Was Canseco correct all along?

[Ninong]

Jose Canseco said in his book that Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro both used steroids. Both denied it under oath before Congress. He also said he shot up steroids with his bash brother, Mark McGwire, but McGwire refused to answer any questions about "the past" during his Congressional appearance even though he had previously called Canseco a liar.

Palmeiro told members of the House committee that Canseco is lying.
"I have never used steroids. Period," Palmeiro said. "I do not know how to say it any more clearly than that."

He forgot to insert "knowingly." Maybe he could use a little help from Karl Rove in that department.




P.S. -- President Bush said Palmeiro is a personal friend of his and he "believes him." Of course he believes a lot of stuff, so that's not exactly a convincing endorsement.

[Ninong]

Rafael Palmeiro may have claimed that he didn't intentionally use steriods, but according to a report in the New York Times, the drug he tested positive for is the potent and popular anabolic steroid stanozolol.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/3857832

[underseaworld]

Looks like Jose book was right after all. It makes you wonder about the other names he mentioned. Is it strange that after Jose went to Texas that after being in the pros for 7-8 years that this was the first year that Rafael Palmeiro hit 30 home runs. I just hope they come down on them even harder now. I seen a show with Frank Robinson in which he stated that if they catch someone using steriods that they should be band from baseball and all records of them even play baseball be erased. Make it like the player never existed. What do you think that should clean up baseball.

[Ninong]

I don't know what they should do about records. That's a tough call. I think anyone testing positive for steroids should be suspended for one year on the first offense and banned for life on the second offense. That assumes that both offenses were deliberate and not the result of some unknown substance in a nasal inhaler or cough medicine. I'm sure the labs can tell the difference.

I do know that it has been very obvious for years who some of the major steroid users were. All you had to do was just look at Barry Bonds, Jose Canseco, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire and Jason Giambi. Bonds as much as admitted that he knew what he was taking when he starting talking about how steroids don't help you see the ball better of improve your technique. Maybe not, but they sure help you make the ball go farther.

I was somewhat surprised to see that even pitchers are getting caught using steroids now. That makes me wonder about a few of the power pitchers who have shown remarkable endurance in their golden years.

[Ninong]

Congress to consider perjury for Palmeiro.

[Penguin]

It looks like Canseco was the only one willing to be honest about it.

A 10-game suspension isn't nearly enough IMO. They're supposed to be really cracking down on this now. It's all talk.

I think this also seriously damages Palmeiro's HOF chances. He'll probably still get in, but he may have had a shot at making it on the first ballot. Now he almost definitely won't.

[Ninong]

There are others besides Canseco who have "been honest" about it, like Ken Caminiti, for instance. He died at 41 of a heart attack that was probably the result of years of steroid use and cocaine abuse. And I remember Lyle Alzado saying shortly before he died of brain cancer in his early 40's that it was the steroids that did it. (P.S. -- You're probably talking about the ones who testified before Congress? Maybe Palmeiro should have followed the advice of Mark McGwire's attorney and stonewalled them? Maguire was almost forced to take the Fifth at one point before the Congressman withdrew the question.)

Steroids have been around for more than 20 years. I think Jose's right that he's the guy who popularized them in MLB. The NFL had them much longer than MLB. The Pittsburg Steelers started the ball rolling in the NFL.

This topic has been coming up in SF Bay Area media for a long time. It came up when Alzado talked about it and then it really heated up with the BALCO arrests. Sports writers did their own polls and determined that Barry Bonds would probably be elected to the HOF on the first ballot regardless of the steroids stuff. Of the three HOF members that I asked about Barry, two agree he should go in on the first ballot and one thinks that he should not go in at all if it's proven that he used steroids.

[Penguin]

That's right, I had forgotten about Caminiti.

I remember Lyle Alzedo too. He was also taking human growth hormone, which may have contributed to his illness.

There's a big difference between the NFL and MLB though. There are more banned substances, testing is random and frequent, and penalties much more severe. First offense gets a 4-game suspension, which is 1/4 of the season. I'd like to see something similar in baseball. The NFL has had a strict policy in place for 15 years or more, but baseball has been dragging its feet.

[Ninong]

Baseball officials didn't really want to do anything at all about it. McGwire and Sosa's little home-run race a few years back sold tickets.

In his book Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits and How Baseball Got Big, Jose Canseco made claims that he introduced Palmeiro to steroids after being traded from the Athletics to the Rangers in 1992. Canseco even said that he personally injected Palmeiro with steroids in bathroom stalls.

In his first five seasons in the major leagues (1988-92), Palmeiro averaged just under 16 home runs a season. After Canseco's alleged introduction of steroids to the player, Palmeiro had career highs in home runs (37) and runs batted in (105) in 1993. Twice Palmeiro hit 47 home runs in a season (1999 and 2001), and two other times he hit more than 40 home runs in a season (43 in 1998 and 2002).

[Ninong]

The MLB Players Association is really upset that someone leaked the name of the steroid that Rafael Palmeiro tested positive for -- stanozolol.



"It's somewhat frightening that what he took was so easily found out," Glavine added. The collective bargaining agreement allows only for the name of the player and the date of his suspension to be released by MLB. http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/3867496


Palmeiro claims that he has no idea how that stuff got into his body. He cautioned children that they should be careful what vitamins and supplements they take. (I did NOT make that up. He actually said that a couple of days ago in a TV interview. ) Just for the record, stanozolol is not found in any vitamins or supplements. The only way it can get into your body is if you deliberately take it.

From now on Raffy should just follow Paris Hilton's example and then he would have proof of what it was and how it got there. Whenever she puts anything in her body, she videotapes it.

[schrocat]

From now on Raffy should just follow Paris Hilton's example and then he would have proof of what it was and how it got there. Whenever she puts anything in her body, she videotapes it.

[Ninong]

I see where Raffy is back in the lineup today. It's a home game.

BTW, I wonder if this means he will lose his Viagra gig? Probably. I guess now we know why he needed Viagra -- it was the effect of the steroids.

[Ninong]

Frank Robinson thinks all of Palmeiro's statistics should be thrown out: http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/4803268

P.S. -- Curt Shilling thinks Palmeiro's stats should be tossed and he called Palmeiro a liar: http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/4806414