Congressional hearing thread

[Yossarian]

I went to get my book signed by Jose today in Naperville... Told him I thought he did great on Thursday and he even entertained me when I asked a few questions. He was very nice to everyone that was there (300+ people), and awesome with the kids (don't do drugs in a very serious manner, not proud of himself, etc..).

I’m tired of hearing such short-sighted crap from people who have no idea what they’re talking about. Steroids are here to stay. That’s a fact. I guarantee it. Steroids are the future. By the time my eight-year-old daughter, Josie, has graduated from high school, a majority of all professional athletes — in all sports — will be taking steroids. And believe it or not, that’s good news.

 

 

The above is direct from Jose in his book.So glad to see he was nice to you and all the kiddies at the book signing.

[Steff]

And he also said at the hearings and today that he made a mistake.

 

Regardless.. I think he's right... that they are here to stay unless something drastic is done. Truth hurts I guess..

[jackie hayes]

unless something drastic is done

Which is the whole question, right? More half-ass steps like MLB has taken thus far, or real, painful punishment (hell, any tangible punishment would count as drastic, here, imo).

 

The players and management basically said nuts to you, so it's Congress's turn. And to be honest, I'm not any more certain of their resolve. (Wait, they appointed a Task Force, who'll come up with Recommendations. With Schilling, who also ended up in the nuts to you camp. Significant stuff there.) All the big questioners, prove your resolve. Get something done.

[JUGGERNAUT]

The never-ending thread. I must add to it. I feel compelled to.

Jose is wrong & the stance by the Olympic comm is proof of that. He may have written the book before then so I give him the benefit of that doubt.

But when you consider all of the sports that are part of the Olympics today it's going to trickle down. It's inevitable.

 

I see the Olympics as the front-line in testing for doping. It's where all the R&D is going to come from. Those methods will become mass-produced & integrated in first college athletics & then high school athletics. The simple reason being that roids & doping in general threaten the integrity of scholarships & Title IX. They won't allow that to happen.

 

Because the Olympic comm has taken such a hard-line stance the issue is not going to die. When Frank is inducted into the HOF there will still be athletes disqualified from Olympic play because they were doping. By then roids will have probably faded away in favor of HGH or something new.

 

As for Fehr's biggest worry (genetic manipulation) as long as MLB does everything the Olympic comm does he can say they've done everything possible to insure the integrity of the game. If Fehr didn't get the message on Thursday hopefully someone should tell him: FOLLOW THE IOC when it comes to this issue. Pretty simple. Manfred can just copy their documentation

[Yossarian]

And he also said at the hearings and today that he made a mistake.

 

Regardless.. I think he's right... that they are here to stay unless something drastic is done. Truth hurts I guess..

I agree that they are here to stay unless something is done. The quote I listed was mild compared to some others I could have lifted from his "book". Self serving and superficial would best describe it, great literature it ain't. I firmly believe that Jose spoke his truth, and now he backpedals because it is the expedient thing to do. He almost makes Barry Bonds look like a gentleman. That's what I would tell him if we ever met. Edited March 20, 2005 by Yossarian

[ptatc]

The never-ending thread.  I must add to it.  I feel compelled to.

Jose is wrong & the stance by the Olympic comm is proof of that.  He may have written the book before then so I give him the benefit of that doubt.

But when you consider all of the sports that are part of the Olympics today it's going to trickle down.  It's inevitable. 

 

I see the Olympics as the front-line in testing for doping.  It's where all the R&D is going to come from. Those methods will become mass-produced & integrated in first college athletics & then high school athletics.  The simple reason being that roids & doping in general threaten the integrity of scholarships & Title IX.  They won't allow that to happen.

 

Because the Olympic comm has taken such a hard-line stance the issue is not going to die.  When Frank is inducted into the HOF there will still be athletes disqualified from Olympic play because they were doping.  By then roids will have probably faded away in favor of HGH or something new.

 

As for Fehr's biggest worry (genetic manipulation) as long as MLB does everything the Olympic comm does he can say they've done everything possible to insure the integrity of the game. If Fehr didn't get the message on Thursday hopefully someone should tell him:  FOLLOW THE IOC when it comes to this issue.  Pretty simple.  Manfred can just copy their documentation

 

It's very difficult to compare the Olympics (amatuer sports) vs. any professional sport. The Olympics don't deal with a union and they use blood tests to find many of the banned substances. No professional sports use blood tests therefore will not be able to detect many substances including HGH. Rumor had in MLB that Sammy was on HGH therefore even with the new standards he will not get caught.

