Uh, boy. Quite the bombshell exploded today.
Some interesting points from the long article....
- There seems to be a connection to Florida, particularly the University of Miami Hurricanes baseball program.
- Most of the names revealed are not a surprise. Many have already been busted.
- Melky is still a bonehead. Bosch was upset with him for getting caught...and for not paying. Bosch rails against Cabrera, writing that "in helping him, I put my business and all my doctors at risk by fabricating patient charts and phony prescriptions." He adds that the slugger should "man-up" and pay $9,000 he owes, adding, "I am on the 'line' here!!"
- A-Rod is the biggest name implicated. He is an admitted 'roider, but claims he hasn't used PEDs since 2003. It appears this is not true. The Biogenesis records on him start in 2009 and continue through 2012.
The Yankees are reportedly desperately looking for a way to void A-Rod's contract, though few think they'll find one. But I wonder if this is the end for A-Rod, one way or another. Can he really come back from another hip surgery, without PEDs, at age 38?
Ugh. The Yankees were idiots to take A-Rod back after he opted out of his contract in 2007.
The article suggests the Biogenesis scandal means the MLB testing program has been "futile," but I disagree. Most of the MLB players implicated were in fact caught. I'd say that means it's working.
As for whether baseball should continue to crack down on PED use...yeah, I think they should. Baseball players are often very young, and if PEDs were allowed, they'd be under tremendous pressure to juice. Because there's so much competition, they feel they have to have every edge, and because they don't want to let their teammates down. Think of how Lance Armstrong pressured the young riders on his team to juice.
Someone at Red Reporter pointed out that if baseball gets a reputation for being dangerous - if players start dying young, like pro wrestlers, or get testosterone-fueled cancers like Lance Armstrong, say - parents are going to be reluctant to let their kids play baseball. Look at what happened with boxing. Back in the days of Frazier and Ali, everyone knew who the heavyweight champion of the world was. Now, the average American probably hasn't a clue. Boxing has faded that much, and a big reason is its perceived danger. For the good of the sport, baseball needs to keep on top of the PED thing.
Labels: steroids
