Go back to the history of drug issues and the collective bargaining agreement.Bowie Kuhn negotiated a drug agreement with the union to deal with cocaine and “recreational drugs”. But when Ueberroth became Commissioner, he ripped up the existing agreement. Ueberroth was within his rights to abrogate the drug agreement in 1985 – but the reasons semmed to be for PR for baseball (kind of a MLB “just say no”) and to enhance Ueberroth’s image for a future politcal run (Ubie was also advocating bombing drug fields in South America at the time).

But the next seven or eight years were taken up with the collusion cases, in which MLB was found guilty and paid $ 280 million in damages. Then there was the Pete Rose scandal, the death of Giammati and the palace coupt that deposed Vincent – and the the big one – the owner’s desire to crush the union at the bargaining table that led to the 1994-95 strike.

Collusion, CBA gamesmanship, Ubie’s political ambitions and internal MLB politics cost baseball any chance to deal with the drug issue until it was far too late.

The doubt and suspicion around what should be a celebrated achievement are the result of MLB and MLBPA counting the money with blinders on.

Sorry it cost you additional years in the Bigs, or the minors. It’s still an impressive feat; one any of us here would have killed to have the same change to don a big league uniform and dare call some of those players teammates and friends (coke issues aside).

Hope all is well with you also.

Wouldn’t taking a syringe to the testicular area be unpleasant? Well I guess a fellow gotta do what he feels he gotta do…

If you want to look at Thome’s numbers earlier in his career, they are equally as compelling. He hit 190 HRs between 2001-2004. This was the ‘roid era at its peak. Tough power parks too; Cleveland and to a lesser extent Philadelphia. Never hit less than 42 in that atretch.

Wasn’t CBP inaugurated in 2004? I think the Vet wasn’t exactly HR friendly during 2001-03. Nevertheless this guy goofed a bit, but I’m positive he’s talking about the Vet. Or he meant to anyway.

and I can’t spell “idiocy”….

2. I don’t think Thome juiced, but I can see why some are skeptical, look at his AB/HR ratio from the beginning of his career as opposed to the later part…

I pitched for the San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals in the early eighties. I played on a Royals team with Vida Blue, Willie Wilson, Willie Mays Aikens and Jerry Martin, who were all sentenced for cocaine possession. I also played with some players who were called to testify in the Pittsburgh drug trials. Despite my best efforts to continue playing baseball in 1984, I was unable to find a place in the major leagues or even at the minor league level. Odd for a left handed reliever to not even get a AA chance….

Later that year, I ran into a Royals official who passed along an apology to me from one of the players. When I asked why, he informed me that I had been blackballed after having a poor season. An inaccurate conclusion was reached that since I played with these offenders and my performance differed markedly from the prior season, I may also have been involved with cocaine. I was told by a current federal judge that she had heard the same rumors about me.

These wild and baseless accusations even followed me through business school at Columbia University and during my interviews with Wall Street firms and caused me to not get offers at three firms.

To all those who want to randonly speculate on whether someone was violating federal drug law, you caused collateral damage to my baseball and post-baseball career. I will not let your idiocy carry the day.