The day's juicy story

If you are interested in some actual facts behind the Palmeiro story, then look no further than Will Carrol's FAQ piece up at Baseball Prospectus (via Bronx Banter). Me? I don't have a lot to say because there's just not enough information, but even well before this broke I didn't think Palmeiro deserved the free pass to the Hall of Fame he most certainly would have gotten had this little 10 day suspension not been laid on him. Now he's going to have to wait for his bronze plaque.

UPDATE: Raffy may have some 'splainin' to do.

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.

Now Palmeiro, one of only four major league players with more than 3,000 hits and 500 home runs, is being associated with the same substance.

The person who said that Palmeiro tested positive for stanozolol did not want to be identified because the testing policy prohibits anyone in baseball from disclosing information about test results without authorization.

This revelation came on the day that Major League Baseball suspended its eighth player - and second in a span of 24 hours - for violating the drug-testing policy. Ryan Franklin, a starting pitcher for the Seattle Mariners, became the fourth major league pitcher suspended for steroid use. Like Palmeiro, Franklin appealed the suspension, but an arbitrator decided yesterday not to overturn it.

Palmeiro said Monday that he had never intentionally taken steroids, but stanozolol does not come in dietary supplements and is among the most popular steroids on the market. It can be ingested or injected and usually remains in a person's system for at least a month.

Someone in baseball is clearly not interested in letting Palmeiro hide behind the "nutritional supplement" excuse. There can't be that many people who are in on the precise testing results, assuming this anonymous source is telling the truth.

Tough way to end a long career.