Comments on: And now, tomorrow’s Bartolo Colon commentary today!

By: pjmarn6

pjmarn6 — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 09:44:33 +0000

I love these apologists for doping and Balco. Where is Craig’s moral outrage, demand for instant dismissal if someone is doping and correction of statistics and demand that all the money played to these players be paid back? Where is the demand that all baseball games be free like before and ticket prices be reasonable and baseball itself be fined billions of dollars for letting this happen. Every commissioner, owner, manager, coach and player knew about this and kept their mouths shut to cash in on the pay day. Now is time for retribution. Give the fans back their free baseball television games, cut salaries, fine Selig millions, take away the multimillion dollar homes and make hard examples!

By: Tick

Tick — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 16:02:34 +0000

“So Craig, do you still believe there is no “evidence” that P.E.D.s enhance performance?”

Adam Piatt, Larry Bigbie, Tim Laker, Josias Manzanillo, F.P. Santangelo, Chris Donnels, Cody McKay, Stephen Randolph, Adam Riggs, Bart Miadich, Gary Bennett Jr., The Mighty Jim Parque and many, many others are still trying to find that evidence and having no luck.

By: Francisco (FC)

Francisco (FC) — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 14:21:09 +0000

I’m pretty sure the MLBPA will have something to say about that. This sounds like something that would have to go in CBA.

By: neelymessier

neelymessier — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 12:58:52 +0000

the loophole conte is talking about is obvious and IN THE CURRENT MLB TESTING. It is very easy to beat only with lessor amounts used.

By: Walk

Walk — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 09:50:12 +0000

This may not be a normal case. Bartolo has been in the news a few times about a shoulder surgery he has had outside the united states. Mlb would know if he had a waiver for anything related to ped violations for being under a dr’s care so it is obvious that he does not have such a waiver. So what i am curious about is if he tries to use it as a defense.

By: pjmarn6

pjmarn6 — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 06:15:51 +0000

You three guys are saying that the Yankees under CBS and the Mets under Stengel WERE taking PEDs and still played lousy?

By: pjmarn6

pjmarn6 — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 06:06:38 +0000

Just proves my point that nbc comment section drags in the nincompoops. It is completely obvious that someone got the idea a few years ago to juice himself up with drugs. He did well and some other jerks did it too. Along came the huge salaries, homeruns, better pitching, more filled seats, more cable tv money, more money in the owners’ pockets, more blind eyes and bigger $$$$$$ in the eyes and minds of everyone. Fuck baseball and ethics! The almighty dollar overshadows everything else. Call it Balco or anything you want, a hell of a lot of people got on the gravy train and are still on it i.e. Colon and Cabrera. BIG BUCKS especially the agents! So you get one caught. You got 20 more in the stable! CRAIG ITS EMBEDDED IN THE MIND. You don’t need evidence. Negative evidence would be nice but not when you are playing for millions of dollars and its a crap shot.
And CRAIG just because was caught and served his time doesn’t mean that the use of banned performance enhanced drugs has stopped. What BALCO started is always going to be with us.
Note this statement from Conte: ” Arnold created a wide range of substances, that when used in a cycle could go relatively undetected by drug testing, even on the Olympic level.” This was first recognized in 1988. I am sure with the blessings of the Chinese and Russian governments their athletes are using undetectable performance enhancing drugs and our South Korean friends are frantically at work to develop more undetectable performance enhancing drugs available to the highest bidders. And yes this all started with BALCO and Conte is out of jail selling “VITAMIN PACS”!
Saying that BALCO has no influence now is like saying colds have been eliminated. Every year people will get colds.

By: neelymessier

neelymessier — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 04:12:57 +0000

Victor Conte from Balco explains how players beat the current test:

http://www.sfgate.com/sports/ostler/article/Victor-Conte-sees-MLB-drug-test-loophole-3799949.php

By: headbeeguy

headbeeguy — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 02:22:43 +0000

You just don’t know when to keep your mouth shut, do you, Saxy Boy.

By: Craig Calcaterra

Craig Calcaterra — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 01:58:15 +0000

I’ve never said that, Evan. There is scant evidence bordering on zero that things like HGH or testosterone, in and of themselves, provide any tangible improvement in baseball performance. They tend to be used in conjunction with other things.

But for these purposes, fine, assume performance enhancement. Even if it did, that does not mean that all of these threads are linked in some grand way, or that it’s evidence of some problem that is greater than we know.

By: evanhartford

evanhartford — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 01:55:32 +0000

So Craig, do you still believe there is no “evidence” that P.E.D.s enhance performance?

By: neelymessier

neelymessier — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 01:39:56 +0000

The problem most likely is not widespread, given the declining offensive numbers. That being said, we have two players who were willing to risk 50 game suspensions. They likely believed they would pass the test. Also we know Braun failed, and got off on a technicality. To me it is inconceivable that there aren’t at least a couple dozen more. I agree with Kirk Gibson… 1st offense… 162 game suspension… second lifetime ban. Then if they catch more… the following season a lifetime ban for first offense IMHO

By: pjmarn6

pjmarn6 — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 00:44:50 +0000

All these sh*t about steroids, peds, BALCO, Colon and Cabrera almost wants me to go back to the days when CBS ineptly owned the Yankees. YOU KNOW THOSE GUYS WERE NOT ON PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT DRUGS!

GET A MEDIUM AND CONTACT CASEY STENGEL! HE WILL TELL YOU THE METS WERE NOT ON PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT DRUGS!

