PED Suspensions Coming

[weams]

9 minutes ago, Dark Helmet said:

Cal was lanky at 16. My brother went to school with him. I was born and raised in Aberdeen. Not everyone in Aberdeen puts him on a petistool. In fact, he's not as loved here as you think. I get it. He does no wrong in your eyes.

No Pet I Stool here. And live your life. I have no illusions about Cal's humanity. 

[Dark Helmet]

18 minutes ago, weams said:

No Pet I Stool here. And live your life. I have no illusions about Cal's humanity. 

I live my life just fine. I gave my opinion on Cal. That's all it was. 

[OFFNY]

o

 

Regarding Cal Rikpen, Jr's rebound season in 1991, I remember reading an article about it at that time, and it pointed to one of the major factors in his bounce-back season being Ripken Jr regaining his batting stance from earlier in his career. Cal himself stated (and pictures from the article confirmed) that Ripken's batting stance in 1990 was considerably different than it had been earlier in his career. So in the off-season between 1990 and 1991, Ripken Jr made a conscientious effort to change his batting stance back to what it had been earlier in his career when he was hitting better.

 

I'm not weighing in one way or another as to whether or not Ripken Jr took PED's at any time during his career, I'm simply sharing something that I remember reading more than a quarter of a century ago about what appeared to be a major factor in his 1991 comeback season.

 

o

[Moose Milligan]

I don't care anymore.

I often wonder if guys like Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays would have injected themselves with stuff to aid their efforts.  My thoughts often flip-flop.  

[Can_of_corn]

2 hours ago, Moose Milligan said:

I don't care anymore.

I often wonder if guys like Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays would have injected themselves with stuff to aid their efforts.  My thoughts often flip-flop.  

Ruth tried to.

[El Gordo]

3 hours ago, weams said:

A guy like Marte could have gotten the undetectables. He just needed the real stuff to be one of the elite among the 800.

I think it's more like he's from the DR and the PED culture there is very different and the stuff while freely available is unsophisticated.

[El Gordo]

2 hours ago, Moose Milligan said:

I don't care anymore.

I often wonder if guys like Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays would have injected themselves with stuff to aid their efforts.  My thoughts often flip-flop.  

Why not? They weren't controlled substsances until 1990.

"The history of the U.S. legislation on anabolic steroids goes back to the late 1980s, when the U.S. Congress considered placing anabolic steroids under the Controlled Substances Act following the controversy over Ben Johnson's victory at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. During deliberations, the American Medical Association (AMA), Drug Enforcement Administration(DEA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as well as the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) all opposed listing anabolic steroids as controlled substances, citing the fact that use of these hormones does not lead to the physical or psychological dependence required for such scheduling under the Controlled Substance Act. Nevertheless, anabolic steroids were added to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act in the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 1990"

[24fps]

If I wasn't so lazy at the moment, I would count how many posts it took to get from the simple news that Starling Marte has been suspended for steroid use to thoroughly irresponsible speculation as to whether Cal ever used.  My sense is that this time it was a little quicker than usual.

Pity the posts aren't numbered anymore.

[crawjo]

3 hours ago, Moose Milligan said:

I don't care anymore.

I often wonder if guys like Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays would have injected themselves with stuff to aid their efforts.  My thoughts often flip-flop.  

What on earth would have prevented them from doing it? 

[El Gordo]

56 minutes ago, 24fps said:

If I wasn't so lazy at the moment, I would count how many posts it took to get from the simple news that Starling Marte has been suspended for steroid use to thoroughly irresponsible speculation as to whether Cal ever used.  My sense is that this time it was a little quicker than usual.

Pity the posts aren't numbered anymore.

Why is it thouroughly irresponsible? He played during the steroid era. A major factor for PED's is their ability to help people recover from injury. Cal is noted for the streak, HgH would have been a big help, 

[Moose Milligan]

7 hours ago, crawjo said:

What on earth would have prevented them from doing it? 

Nothing.

Nothing would have also stopped them from becoming some of the most beloved athletes in this countries history, either....PEDS or not.

I also find it interesting that there's an incredible double standard between the NFL and the MLB when it comes to this stuff.  We want our NFL players bigger, stronger, faster...capable of incredible speed and incredible power.  I've been on the sidelines for those games and I've been in the locker rooms and I can't believe those guys are 100% all real.  Sure, they're incredible athletes to begin with but I don't think anyone gets that big and that fast naturally.  A football player gets popped for 4 games because of PEDs and no one bats an eye.  That's SUPPOSED to happen.  And when it does happen, no one really cares because....RAWRRRR FOOTBALL GLADIATOR GRIDIRON WARRIORSRAWWWWRR

But baseball? Threaten a vaunted record if you're a muscular guy and it's the biggest crime ever.  They'll keep you out of the Hall of Fame because the very people that are rooting for their 6'5 260 8% body fat linebackers that can run a 4.6 on Sunday are the ones who are crying foul when a baseball player uses a chemical they can't pronounce to make themselves stronger.

It's a double standard, IMO.  We care when one athlete does it, we turn a blind eye when another one does it, too.  

The issue isn't PEDs, it's making ourselves feel better by damning players who are tarnishing something that we thought was pure when we were growing up.  

