But how do you spell disgrace?
So there's a report out of an alternative paper in Miami linking several major league baseball players, including Alex Rodriguez again, to banned performance enhancing drugs. Needless to say, hundreds of reporters are already fulminating on the subject, demanding harsher penalties, bashing Rodriguez, making up shit, and saying this is evidence that "the steroid era" never ended.
Now, I don't give a rats ass about Alex Rodriguez beyond the fond hope that he'll retire and save the Yankees a ton of money and a ton of drama, but I do think the steroid era thing is important. See, there's already a bunch of folks saying that MLB doesn't really care about cleaning up the game, that the tougher testing is just for show, the system doesn't work, and it's really business as usual. But if you look at the story, that's a crock of shit.
According to the reports, six players were linked to this "life extension" clinic in Miami that was a front for dealing HGH and other banned PEDs. In addition to A-Red, the players were Melky Cabrera, Gio Gonzalez, Nelson Cruz, Bartolo Colon, and and Yasmani Grandal. I'm sure they're not the only six folks looking for an edge, but the thing is, three of the six guys have already been suspended after failing drug tests. And MLB's investigative arm was already investigating this clinic, based on the fact that Manny Ramirez got the drugs that landed him his first suspension in 2009.
What that tells me is that the system is working. MLB is serious about finding players who are cheating and they are finding them. The proof that a system based on ferreting out mistakes isn't that there are no mistakes, it's that you're finding them (says the copy editor). No one is perfect, and as long as their are major cash and social awards around being a pro athlete, there will be people who cheat. But if the system works, MLB will find enough cheaters to discourage all but the most desperate or egotistical from taking that step. And that's really all anyone can ask for.
Now, I don't give a rats ass about Alex Rodriguez beyond the fond hope that he'll retire and save the Yankees a ton of money and a ton of drama, but I do think the steroid era thing is important. See, there's already a bunch of folks saying that MLB doesn't really care about cleaning up the game, that the tougher testing is just for show, the system doesn't work, and it's really business as usual. But if you look at the story, that's a crock of shit.
According to the reports, six players were linked to this "life extension" clinic in Miami that was a front for dealing HGH and other banned PEDs. In addition to A-Red, the players were Melky Cabrera, Gio Gonzalez, Nelson Cruz, Bartolo Colon, and and Yasmani Grandal. I'm sure they're not the only six folks looking for an edge, but the thing is, three of the six guys have already been suspended after failing drug tests. And MLB's investigative arm was already investigating this clinic, based on the fact that Manny Ramirez got the drugs that landed him his first suspension in 2009.
What that tells me is that the system is working. MLB is serious about finding players who are cheating and they are finding them. The proof that a system based on ferreting out mistakes isn't that there are no mistakes, it's that you're finding them (says the copy editor). No one is perfect, and as long as their are major cash and social awards around being a pro athlete, there will be people who cheat. But if the system works, MLB will find enough cheaters to discourage all but the most desperate or egotistical from taking that step. And that's really all anyone can ask for.