Drugs in Sport - MLB

1. Drugs in Sport - MLB

2. MLB Drug History In 1994 MLB incurred one of its’ worst strikes/lockouts in sport history. For fans it represented greedy billionaire owners versus greedy millionaire players. The media fed their anger. In the end, the strike was the longest and costliest in sports history (until the NHL lost season of 2004), with the game losing a billion dollars in 1994 and millions more as fans turned away from the game in disgust. There is a pervasive myth in the baseball world that the abuse of steroids was really a good thing for the sport. It is said that Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were "obvious" juicers, and their homerun race in 1998 "saved" baseball. The owners and the management of baseball were making so much money, that they were willing to overlook the drug cheating so they could put paying butts into the unsold seats. Finally in 2002 MLB felt pressure to look into the abuse of PED’s in baseball and hired Senator Mitchell’s law firm to head up the process. 21 months after commissioner Bud Selig asked Mitchell to investigate the use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball his 400+ page report was released which painted a picture baseball did not want public.

3. ESPN – Mitchell Report Highlights NEW YORK -- Seven MVPs and 31 All-Stars one for every position -- and that still wasn't the worst of it for the long-awaited Mitchell report. That infamy belonged to Roger Clemens, the greatest pitcher of his era. The steroids era. Seven-time Cy Young Award winner, eighth on the all-time list with 354 victories, an MVP and All-Star himself long considered a lock for the Hall of Fame, Clemens now has another distinction: the biggest name linked by former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell to illegal use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. In all, Thursday's 409-page report identified 86 names to differing degrees, but, while he vehemently denied it through his lawyer, Clemens was the symbol. Representation In Mitchell Report Teams with the most current/former players named in the Mitchell report. Numbers only include players with teams which they've actually played a game for. Barry Bonds, already under indictment on charges of lying to a federal grand jury about steroids, Miguel Tejada and Andy Pettitte also showed up in the game's most infamous lineup since the Black Sox scandal. Others include 2003 Cy Young winner Eric Gagne and 2000 AL MVP Jason Giambi. "If there are problems, I wanted them revealed," commissioner Bud Selig said. "His report is a call to action, and I will act.“ President Bush, who once owned the Texas Rangers, said Friday he's been "troubled by the steroid allegations.“ "My hope is that this report is a part of putting the steroid era of baseball behind us," said Bush, surrounded by Cabinet members in the Rose Garden. The Mitchell Report, he said, means "we can jump to this conclusion: that steroids have sullied the game.'‘ "The players and the owners must take the Mitchell Report seriously," Bush said. "I'm confident they will.“ On Friday, Mitchell insisted he provided opportunities for the players identified in his report to respond to the allegations. Almost without exception, he said on CNN's "American Morning,'' they declined. So Mitchell turned to union head Donald Fehr. "I wrote a letter to Don Fehr's office setting forth the names and the dates and I wanted to tell them, here is what happened, come in and explain it to me," Mitchell said. "They refused to do so.“ Doping was widespread by stars as well as scrubs, the report said, putting a question mark if not an asterisk next to baseball records and threatening the integrity of the game itself. "Those who have illegally used these substances range from players whose major league careers were brief to potential members of the Baseball Hall of Fame," Mitchell wrote. "They include both pitchers and position players, and their backgrounds are as diverse as those of all major league players.“ No one was hit harder than Clemens, singled out in eight pages, 82 references by name. Much of the information on him came from Brian McNamee, the former New York Yankees former strength and conditioning coach. At 45, Clemens has not said whether he hopes to pitch next season. Through his attorney, Rusty Hardin, Clemens denied he used performance-enhancing drugs and expressed outrage that his name was included in the report. MLB Drug Policy (Since 2002) Steroids have been part of baseball's banned substance list since 1991, however testing for major league players did not begin until 2003. The agreement with the MLBPA called for one random test per player per year with no punishments that first year. If more than 5 percent of players tested positive in 2003, tougher testing would be implemented with penalties ranging from counseling for a first offense to a max one-year suspension for a fifth violation. If less than 2.5 percent tested positive in two consecutive years, testing would be dropped. In January 2005, MLB and the MLBPA announced a new drug policy, with year-round testing and suspensions ranging from 10 days for a first offense to the commissioner's discretion for a fifth offense. In November of that same year, MLB and the union agreed to tougher testing, with a 50-game ban for a first offense to a lifetime ban for a third positive test. "I have great respect for Senator Mitchell. I think an overall look at this problem in baseball was an excellent idea," Hardin said in a statement. "But I respectfully suggest it is very unfair to include Roger's name in this report. He is left with no meaningful way to combat what he strongly contends are totally false allegations. He has not been charged with anything, he will not be charged with anything and yet he is being tried in the court of public opinion with no recourse. That is totally wrong. "There has never been one shred of tangible evidence that he ever used these substances and yet he is being slandered today,'' said Hardin, who called McNamee a "troubled man.“ Clemens and Pettitte are from the Houston area and spent three seasons together with their hometown Astros. Tejada was traded to Houston on Wednesday. The report was unlikely to trigger a wave of discipline. While a few players, such as Bonds, are subjects of ongoing legal proceedings, many of the instances cited by Mitchell were before drug testing began in 2003. Mitchell said punishment was inappropriate in all but the most egregious cases, and Selig said decisions on any action would come "swiftly" on a case-by-case basis. "We have approached these cases by looking at the period of time during which the conduct occurred and what our policy looked like for that point in time," said Rob Manfred, baseball's executive vice president for labor relations. While the records will surely stand, several stars named in the report could pay the price in Cooperstown, much the way Mark McGwire was kept out of the Hall of Fame this year when his name first appeared on a ballot for enshirement. Mitchell said the problems didn't develop overnight and there was plenty of blame to go around. "Everyone involved in baseball over the past two decades -- commissioners, club officials, the players' association and players -- shares to some extent the responsibility for the steroids era,“ Mitchell said. "There was a collective failure to recognize the problem as it emerged and to deal with it early on.“ Mitchell recommended that the drug-testing program be made independent, that a list of the substances players test positive for be listed periodically and that the timing of testing be more unpredictable. "The illegal use of performance-enhancing substances poses a serious threat to the integrity of the game," the report said. "Widespread use by players of such substances unfairly disadvantages the honest athletes who refuse to use them and raises questions about the validity of baseball records."

