All Things Bubba

The blogosphere is abuzz with the news that the feel-good story of the year, Rick Ankiel, used HGH. Some are saying this tarnishes him irrevocably. But most aren't getting too excited. For once, I think Celizic is right: fans just don't care.

I wonder if HGH even helped him. He sure didn't play very well when he was using it. And some studies show HGH doesn't improve performance.

The jury's still out on the effects of HGH, but some research has found that it can speed healing, and it is sometimes prescribed for this purpose. I could see that being a big advantage for a pro ball player, where injuries are always an issue. But again, it's not clear how helpful HGH is in this regard, or if it's even helpful at all. (It didn't seem to help Ankiel, who was plagued by injuries.)

This article, by an athlete/journalist who took steroids and HGH for eight months just to write about it, has some interesting stuff about effects...and side effects. Some he would take, if he could afford it, some he would not, because of the nasty side effects.

HGH was something he would take if he could afford it. He said the reason he liked it was that it improved his eyesight dramatically. He didn't need glasses when he took HGH.

If that's true (I don't think it's ever been formally studied), that could be a huge advantage for a batter. But at the time, Ankiel was a pitcher.

I guess I'm in the camp that doesn't see this as a big deal. Yes, he cheated, but the cheating didn't help him any. The major problem I have with cheating is that it hurts those who don't cheat. But if the cheating doesn't actually give you an advantage, no one is hurt.

In other juicing news, we now know why Bats catcher Ryan Jorgensen wasn't called up. The Reds said he was passed over because he had a "personal commitment." That sounded really weird to me. I couldn't imagine a personal commitment that would keep a minor leaguer from a callup to the bigs.

Today, it was announced that Jorgensen has been suspended for 50 games. For juicing. They didn't say exactly what drugs were involved, but probably steroids, since HGH is not tested for or detectable.

That's too bad. Jorgensen had a great cup of coffee earlier in the season, hitting clutch home runs and even a grand slam. Now his baseball future is in doubt. The Reds may not want him back when the suspension is over.

Labels: steroids