By: pjmarn6

pjmarn6 — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 00:36:11 +0000

Craig you think we are all children???????? BALCO never ended as long as someone thought the idea up and players are still remembering how many billions their teammates got for using the drugs, they are going to take the risks. Cabrera and Colon were shooting dice. If they weren’t caught Cabrera might have gotten the MVP and who knows what else and his market value would have been astronomincal. Colon could have extended his career and gotten millions more. Professional sports players are notorious for not hanging onto a buck. Mickey Mantle is a prime example. So BALCO is alive and well. Ask the South Koreans who are hard at work trying to find non traceable PEDS. Hey if they can take a cell of a dead cat and make a new living animal, I am sure they can design a nontraceable PED and get paid through the nose for it.

By: pjmarn6

pjmarn6 — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 00:27:41 +0000

The sky has already fallen on baseball. I still haven’t seen where all those *s are going to appear!

The was fixed and in Los Vegas all those guys who used steroids or PED would be walking around on crutches. Who is going to fix all those artificial records, pay back all the fans for watching the drugged horses race towards the finish line?

NOBODY! You paid your billions, the players are laughing up their sleeves, management and baseball’s Selig are going to do tsk tsk and take home their million dollar salaries. P.T. Barnum struck again.

By: ezwriter69

ezwriter69 — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 23:18:53 +0000

You’re right of course… baseball has NO problem with the public perception of PED use. The consecutive busts of a leading MVP candidate and a past CyYoung winner are utterly irrelevant. NO one should care. PED’s and baseball have NO connection in the public’s mind, NO one is bothered by the continuing busts of high profile players.
Anything to take a shot at far more respected writers, even if it makes you look like a bitter sneering buffoon. Just pathetic.

By: townballblog

townballblog — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 23:00:13 +0000

@uyf1950: Yeah, but he is also a Dominican citizen.

By: psunick

psunick — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 22:19:51 +0000

Actually, BALCO doesn’t exist. Its new name is SNAC….Sports Nutrition and Conditioning, or something like that.

It’s a laboratory that is devising ways to add more Vitamin C to players’ diets. Or, maybe it’s Niacin.

And I think they also teach players about the benefits of eating three square meals a day.

(OK. Don’t believe me.)

So, just because its owner is Victor Conte, and the fact that SNAC is a short drive down the highway from both clubhouses, what makes you think there is any connection with the A’s or the Giants?

(And believe me…as a Penn State fan, I know all about the rush to judgement by the media.)

By: jkaflagg

jkaflagg — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 22:15:20 +0000

Tend to agree with A’s fans who feel that losing Colon will not have a major impact on their playoff drive; in addition to Anderson’s return, there is also the strong possibility that Colon would wear down as the season reached it’s final weeks, as sometimes happens with older pitchers.

Remember early in the season when Derek Lowe was dealing and the Tribe was in contention ? Seems like a long time ago, although Lowe’s blessed life continued when he was picked up by the Yankees…..

While Anderson is likely to break down at any moment and Straily is unproven, adding a fresh, younger arm late in the season often pays dividends -as with Mike Moore at Tampa Bay last year…..

By: cur68

cur68 — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 22:12:26 +0000

Dugong’s eat seaweed and other stuff in the ocean, not Melkys. I bet he couldn’t even digest a Melky.

By: tigerprez

tigerprez — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 21:56:22 +0000

I’m really happy that the system has caught these two guys, but what’s really mysterious is why they both thought they could use a banned substance and get away with it. In both cases, each guy admitted that he knowingly took an illegal substance, so neither is claiming to have made an innocent mistake. But why would either or them assume they would get away with this unless there was a shortcoming in the system they were hoping to take advantage of? I just can’t believe that either of these guys would take something they knew would likely lead to a 50-game suspension; they must have had confidence that they could exploit a hole in the existing testing.

Does anyone know if MLB recently started using a more stringent test for testosterone? That’s the only explanation that makes any sense to me. If so, I wouldn’t be shocked if a few more guys turn up dirty in the next few weeks.

By: chill1184

chill1184 — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 21:54:45 +0000

I think weeding out two cheaters in less than a month in regards to a type of cheating that in the past has gone on undetected for years qualifies as doing a decent job.

Punishments however are a different story would should be looked at.

By: sean1829

sean1829 — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 21:32:23 +0000

Oh he took a banned substance? I thought in this particular case “PED” stood for: Pies, Eclairs and Doughnuts.

By: tr5079

tr5079 — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 21:31:17 +0000

What would be wrong with a policy of You test positive once and you’re done…..forever. That’s the only thing that will get anyone’s attention.

By: Tim OShenko

Tim OShenko — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 21:28:53 +0000

But…there are lots of unsolved murders in New York every year.

By: danrizzle

danrizzle — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 21:14:53 +0000

That’s awesome.

By: bravesfaninbama

bravesfaninbama — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 20:45:48 +0000

Now that you mention it, has anybody seen Melky since the day he was suspended?

By: vallewho

vallewho — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 20:44:05 +0000

The one thing I got from this article is that “whatever” writers “write” is not based on reality.

By: uyf1950

uyf1950 — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 20:32:09 +0000

Actually Alex Rodriguez was born in the Washington Heights section of New York City. Last time I checked that made him American.

By: nategearhart

nategearhart — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 20:25:20 +0000

You haven’t said anything for which there is a bit of evidence. How on earth could you possibly know “there’s a tiny chance [players] will be caught”?