Baseball to require tougher drug tests

[southsider2k5]

Jeff Passan ‏@JeffPassan

 

New: MLB has "longitudinal testing program" in which lab will maintain baseline T/E ratio to identify suspicious samples even when T/E

 

In English: Baseball will start keeping a doping profile of sorts on players so even the slightest change in testosterone ratio is evident.

 

WADA lab in Montreal will get baseline samples of testosterone, epitestosterone, T/E ratio and use those on subsequent tests going forward.

[LittleHurt05]

Baseball is stepping into the forefront of drug testing? Did Bud Selig get kidnapped?

 

 

[southsider2k5]

“@JonHeymanCBS: MLB will announce agreement for random, unannounced in-season hgh blood testing. first major US sport to test for hgh.” Nice

[ptatc]

Jeff Passan ‏@JeffPassan

 

New: MLB has "longitudinal testing program" in which lab will maintain baseline T/E ratio to identify suspicious samples even when T/E

 

In English: Baseball will start keeping a doping profile of sorts on players so even the slightest change in testosterone ratio is evident.

 

WADA lab in Montreal will get baseline samples of testosterone, epitestosterone, T/E ratio and use those on subsequent tests going forward.

This is what is being proposed at he olympic level. This is a great way to enhance the drug testing policy. You don't need to discover all of the synthetic, tailored drugs. this is impossible as chemists come up with new ones for which athletes are not tested. In this system you only need to know that something changed.

[ptatc]

“@JonHeymanCBS: MLB will announce agreement for random, unannounced in-season hgh blood testing. first major US sport to test for hgh.” Nice

This is good as well. But the previously mentioned testing process will be more effective.

[southsider2k5]

This is what is being proposed at he olympic level. This is a great way to enhance the drug testing policy. You don't need to discover all of the synthetic, tailored drugs. this is impossible as chemists come up with new ones for which athletes are not tested. In this system you only need to know that something changed.

 

As someone who does not know anything about this stuff, how much natural variance is there in these sorts of levels? Can (some) athletes see larger variances because of their workouts, diets, etc?

[Tannerfan]

Baseball is stepping into the forefront of drug testing? Did Bud Selig get kidnapped?

 

The problem was never Bud Selig.

The problem was The Players' Association.

[southsider2k5]

The problem was never Bud Selig.

The problem was The Players' Association.

 

Bud Selig could have done something without the player union. He has those powers. If nothing else he could have put the pressure on the union to make them capitulate.

[ptatc]

As someone who does not know anything about this stuff, how much natural variance is there in these sorts of levels? Can (some) athletes see larger variances because of their workouts, diets, etc?

There is always some variance. however, with small variances there will not be much advantage to the athlete. The testosterone must go up to see benefits. This is why they also test for things that raise the epitestosterone level in an attempt to mask the change in the ratio.

 

Nothing can mask the changes that happen when you know the normal variances of an athlete. This why this type of testing is a quantumleap in prevetning PED use.

[CrimsonWeltall]

As someone who does not know anything about this stuff, how much natural variance is there in these sorts of levels? Can (some) athletes see larger variances because of their workouts, diets, etc?

 

Yes.

 

Most regular dudes are around 1:1. Elite athletes often approach 4:1. In rare cases, some people may go over 4:1 naturally, but due to the rarity, that's usually the "something's suspicious" line where more testing gets done.

 

If you're at like 10:1, you been doin somethin.

[ptatc]

Yes.

 

Most regular dudes are around 1:1. Elite athletes often approach 4:1. In rare cases, some people may go over 4:1 naturally, but due to the rarity, that's usually the "something's suspicious" line where more testing gets done.

 

If you're at like 10:1, you been doin somethin.

You're correct. This is why the baseline monitoring is so important. If you know thier natural variance, you know when something changes. You don't have to know exactly what it is but you know they are doing something.

[ptatc]

In kind of a backwards way, the "steroid era" may have done something good in baseball. They are the only sports entity that is truly taking all known steps to prevent or at least diminish PED use. This would not have happened if the PED wasn't so rampant and really came to light after the HOF voting. If you a select few used them it wouldn't have gotten this much attention or reaction.

[Jake]

This makes the zero class of HoF totally worth it.

[southsider2k5]

This makes the zero class of HoF totally worth it.

 

Amen

[southsider2k5]

Follow up for Ptatc, if you don't mind. How would it work for the baseline test if a player loaded up on an artificial (IE-undetectable) steroid to keep him "baseline" levels high?

[ptatc]

Follow up for Ptatc, if you don't mind. How would it work for the baseline test if a player loaded up on an artificial (IE-undetectable) steroid to keep him "baseline" levels high?

It would be really difficult to do this. You would need to take an epitesterone agent (natural or masking agent) to make the levels exactly the same (given a certain standard error of measure). Since the lab will have the normal baseline it would be near impossible to simulate that baseline with injecting the exact amount of covering agent. The amount of PED in the system would cycle and the athlete would have to try to simulate all of this.