Big Papi, Steroids List

[dlgood]

Aside from the trade deadline (will be seeing you, Nick!) the big news in baseball was the leaked report that David Ortiz (aka Big Papi) tested positive for Performance Enhancing Drugs in 2003. The testing was supposed to be anonymous - if 6% of the players tested positive, this would trigger a new set of testing rules. Shockingly, despite knowing the tests were coming and the real need to skate them, 103 players failed. As of yet, very few names have ever been released off this list: Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, and now Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz.

As luck would have it, I've seen a leaked copy of the list. I won't comment how, why or where. But I deem my source credible.

And one thing that's been impressed upon me is the stunning diversity of players on the list: Infielders and outfielders; journeymen and all stars; rookie, established, and aging vet; white, black, hispanic; domestic and international. And players from all but six teams (and covering all 30 once you notice player movement from the seasons prior to and after the test).

If your team has made the playoffs in the last ten years, you've had a player on this list and they probably played a significant role. If your team has consistently stunk - no excuses - , you've still had players on the list.

It makes you wonder how to handle records, when these juiced up hitters, were batting off juiced up pitchers, who were defended by juiced up fielders. Even the records of a clean pitcher is tainted if they benefit from a juiced lineup raising their run support.

And yes, in my darkest heart, I'm somewhat disappointed by the absence of some of the players I dislike the most. Actually, more disappointed by that than the presence of any players I rooted for.

The other interesting aspect was Bill James comment on the subject. Noting that, in particular, the effect of the drugs are to prolong playing time by allowing players to stay on the field and counter-act the affects of aging. Which is why they would be used, regardless of side-effects including what we already know but also soft tissue injuries.

It seems to me that, with the passage of time, more people will come to understand that the commissioner's periodic spasms of self-righteousness do not constitute baseball law. It seems to me that the argument that it is cheating must ultimately collapse under the weight of carrying this great contradiction-that 80% of the players are cheating against the other 20% by violating some "rule" to which they never consented, which was never included in the rule books, and which for which there was no enforcement procedure. History is simply not going to see it that way.

Comments

[londonkds.livejournal.com]

The usual justification not relying on "cheating" is that performance-enhancing drugs have unpleasant side-effects that athletes should not be forced to risk through drug use becoming necessary to reach the top flight. Although this argument suffers due to the health problems that elite athletes tend to suffer in later life anyway due to accelerated wear and tear.

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

Baseball was also a bit different, because it was assumed for a long time that the PEDs would make you stronger but wouldn't necessarily help with the specific skills that allow baseball players to differentiate themselves from one another. As it turned out, the ability to tolerate heavier workouts and recover faster from daily wear and tear proved to be tremendously alluring to baseball player. Who, lets note, spent the 1960s downing amphetamines like M&Ms.

The one discouraging note, has been the changing nature of injuries among PED users. Notably connective tissue injuries that are particularly devastating to one's pitching arm.