Mike Morse

[southsideirish71]

oel (Belligham, WA): Will the Mariners keep trying to develop Mike Morse in left or trade him in the offseason, and what type of hitter do you see him developing into.

 

SportsNation Jim Callis: (2:32 PM ET ) I don't think he's a SS and I think he was hitting over his head during his scorching-hot debut. His trade value just took a hit today, as we're hearing he's getting suspended for violating the drug policy. He also got suspended twice in the minors last year, reportedly for the same thing.

 

 

Per Jim Callis in ESPN Sportsnation chat.

[Whitewashed in '05]

oel (Belligham, WA): Will the Mariners keep trying to develop Mike Morse in left or trade him in the offseason, and what type of hitter do you see him developing into.

 

SportsNation Jim Callis: (2:32 PM ET ) I don't think he's a SS and I think he was hitting over his head during his scorching-hot debut. His trade value just took a hit today, as we're hearing he's getting suspended for violating the drug policy. He also got suspended twice in the minors last year, reportedly for the same thing.

Per Jim Callis in ESPN Sportsnation chat.

Wow is all I have to say. He got suspended twice in the minors for it??

[DukeNukeEm]

Ken Rosenthal / FOXSports.com

 

The Mariners' Michael Morse admits that he was desperate to salvage his career. Admits that he took steroids from Nov. 2003 to Jan. 2004. Admits that he was wrong, and that he should be punished.

 

The problem is, the 10-game suspension announced for Morse on Wednesday is the third such penalty he has received for the same offense.

Plain and simple, that is unjust — and the three-man arbitration panel that denied Morse's grievance knows it.

 

"The panel recognizes that this result might be viewed as unfair to Michael Morse, a further suspension resulting from conduct which likely ended before the 2004 season began," the panel states in its decision, details of which were obtained by FOXSports.com.

 

From the moment Major League Baseball and the players' association agreed to announce penalties for those who tested positive for steroids, representatives on the players' side feared that a player could be wrongly smeared.

 

In the case of Morse, 23, those fears have proven justified. If ever there was a steroid user who deserves sympathy, Morse is it. Since his promotion to the Mariners on June 1, he has posted a .360 on-base percentage and emerged as a potential building block while playing shortstop and left field.

 

Now this.

 

Unlike Orioles first baseman Rafael Palmeiro, who hinted that he was the victim of contamination, and Mariners right-hander Ryan Franklin, who said he took only legal, over-the-counter supplements. Morse takes full responsibility for his use of two different forms of steroids.

 

He just doesn't understand why he's a victim of triple jeopardy, getting penalized for testing positive in May when he already received minor-league suspensions for the same transgression in May and July of 2004.

 

If commissioner Bud Selig wants to implement a "three- strikes-and-out" policy — a 50-game suspension for a first offense, 100-game suspension for a second and lifetime ban for a third — then it's imperative that MLB's testing program be evenhanded.

 

Ditto if Congress carries out its threat to crack down on steroid use in pro sports; four proposed bills, including one authored by Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., a Hall of Fame pitcher, call for a two-year ban for a first-time offense and a lifetime ban for a second.

 

Morse's suspension gives the appearance that MLB is more interested in demonstrating the worthiness of its current program to Congress than in treating its players fairly.

 

It also points out a significant flaw in the sport's testing process: A player who tests positive in the minors can be punished repeatedly for that offense, then punished again in the majors as long as the steroid stays in his system.

 

That problem, which MLB and the players' union should have anticipated, needs to be addressed. The arbitration panel viewed the major- and minor-league programs as separate and distinct.

 

The panel's decision states:

 

 

That Morse's positive test in May was "more likely than not" from the same use that led to each of his two minor-league suspensions.

 

That it is "undisputed" that the low amount of the substance found when Morse tested positive in May has no performance-enhancing effect.

 

That the evidence supports Morse's testimony that he last used steroids during the 2003-04 off-season.

If the point of the program is to educate and deter players, then Morse should be held up as a success: He learned from his mistake and stopped using performance-enhancing drugs.

 

Instead, he becomes just another statistic for MLB.