[weams]

8 hours ago, El Gordo said:

I think it's more like he's from the DR and the PED culture there is very different and the stuff while freely available is unsophisticated.

Did you see the piece on the drive through Rum and Cokes?

[weams]

8 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

Nothing.

Nothing would have also stopped them from becoming some of the most beloved athletes in this countries history, either....PEDS or not.

I also find it interesting that there's an incredible double standard between the NFL and the MLB when it comes to this stuff.  We want our NFL players bigger, stronger, faster...capable of incredible speed and incredible power.  I've been on the sidelines for those games and I've been in the locker rooms and I can't believe those guys are 100% all real.  Sure, they're incredible athletes to begin with but I don't think anyone gets that big and that fast naturally.  A football player gets popped for 4 games because of PEDs and no one bats an eye.  That's SUPPOSED to happen.  And when it does happen, no one really cares because....RAWRRRR FOOTBALL GLADIATOR GRIDIRON WARRIORSRAWWWWRR

But baseball? Threaten a vaunted record if you're a muscular guy and it's the biggest crime ever.  They'll keep you out of the Hall of Fame because the very people that are rooting for their 6'5 260 8% body fat linebackers that can run a 4.6 on Sunday are the ones who are crying foul when a baseball player uses a chemical they can't pronounce to make themselves stronger.

It's a double standard, IMO.  We care when one athlete does it, we turn a blind eye when another one does it, too.  

The issue isn't PEDs, it's making ourselves feel better by damning players who are tarnishing something that we thought was pure when we were growing up.  

No one ever thought football was pure. Heck, OJ cuts off heads. 

[Camden_yardbird]

Perspective of a secondary pirate fan:  I am a pirate fan through marriage, I actively root for them, and my wife and I fight over which game is on any given night.

I am really disappointed about Marte, and in truth really disappointed for him.  He has become a truly dynamic player, and I think his PED use is more about the weight of expectations than anything else.  

Its not about a contract.  Marte has a contract.  It's team friendly but it pays him quite a bit and it runs through 2021.

When Pittsburgh announced that it would move it's cornerstone player, Andrew McCutchen, from center field to make room for Marte, it didn't go unnoticed by the fans, the Pittsburgh media, or I am sure the players on the team.  It was a passing of the baton on some ways.  It was noticeable in off-season reports, spring training and the early season that Marte was making a bigger effort to be a leader on the team.  After a particularly solid game this year the field reported grabbed Marte and interviewed him.  Me and my wife looked at each other and said "have you ever seen him interviewed?"  They mentioned on the telecast that it was his first ever interview without an interpreter in his career and that he had been making a bigger effort to learn English this past off season.  The interview seemed genuine, not filled with normal cliches, and you could get a sense that he was trying to be more of a leader.

I don't k ow what lead him to use PEDs, or why, but in trying to see the better of the situation I really believe he got caught up on expectations.

As a side note, I also wonder what effect if any the WBC had on this.  Marte played for the DR, where nationalist pride in the game a the culture is very different as some have pointed out.  It also has visibly taken an effect on some players as it requires a higher sustained level of effort which could lead to the use of PEDs as a pick me up.

[FlipTheBird]

1 hour ago, Camden_yardbird said:

Perspective of a secondary pirate fan:  I am a pirate fan through marriage, I actively root for them, and my wife and I fight over which game is on any given night.

I am really disappointed about Marte, and in truth really disappointed for him.  He has become a truly dynamic player, and I think his PED use is more about the weight of expectations than anything else.  

Its not about a contract.  Marte has a contract.  It's team friendly but it pays him quite a bit and it runs through 2021.

When Pittsburgh announced that it would move it's cornerstone player, Andrew McCutchen, from center field to make room for Marte, it didn't go unnoticed by the fans, the Pittsburgh media, or I am sure the players on the team.  It was a passing of the baton on some ways.  It was noticeable in off-season reports, spring training and the early season that Marte was making a bigger effort to be a leader on the team.  After a particularly solid game this year the field reported grabbed Marte and interviewed him.  Me and my wife looked at each other and said "have you ever seen him interviewed?"  They mentioned on the telecast that it was his first ever interview without an interpreter in his career and that he had been making a bigger effort to learn English this past off season.  The interview seemed genuine, not filled with normal cliches, and you could get a sense that he was trying to be more of a leader.

I don't k ow what lead him to use PEDs, or why, but in trying to see the better of the situation I really believe he got caught up on expectations.

As a side note, I also wonder what effect if any the WBC had on this.  Marte played for the DR, where nationalist pride in the game a the culture is very different as some have pointed out.  It also has visibly taken an effect on some players as it requires a higher sustained level of effort which could lead to the use of PEDs as a pick me up.

I doubt anyone started doping up just because of the extra effort of a few WBC games.

Truth it, there are probably a lot of guys in the league that still used substances that are banned/frowned upon. There are ways to hide it. These ways are also not 100% foolproof (it's a human error factor, really - guys make mistakes on their regimens), hence players occasionally getting caught.

For as long as human beings have competed in sporting events, they've looked for ways to cut corners and get the edge on opponents. They really doubled down on it when being an athlete became such a lucrative career. It's just human nature.