4. Mitchel Report – Implicated Players Mark McGwire May 1992 (Winstrol, Testosterone, Equipose) Barry Bonds December 2003 (The Clear, The Cream), HGH Juan Gonzalez February 2005 Steroids (Deca-Durabolin and/or Winstrol, Testosterone), HGH Ivan Rodriguez February 2005Steroids (Deca-Durabolin and/or Winstrol, Testosterone), HGH Miguel Tejada February 2005 Steroids (Non-specific), HGH Lenny Dykstra April 2005 Steroids (Deca-Durabolin), HGH Roger Clemens October 2006Steroids (Winstrol, Anadrol, Deca-Durabolin, Sustanon), HGH Andy Pettitte October 2006 HGH Rick Ankiel September 2007 Human Growth Hormone (Saizen and Genotropin) Troy Glaus September 2007Anabolic Steroids (Nandrolone and Testosterone) Jose Guillen November 2007 Anabolic Steroids (Nandrolone, Testosterone Cypionate, Testosterone Propionate, Stanozolol) HGH (Genotropin), Clomiphene, Novarel Magglio Ordonez January 2008 Unknown Alex Rodriguez March 2009 Steroids (Primobolan, Testosterone) Sammy Sosa June 2009: Unknown David Ortiz July 2009 Unknown

5. MLB Banned Substances Steroids 45 Listed steroids including: Andro (variations) Nandrolone Human Growth Hormone (hGH) Stanozol THG Drugs of Abuse Cocaine LSD Marijuana Opiates (Heroin, Morphene, etc) Ecstasy GHB PCP Ephedra

6. MLB & MLBPA Penalties • Player Tests Positive For a Steroid: • First Offense: 10 Day Suspension or a fine up to $10,000 • Second Offense: 30 Day Suspension or a fine up to $25,000 • Third Offense: 60 Day Suspension or a fine up to $50,000 4. Fourth Offense: One Year Suspension or a fine up to $100,000 5. Any subsequent positive results by a Player shall result in the Commissioner imposing further discipline on the player. All suspensions shall be without pay!