 

Morse testified that he suffered a torn left-thigh muscle in 2000. As time passed, the muscle deteriorated to the point where the strength in his left thigh was about 50 percent of his right thigh.

 

In Oct. 2003, after completing Instructional League play, Morse feared his career was in jeopardy. In November and December, he took Deca Durabolin to increase the strength in his thigh muscle. In Jan. 2004, he took Winstrol to shed his excess muscle and weight. But by Feb. 1, 2004, he testified that he had stopped taking all substances.

 

In the major-league program, the burden of proof is on MLB to prove that the player used steroids a second time. Typically, MLB would do that by showing that a player had the same level of steroids in his system or an increased amount. But in the minor-league program, the burden of proof is on the player, who theoretically could be tested daily and found in violation each time until the steroid is out of his system — a power that could be abused by MLB.

 

Minor leaguers, who are not members of the Major League Baseball Players' Association, are unable to avoid additional suspensions even when subsequent tests show decreasing amounts of steroid levels. That's what happened with Morse, who was penalized twice in three months for the same usage. Each time, he was allowed back on the field with steroids in his system — while subject to further testing.

 

When Morse joined the Mariners, he became subject to the MLB policy, again with steroids still in his system. Rather than consider his special circumstances, the panel interpreted the testing policy literally.

 

The panel consisted of Shyam Das, an arbitrator, John McHale Jr., MLB's executive-vice president of administration, and Stephen Fehr, a union official who is the brother of union chief Donald Fehr. Das, the panel chairman, effectively cast the deciding vote. After reinstating Rangers left-hander Kenny Rogers last month — Das angered MLB officials by reducing the pitcher's 20-game suspension for shoving two cameramen to 13 games — the arbitrator might have been worried that a decision in favor of Morse would have cost him his position. Das is jointly employed by the MLB and the MLBPA with the understanding that he can be fired by either party.

 

Instead, the person who gets hurt is Morse, who admitted to his mistake, served his minor-league punishment and received no performance-enhancing benefit from the amount of steroid for which he tested positive in the majors.

 

Regardless, MLB is sticking it to him.

 

It's a terrible message. And terribly unfair.

 

 

Suspended this season

 

The following major league players have been suspended for testing positive for a banned substance in the first year of MLB's new steroid policy:

 

 

Sept. 7 - Michael Morse, IF/OF, Mariners

 

Aug. 2 - Ryan Franklin, P, Mariners

 

Aug. 1 - Rafael Palmeiro, 1B, Orioles

 

July 8 - Rafael Betancourt, P, Indians

 

May 2 - Juan Rincon, P, Twins

 

April 26 - Jamal Strong, OF, Mariners

 

April 20 - Agustin Montero, P, Rangers

 

April 11 - Jorge Piedra, OF, Rockies

 

April 4 - Alex Sanchez, OF, Devil Rays

[RockRaines]

wonder where he got the roids from............

[RockRaines]

merge this with the other thread.

[SoxFanForever]

Lots of M's on there.

[Dick Allen]

So Rosenthal is saying his May positive is the steriods he took last season. I'm sorry if I don't feel sorry for Morse. It is my belief that you should be suspended, and not allowed to play until you test negative. If there is year and a half lag time, tough. I'm not a doctor, but even testing positive for a very small amount means that stuff is still in your system, and you may be benefitting from it.

[Heads22]

I remember Morse's Barons suspension....

[Balta1701]

So...is anyone else quite happy we got this guy out of our organization right now?

[daa84]

So...is anyone else quite happy we got this guy out of our organization right now?

not to mention olivo who now stinks, and reed who hit .253 with 3 homers?? thats why i like trading prospects

[GoodAsGould]

Olivo is doing very well withthe Padres though isnt he? And Reed's season isnt that bad considering he is a rookie and everything..... Although im happy with Freddy G ill say that.

[Rowand44]

Olivo is doing very well withthe Padres though isnt he?  And Reed's season isnt that bad considering he is a rookie and everything..... Although im happy with Freddy G ill say that.