[JUGGERNAUT]

It's very difficult to compare the Olympics (amatuer sports) vs. any professional sport. The Olympics don't deal with a union and they use blood tests to find many of the banned substances. No professional sports use blood tests therefore will not be able to detect many substances including HGH. Rumor had in MLB that Sammy was on HGH therefore even with the new standards he will not get caught.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Congress holds the anti-trust exemption as the trump card. There's no question the IOC will have an impact on collegiate sports. That impact should trickle down to high schools. The pressure will increase over that time for MLB. That exemption is just as important to the players as the owners.

[southsider2k5]

MLBPA decides to have suspensions only for first offenses

[southsider2k5]

Todd Helton has come under the microscope now...

 

Colorado Rockies first baseman Todd Helton said Sunday he should not have to defend himself against an insinuation from one of the team's former broadcasters--a statement that was later retracted-- that he has used steroids.

 

St. Louis Cardinals radio broadcaster Wayne Hagin, who broadcast the Rockies' games from their 1993 inception through 2002, told St. Louis' ESPN Radio affiliate in an interview on Saturday that Helton was using "the juice" as a rookie in 1998 until then-manager Don Baylor told him to stop.

 

"I'm going to say something that is the absolute truth, and he will be mad at me for saying it if it gets out, but Todd Helton, a tremendously gifted baseball player, he tried it," Hagin said in the interview. "I know he tried it because Don Baylor told me."

 

But Baylor said in Sunday's Denver Post that Hagin was referring to "the wrong drug."

 

"We were talking about over-the-counter creatine, which is perfectly legal," Baylor said. "Todd Helton should not have to defend himself with this."

 

Helton vehemently denied the accusation.

 

"I've never used steroids," he said. "I've worked hard my whole life to get to where I am and it's amazing one guy can say something, not knowing what he's talking about. . . . and now I have to defend myself."

 

An ESPN national show read a statement Sunday from Hagin saying that he was "erroneous."

 

As he took batting practice Sunday morning, Helton peered into the faces of young fans.

 

"Sooner or later, there's going to be a kid who looks at me and says, `Is this guy real?"' an emotional Helton said.

[YASNY]

I feel for Todd Helton .... but not much. This is exactly what their silence all these has brought upon the players. They should have been forcing the union to play ball with the owners. This is part of the price they all have to pay. It's a shame, but then I'm not even making close to a rookie's salary, either. We all have our burdens to bear.

[ptatc]

Congress holds the anti-trust exemption as the trump card.  There's no question the IOC will have an impact on collegiate sports.  That impact should trickle down to high schools.  The pressure will increase over that time for MLB.  That exemption is just as important to the players as the owners.

 

I agree with all of your points in theory and I wish they would come true. But IMHO because of the of the difference in the cost and procedures with blood testing versus urine testing, you will not see much of a change in professional sports a or coolegiate sports. High schools will not test for steriods. Remember when they were talking about how to test for cocaine and such in high school? It won't go anyway due to the cost and issues of dealing with minors and privacy.

[WilliamTell]

I feel for Todd Helton .... but not much.  This is exactly what their silence all these has brought upon the players.  They should have been forcing the union to play ball with the owners.  This is part of the price they all have to pay.  It's a shame, but then I'm not even making close to a rookie's salary, either.  We all have our burdens to bear.

 

 

I must admit I was surprised to hear his name, I just thought his stats were inflated because of the Coors. I don't think he did steriods though.

[greasywheels121]

*Bumpity bump bump*

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2020739

 

166,000 households watched on ESPNews

 

NEW YORK -- More than 1 million households tuned in last week to watch baseball players testify about steroids to Congress.

 

When players testified from 4-6 p.m. ET during the March 17 hearing, an average of 624,000 households were watching the hearing on Fox News, 526,000 on CNN and 166,000 on ESPNews, according to Nielsen Media Research.

 

C-Span, which also televised the hearing on one of its networks, said it does not get ratings.

[rangercal]

*Bumpity bump bump*

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2020739

I was in front of the tv 10 hours that day. got nothing done. lol . these damn players wasted everyone's time.

[JUGGERNAUT]

What about Creotine? Does it greatly impact a player's performance & threaten the integrity of the game?

 

As I understand it this hearing was about not just eliminating roids from the game because of the health consequences but also because of it's threat to the integrity of the game. Doesn't Creotine fit the later?