Baseball's Steroid Era: February 2010

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

MLB To Implement HGH Blood Testing in Minor Leagues

According to the New York Times, Major League Baseball will institute blood testing for human growth hormone in the minor leagues as early as this year. MLB will also attempt to get the players union to accept blood testing at the Major League level.

MLB issued a statement in response to the Times’ questions which included the following:

"We are consulting with our experts concerning immediate steps for our minor league drug program and next steps for our major league drug program. The commissioner remains committed to the position that we must act aggressively to deal with the issue of HGH."

Most minor league players are not part of the players union and therefore no negotiation is required to implement such a program. The MLB Players Association has resisted the idea of blood testing in the past, but will feel pressure from the league, the public, and possibly some of its own constituents. A concession in blood testing may also provide some leverage while negotiating the next collective bargaining agreement.

MLB has been providing funding for the WADA to develop a urine test for HGH, but the test remains possibly years away. At congressional hearing in 2008, Commissioner Bud Selig said MLB would support an HGH test when it became available.

"When a valid, commercially available and practical test for H.G.H. becomes reality — regardless of whether the test is based on blood or urine — baseball will support the utilization of that test. "

Shortly thereafter, then union leader, Donald Fehr, expressed a willingness to consider a test for HGH if it was viable and accurate.

""If and when a blood test is available and it can be signed and validated by people other than those that are trying to sell it to you… Then we’d have to take a hard look at it."

While most are hailing the positive test in the UK as proof the test is effective, anti-doping expert Charles Yesalis told the Times he is not convinced.

"They have this test for some time and they only caught one guy. I wouldn’t bet my life on that test."

Sources

Baseball Plans to Test for H.G.H. in Minors New York Times
Selig eyeing HGH test in minorsESPN

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

First Analytical HGH Positive Test in UK Rugby, MLB Implications

The world’s first analytical positive test for human growth hormone is on record. Professional rugby player, Terry Newton provided a blood sample to the United Kingdom Anti-Doping agency (UKAD) in November, the test came back positive for HGH. Newton was banned for two years and his team, the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, terminated his contract. Newton did not contest the results according to the New York Daily News report.

This represents a major deterrent for athletes who believe HGH is still not detectable. HGH tests were first said to have been administered at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, but with no positive tests since then, many believed the test was ineffective or possibly just a smokescreen.

The implications for Major League Baseball are obvious. HGH has been banned by Major League Baseball since 2005, but the league has maintained that they do not have a reliable test for the drug.

Baseball has banned growth hormone since 2005, but there is still no HGH testing. Travis Tygart, USADA's chief executive, Monday blasted baseball's argument that an effective HGH test is unavailable.

"All of us who have helped develop a test wouldn't put it in place if it wasn't forensically sound and reliable." Tygart told the Daily News. "Particularly in (Newton's) case, it's proof positive the test works."

This probably doesn't change much for MLB. There is still no reliable urine test for HGH, and convincing the union to agree to blood testing would be difficult, so an HGH test in baseball may be a long way off. The union has always maintained that blood testing is too intrusive of its members, though they said the same thing about the current testing program before it was implemented.

There is however, some support for blood-based HGH testing among players, at least publicly. Two years ago, when the issue of HGH was more in the spotlight, Houston Astros’ stars, Lance Berkman and Roy Oswalt scoffed at the idea that blood testing was more intrusive than urine testing.

Berkman told MLB.com he would gladly provide a blood sample.

"And stage fright's a real deal… If you can't go in front of somebody… you just mentally lock up. I'd rather stick my arm out and they can take blood out of me all day long."

Other players such as Derek Jeter, Jeff Kent, and Chipper Jones said they too would agree to blood testing. This may not represent the overall opinion of the players, especially now. HGH testing in baseball is possible, it may have been for some time, but the issues of intrusiveness, legality and cost remain.

Sources

British professional rugby player Terry Newton tests positive for HGH as MLB on deck for testingNew York Daily News
HGH test leads to player banESPN

Friday, February 12, 2010

Mark McGwire Steroids Admission Reactions

Mark McGwire’s admission of steroid use was met with great skepticism, and understandably so. While most found McGwire’s admission evasive at best, fans still gave him a standing ovation before his February 17th press conference, his first public appearance since his interview with Costas.

Most people however seem put off by McGwire’s insistence that the steroids didn’t provide him any advantage beyond "health purposes."

According to a 2005 New York Daily News report, Curtis Wenzlaff provided McGwire with steroids in the 1990’s.

The recipe called for 1/2 cc of testosterone cypionate every three days; one cc of testosterone enanthate per week; equipoise and winstrol v, 1/4 cc every three days, injected into the buttocks, one in one cheek, one in the other.

Speaking to ESPN’s TJ Quinn this year, Wenzlaff found it laughable that an array such as the one he provided McGwire was only for "health purposes."

"I chuckled because if excelling and kicking ass on the field is the end result, then I guess that's a healthy, good feeling. But for health, there are other things that you can take for health that are anabolic, but it wouldn't be that type of combination."

Wenzlaff added:

"If Paris Hilton was to take that array, she could run over Dick Butkus."

The following are quotes from players, journalists and the commissioner after McGwire’s admission.

Bud Selig

"I am pleased that Mark McGwire has confronted his use of performance-enhancing substances as a player. Being truthful is always the correct course of action, which is why I had commissioned Senator George Mitchell to conduct his investigation. This statement of contrition, I believe, will make Mark's reentry into the game much smoother and easier."

Ken Rosenthal

"Yet, he still was not credible. Not even close.

To hear McGwire tell it, his evolution into the most prolific slugger in history was a perfect storm of natural forces. God-given ability. Hard work. The shortening of his swing. A greater understanding of hitting as he grew older.

Costas repeatedly gave McGwire the opportunity to concede that steroids helped him hit home runs faster and farther than any player in history. But McGwire never wavered, insisting “absolutely” that he could have been the same hitter without the drugs."

Jose Canseco

"There are some things here that are so ridiculous, and so disrespectful for the public and the media to believe. I just can't believe it. I'm in total shock. These guys remind me of politicians that go up and just lie to the public and expect to get elected."

Carlton Fisk

"[McGwire] says, 'Well, it doesn't help eye-and-hand coordination.' Well, of course it does… It allows you more acuity physically and mentally and optically. You are going to be stronger and you are going to be better."

Ferguson Jenkins

"You have yet to apologize to all the pitchers you faced while juiced… You altered pitchers' lives. You may have shortened pitchers careers because of the advantage you forced over them while juiced. Have you thought about what happened when they couldn't get you out and lost the confidence of their managers and general managers? You even managed to alter the place some athletes have achieved in record books by making your steroid-fueled run to the season home run record."

Hank Aaron

"I would have loved to have seen him do it a long time ago, but since he did it, I think that he himself will tell you right now he's able to sleep at night and he's able to look at his teammates… He's done everything that he can do."

Jack Clark

"It's a shame that he thinks we're all stupid, that he only did [steroids] because of injuries. That's such a cop-out, such a lie. These guys did [steroids] to take the money to pump up their egos and then take their consequences down the road."

Albert Pujols

"I think he cleared up everything, he closed the doors… If you want to reopen those doors I know the right guy. Go talk to Mark about it… There's 300,000 people that just died in Haiti and you guys just want to concentrate on Mark McGwire. Come on, give me a break."

Sources