.25.08
Posted in Culture, Steroids, Baseball, Roger Clemens, Mitchell Report at 3:21 pm by addisport
Just look at him. Doesn’t he look evil. In the back of those eyes, I see a scared little child. His story is deserving of a book. Not by me, but somebody who actually knows him and is willing to out this fibber for what he is.
“C’mon Roger. No more tall tales. Time to grow up.”
I’ve been absent from this blog for two weeks plus. There are two reasons why: 1) If I would have been posting in the last couple of weeks every single thing I would’ve written about would have to do with steroids in baseball. 2) Every single damn thing I can think of has to do with Roger Clemens.
The mixture of the two would be deadly to my sanity.
I just want to stop for a minute and list the craziness from the past few weeks via links. The headlines should speak for themselves:
- Congress May Single Out Clemens - New York Times
- Most convincing witness was the one who wasn’t there - Mike Fish, ESPN
- Clemens says Pettitte ‘misremembered’ him; McNamee grilled - ESPN
- After hearing, reps, lawyers debate if spectacle was worth it - Associated Press via ESPN
- For Clemens, No Joy Found in Testimony - New York Times
And these are just the highlights. The hearing was pure comedy. Brian McNamee’s cool demeanor was expected. Clemens’ awkward “testimony” was dually expected. The accusations and dissapointment lobbied by the congressmen and congresswomen was theater.
But in the weeks later, what do we have? Not a damn thing. We’re back to square one, meaning cheater No. 1: Barry Bonds. Yup, I’m tying this back to the big fella. I would swear under oath to you right now, BALCO, which spurred the Mitchell report and the Steroids Era itself, will also be the final chapter in the misery baseball has received. Bonds, being the chief investigated proponent of BALCO, will be the final leg of the journey. When he is convicted (and I do say ‘when’), it will be a day of relief for Bud Selig and the MLBPA. It’ll take the shoulder of blame off of these folks and pin it squarely on th donkey who they’ll claim lied to them and their families and friends en route to gain an advantage.
There’s nothing great about these tainted years. Nothing fond to look back on when everyone and everybody is a suspected cheat. There’s no pride in outing these folks. But I sincerely feel, if I cheered for you in some way or another, and you cheated (and therefore cheated my trust) then I have as much right to boo you now more than ever.
I could go on and on, but you’ve heard that story before.
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