Ban Rafi

He used the same steroid Ben Johnson used in 1988, and we're supposed to believe it was an accident? Ban the cheater and all his cheating friends.

Popular Steroid Is at the Center of Palmeiro's Case

The positive drug test that has left Rafael Palmeiro's legacy in doubt involved the potent anabolic steroid stanozolol, a person in baseball with direct knowledge of the sport's drug-testing program said yesterday.

Stanozolol, known by its brand name, Winstrol, was most notably linked to the Olympic sprinter Ben Johnson of Canada, who was stripped of a gold medal in 1988 after testing positive for that steroid.

Stupidity and Steroids Come in Many Forms

Listening to Palmeiro, one could have got the impression that he had unwittingly used something, maybe given to him by another player, that turned out to be laced with a steroid. But yesterday two people in baseball with knowledge of the testing program questioned that impression.

The steroid Palmeiro was found to have in his system was, one of them said, a heavy-duty steroid, a substance often injected, not ingested. It has one of those strange steroid names: stanozolol. It is No. 24 on the list of anabolic androgenic steroids, covered by Schedule III of the Code of Federal Regulations, that appears on Page 160 of the collective bargaining agreement.

George Vecsey:
Orioles' Palmeiro Has Thrown Away His Credibility. Period.

WITH his Wayne Newton mustache and his expensive suit, Rafael Palmeiro oozed sincerity, under oath. He claimed he wanted to distance himself from the accusations of Jose Canseco, sitting right there, who had written that Palmeiro had used steroids when they were teammates in Texas in 1992 and '93.

"I have never used steroids. Period," Palmeiro testified March 17, in front of Congress. "I don't know how to say it any more clearly than that. Never."

Now a new word has crept, and I do mean crept, into Palmeiro's vocabulary. The word is "intentionally." Because Rafael Palmeiro, with his 3,018 hits and 569 home runs, has tested positive for steroids and must sit out a 10-day suspension that sounds more like lifetime suspicion.

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Good grief. Given the current suspension, the brazen Canseco now comes off as the most forthright of that sorry lot.

Palmeiro wants us to believe he has no idea how the foreign substance got into his system. But something good will come out of this, he insisted yesterday. From this shameful day onward, Rafael Palmeiro is volunteering to be an object lesson to children.

"You have to be careful what you're taking," he said, adding that children had to be careful about accepting "supplements" and "vitamins."

Of course they must. Children must also be careful not to stuff beans up their noses or stick their tongues against frozen playground poles in winter. But they probably already know that. Only a ballplayer with 20 years in the major leagues is dumb enough to swallow a bunch of stuff without getting it cleared by a doctor or a pharmacist.

Tom Boswell: A Big Star Plays A Bad Hand

[I]n one of the most unexpected announcements ever made in baseball, Palmeiro has been caught, suspended and has actually admitted to using steroids this season. Palmeiro simply claims that he has no idea how they got in his body.

Abducted by aliens? Sat too close to Canseco at the hearing? Got a package in the mail that was intended for Jason Giambi?

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Palmeiro and his agent, as well as the Orioles, repeated many times that they could not go into details about Palmeiro's steroid blunder because of some "confidentiality" issues. "I would love to tell what happened to me so that everyone would understand," said Palmeiro, "but under this confidentiality agreement, I cannot get specific."

Unfortunately, what we may have here is a Stupidity Test. As in: How stupid are we? Whose "confidentiality" is being protected? Palmeiro's, of course. If he wanted to explain more, who could stop him from defending his good name? The union and baseball have a confidentiality agreement that prevents them from releasing information. But that doesn't put masking tape over the player's mouth. If Palmeiro had a compelling story, who could force him to stay silent?

Rafi Was Lying, Too

Today MLB suspended Rafael Palmeiro, the newest member of the 3000 hit club, for violating the league's steroid policy.

You may remember that Palmeiro testified before Congress in March. He pointed his finger at the Congressional subcommittee and said he NEVER did steroids.

Liar.

I believe I called this at the time:

Jose Canseco is an idiot, but he's the only honest player on this panel.

Oh, and President Dumbass believes him: Bush on Palmeiro: 'I believe him'

If baseball had any cojones, all these juicers would be banned from the Hall of Fame, and Roger Maris would be inducted. Pete Rose too.

I'm on the Washington Post (online)

I don't know how these things happen, but last night while I was reading the Washington Post I read words that seemed very familiar to me: my own!