7. MLB Suspensios & Implications MLB Suspensions (25) Jorge PiedraAgustin MonteroJamal StrongJuan RinconRafael BetancourtRafael PalmeiroRyan FranklinMike MorseCarlos AlmanzarFelix HerediaMatt LawtonYusaku Iriki Jason Grimsley† Guillermo MotaJuan SalasRyan Jorgensen†Dan SerafiniEliezer AlfonzoHumberto CotaHenry OwensJC RomeroSergio MitreKelvin PichardoManny Ramirez† Mitchell Report (47) Ricky BonesAlex CabreraLarry BigbieJack CustTim LakerTodd HundleyHal MorrisMark CarreonMatt FrancoRondell WhiteChuck KnoblauchGreg ZaunnDavid JusticeF.P. SantangeloGlenallen HillMo VaughnDenny NeagleRon VilloneChris DonnelsTodd WilliamsPhil HiattTodd PrattKevin YoungMike LansingCody McKayKent MerkerAdam PiattJason ChristiansenMike StantonStephen RandolphPaul Lo DucaAdam RiggsBart MiadichFernando VinaKevin BrownEric GagneMike BellMatt HergesGary Bennett Jr.Jim ParqueBrendan DonnellyChad AllenJeff WilliamsHowie ClarkNook Logan

8. Ron Washington Rips Larger Holes in MLB's Drug Testing Program byBrian Tuohy So let's get this straight. Current Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington tested positive for cocaine just after the 2009 All-Star break, yet Major League Baseball did nothing to punish him, and the Rangers organization didn't—and won't—fire him because of the positive test. Do you still believe in the strength of Major League Baseball's drug testing policy? Since 2008, baseball managers, coaches, and trainers have been subjected to the same random drug tests as all MLB players. Not one non-player has been publicly outed as a user—until today. Washington admitted to testing positive for cocaine midway through the 2009 season. Not only that, Washington stated that after the test, he knew the result would be positive and informed both his team and the league before it was conclusive. Despite his impairment (and perhaps addiction), Washington never missed a game on the Ranger bench for the remainder of the 2009 season. Thanks to the MLB's drug policy, a single positive test does not automatically result in any sort of league-mandated punishment.  Positive tests for "recreational" drugs are subject to discipline at the commissioner's discretion. However, players—and now, coaches—are often quietly placed in the league's treatment program.  If completed successfully without another positive test occurring, the slate is wiped clean by the league's reckoning.  Forgive and forget then becomes the motto. Of course, we should not forget what sort of sham the league's testing policy really is.  Players know when they are going to be tested. According to a New York Times report a couple years back, it was revealed that the league's testers often contacted teams several days prior to arriving for "surprise" tests in order to receive parking passes and locker room access. Granted, with a two or three day warning, not all drugs can clear a person's system. Yet it is naive to believe there aren't ways around a standard drug test. And when a positive test doesn't mean any punishment will necessarily follow, does it really matter if the league catches anyone? At the age of 57, Washington's positive test raises some eyebrows.  Although unstated, it makes one wonder what kind of habit he actually possessed. Washington consistently played in the majors from 1981-1989.  That was without a doubt the prime period of cocaine use in the MLB.  Numerous players were arrested for cocaine possession during that time frame, others have since admitted to using during that era, and the long-forgotten 1985 Pittsburgh drug trial occurred in which several players (and even the Pirates' mascot) testified in court to using cocaine.  Those players who testified were subsequently punished by the MLB, though all the suspensions handed out were later rescinded prior to any player missing a game. Did Washington acquire a taste for cocaine during his playing days?  One would hope not, but it's doubtful that his positive test in 2009 was from a one-time, experimental taste of the drug at some party. This would mean that Washington was at the very least a user of the drug.  How regular of a habit it was, we'll likely never know. Cocaine is a Class A narcotic, and simple possession can lead to jail time.  If he was willing to use it and possess it despite this fact, then he had to be breaking another law in order to obtain it. This means Washington had some sort of contact with a drug dealer.  Maybe it was a small-timer, maybe not.  But any sort of association like this between a major league manager and a drug dealer opens up all sorts of possibilities, including—if the habit was bad enough—blackmail, and even fixing games to pay off drug debts. There is no way of knowing at this time the depths of depravity this did or did not reach, but to write off Washington's positive test as "no big deal" is foolish. How much did Washington's usage affect his managerial decisions?  Did it cost the Rangers the playoff last season? Why are the Rangers sticking with Washington despite his admission?  Surely there are other qualified people within the organization who could manage the team. Why risk another season with Washington in charge? This incident raises many unanswered questions that fans should have the answers to. However, as is often the policy of the major sports leagues, the truth of the matter will remain hidden behind the commissioner's doors.

9. Group Assignment • Why do you believe MLB owners and the union were slow to agree on a drug policy? • List 4 of the banned substances and comment on how that drug would improve a baseball players skill. • You have been hired to renew the drug policy for the MLB CBA. You have been given freedom by the owners and players association to set the rules. Include: A) Punishments for offenders (1st offense, repeat). B) Testing procedures (element of surprise, in/out of season, etc.). C) Who is included (players, managers, employees, etc)