Yes and good for big MO, I hope he keeps it up, I wish him nothing but the best. As for Reed, he's been bad offensively this year but it's his first year so I definitely wouldn't give up on him yet. That being said, that deal was an absolute steal.

Edited September 7, 2005 by Rowand44

[Balta1701]

Yes and good for big MO, I hope he keeps it up, I wish him nothing but the best.  As for Reed, he's been bad offensively this year but it's his first year so I definitely wouldn't give up on him yet.  That being said, that deal was an absolute steal.

I only agree with you because KW immediately went and signed Garcia to an extension. Without that...the deal would be a wash at best.

[Whitewashed in '05]

Lol, anyone see Olivos throw back to the pitcher that actually hit the batter on the helmet and got away?? You can see it on the pads web site, its funny.

[Rex Hudler]

So Rosenthal is saying his May positive is the steriods he took last season. I'm sorry if I don't feel sorry for Morse. It is my belief that you should be suspended, and not allowed to play until you test negative. If there is year and a half lag time, tough. I'm not a doctor, but even testing positive for a very small amount means that stuff is still in your system, and you may be benefitting from  it.

 

I can't see suspending a guy 3 times for the same thing. You may feel a player should not be allowed to play again until he tests negative, but that is not the rule. If the substance is truly the same as what he took BEFORE the 2004 season, then this is a total crock.

 

Obviously there are still kinks to be worked out in the steroids policy if this is possible. If you change the policy to a 50 day suspension for the 1st offense and the substance can linger in the body for more than a year, then your idea of waiting until the players system is clean is just not realistic.

[Rex Hudler]

merge this with the other thread.

 

He worked out in the Miami area at a gym several Major Leaguers use. Dennis Ulacia also worked out with the same trainer and/or at the same gym and he was suspended last year and at the beginning of this year as well.

[WilliamTell]

lol I don't follow west coast baseball all that well, so I've never heard of the guy. Sucks for him though.

[SoxFanForever]

lol I don't follow west coast baseball all that well, so I've never heard of the guy. Sucks for him though.

He used to be a Sox prospect

[Capn12]

He used to be a Sox prospect

 

Yep, and KW was the most ignorant GM EVER!! for trading him and Miguel Olvio to get some guy named Freddy Garcia!

[RockRaines]

not to mention olivo who now stinks, and reed who hit .253 with 3 homers?? thats why i like trading prospects

talk about a freakin steal of a trade for us. I mean, there were so many people who were upset with trading our top prospects, and our starting catcher, and look what it netted us. Freddy has contributed heads and shoulders above those other three guys. Kudos to YOU KW.

[Harry Chappas]

Hence the two year ban as the IOC has. Sit 10 games and reap the benefits for a few months/years.

[Balta1701]

Major league baseball's response to his statements was absolutely beautiful...to paraphrase...

 

The Players Union bargained for a system where suspensions in the minor leagues would not count against a player's total number of suspensions in the major leagues. Given that fact, we also cannot take into account whether or not a player tested positive and was suspended for steroid abuse in their minor league career, and we must treat every positive test as a positive test on its own.

[Dick Allen]

Hence the two year ban as the IOC has.  Sit 10 games and reap the benefits for a few months/years.

Exactly. If you make the penalties so severe guys would never recover from them, nobody would take any chances. I understand being called out is a deterent. But really, 10 days is nothing. I really think Selig's 50 games isn't enough. Make it 50 games, not days, and a clean test before you can play again. If it lingers in your system for 2 years, you sit for 2 years. Its funny about Palmiero, it is being speculated that his positive may have come from using steriods a while ago, but he couldn't use that as a defense considering how he popped off under oath.

[southsider2k5]

I am curious about this really being possible? Do steroids really stay in your system for over a year? Or could Morse just be trying to pass off another usage as a leftover?

[redandwhite]

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Sep 8, 2005 -> 07:06 PM)

I am curious about this really being possible?  Do steroids really stay in your system for over a year?  Or could Morse just be trying to pass off another usage as a leftover?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Everybody is different, they can certainly stay in your body for over a year in trace amounts I am definitly giving Michael the benefit of the doubt here, this is just ridiculous.