PEDs and HGHs
Ok, I haven't really weighted in on the Mitchell Report revelations with more than a brief nod. I plead guilty, but with the extenuating circumstances that there wasn't really anything in it that we didn't already know. Use is fairly widespread, but use is limited to marginal players for the most part.
Expect for Andy Pettite. That did surprise me. But Pettite's misdeads involved a couple of injections of human growth hormone with the intent to speed recovery from an injured elbow, "to help the team," according to his accuser. And someday, Steve Goldman may get his wish and someone will explain to the public the uses and effects of HGH so they'll no longer be naturally lumped with steroids.
Of Clemens, those of us who watched him decline with the Red Sox than suddenly turn it around with the Blue Jays and the Yankees had our suspicions. And we found pretty cynical the press coverage that relentlessly accused Bonds of juicing but chalked Clemens' anti-aging to his "incredible work ethic." If the reports are true, like Bonds, he used the stuff to lengthen a career that was clearly on the wrong side of the bell curve. And like Bonds, if the report is true, Clemens was right when he said that steroids "worked pretty good" for him (and, if true, those Red Sox fans who vilified Dan Duquette for letting Clemens walk owe the former GM an apology).
And when Andy Pettite did the right thing and admitted his HGH use and apologized, it certainly lent credibility to the report. It makes sense that the same trainer who supplied (and injected) him was probably doing the same for his workout partner. In fact, it's likely that it was his buddy's idea to give them a try in the first place.
At the same time, though, the Mitchell Report accusations against Clements rely on one guy with a Federal plea deal. There are no receipts, no delivery statements. So I don't blame Clemens for his "vigorous" denials. Unlike Bonds, there are no BALCO timetables to be decoded. And unlike Pete Rose, there are no betting slips to hang him with. For Clemens to admit that the report is true, there would be calls from the peanut gallery for him to return four of his Cy Youngs. That's a steep price to pay even if failing to admit and apologize may make him a villain in the eyes of many of the writers who vote for the HofF.
Expect for Andy Pettite. That did surprise me. But Pettite's misdeads involved a couple of injections of human growth hormone with the intent to speed recovery from an injured elbow, "to help the team," according to his accuser. And someday, Steve Goldman may get his wish and someone will explain to the public the uses and effects of HGH so they'll no longer be naturally lumped with steroids.
Of Clemens, those of us who watched him decline with the Red Sox than suddenly turn it around with the Blue Jays and the Yankees had our suspicions. And we found pretty cynical the press coverage that relentlessly accused Bonds of juicing but chalked Clemens' anti-aging to his "incredible work ethic." If the reports are true, like Bonds, he used the stuff to lengthen a career that was clearly on the wrong side of the bell curve. And like Bonds, if the report is true, Clemens was right when he said that steroids "worked pretty good" for him (and, if true, those Red Sox fans who vilified Dan Duquette for letting Clemens walk owe the former GM an apology).
And when Andy Pettite did the right thing and admitted his HGH use and apologized, it certainly lent credibility to the report. It makes sense that the same trainer who supplied (and injected) him was probably doing the same for his workout partner. In fact, it's likely that it was his buddy's idea to give them a try in the first place.
At the same time, though, the Mitchell Report accusations against Clements rely on one guy with a Federal plea deal. There are no receipts, no delivery statements. So I don't blame Clemens for his "vigorous" denials. Unlike Bonds, there are no BALCO timetables to be decoded. And unlike Pete Rose, there are no betting slips to hang him with. For Clemens to admit that the report is true, there would be calls from the peanut gallery for him to return four of his Cy Youngs. That's a steep price to pay even if failing to admit and apologize may make him a villain in the eyes of many of the writers who vote for the HofF.
Labels: Baseball villains, steroids
posted by John at 1:21 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home