Howard Kurtz excerpted my post on the baseball hearings in his Media Notes Extra column on Friday!

Here's how Howie (or more likely, one of his minions) cut and pasted my post:

The MainSt.USA blog: "Conveniently, Sammy Sosa has lost his ability to speak English . . . Jose Canseco is an idiot, but he's the only honest player on this panel...Mark McGwire has shrunk a great deal from his playing days . . . Congress is full of cowards. No one has even managed to make McGwire take the 5th Amendment, although it's clear that the 5th is his fallback position. They're letting him get away with "I'm not here to talk about the past" and offering to become a spokesperson against steroids which is just ridiculous. So we know: McGwire was juiced. Roger Maris still owns the single season home run record as far as I'm concerned. The only guys who have exceeded it are Bonds, McGwire & Sosa, The Juice Boys."

I wonder how they found me?

And if you're reading again, Howie, or as one of the players might have addressed you during the steroid hearings, Mr. Kurtz, a real journalist would identify himself as married to Sheri Annis, a Republican media strategist who runs a company called "Fourth Estate Strategies" selling her right wing media expertise. A real journalist would say that before every column, kind of like "I approved this message", so we'd all know where you're coming from. In baseball terms, the Kurtz/Annis family bats right and throws right. Right, not left, not center, right. Just so we're clear. I know I'm just a lowly pajama-wearing blogger, but we like to know these things up front.

If you're reading this blog after clicking on the link in the Post, leave a comment, please.

Baseball Hearings

I'm laid up today, so have watched much of the baseball hearings. A few observations:

1. Conveniently, Sammy Sosa has lost his ability to speak English. His statement is read by his translator. I laughed out loud when the translator read that Sosa denied doing steroids. Just look at a picture of him from 1999. He's a juicer. During the hearings he has perfected the befuddled look I remember well from doing worker's comp hearings with clients for whom English was a second language, supposedly, although they did fine speaking with me outside the hearing room. I sincerely doubt that his English is this poor. (n.b., see #7, below) As the hearings go on, his answers become more and more confused. "I don't know" is his favorite answer.

2. Jose Canseco is an idiot, but he's the only honest player on this panel. He is being the honest idiot he is. At least he is answering the questions about baseball steroid use somewhat honestly. Sadly, he truly believes he is a hero for writing his book! He testifies that the hearings are taking place solely because of his book. He takes the position that steroids are a huge problem during the hearing, while in his book he sings the praises of steroids. Dolt.

3. Mark McGwire has shrunk a great deal from his playing days. Sammy Sosa is also very much smaller than he was in "The Year That Saved Baseball". Neither has the steroid acne today.

4. Congress is full of cowards. No one has even managed to make McGwire take the 5th Amendment, although it's clear that the 5th is his fallback position. They're letting him get away with "I'm not here to talk about the past" and offering to become a spokesperson against steroids which is just ridiculous. So we know: McGwire was juiced. Roger Maris still owns the single season home run record as far as I'm concerned. The only guys who have exceeded it are Bonds, McGwire & Sosa, The Juice Boys. I'm with Jim Bunning -- throw those tainted records out.

And why Roger Maris isn't in the Baseball Hall of Fame, I can't believe, that's another injustice that should be rectified.

5. The most powerful testimony by far was from the parents of the two young men who committed suicide after taking steroids. They must be furious watching these baseball players avoid the questions.

6. The funniest testimony has to be from the doctor who advised MLB on their steroid policy. He was combative from the get-go, for reasons that are unclear to anyone watching the hearings from the outside. He got members of Congress to shout at him! Didn't look like he was enjoying his 15 minutes of fame.

7. New entry for funniest moment: Dennis Kucinich addresses Sammy Sosa in Spanish, and Sosa answers in English! Second language duel-off!

8. Saddest testimony: All these multimillionaire baseball players saying they didn't see much steroid use, or they just can't say. Curt Schilling denying what he said three years ago about players using steroids & human growth hormone (difference between then & today: Today he's a player rep! Deny everything!) All I gotta say to you guys is, no guts, no glory. Slink off. Shame on you all.

I reiterate my call for the tiny hypodermic needle to be placed next to all of the records of the juicers. In addition, Mike Greenwell (I saw him hit for the cycle in Fenway Park!) should be awarded Conseco's MVP award.