TSN: Deveney: Mike Cameron tarnished his own good story

Terminate Him: The Cameron Chronicles.

But a good nature and a willingness to give interviews should not obscure the fact that Cameron failed those tests last year. Stimulant abuse is every bit the problem in baseball that steroids/HGH abuse is—stimulants are addictive, and they’re deadly. Cameron failed tests in July and September (MLB rules allow one failed stimulant test with no penalty). He asserted that the test results came from tainted supplements, but by last year, the league had instituted a policy of selling approved supplements to players through team trainers. Cameron should have gotten supplements that way. Besides, the odds of getting two tainted supplements within three months are pretty slim. If he knew he had tested positive in July, he should not have been taking supplements in September.

Cameron is a clubhouse leader, which should help the young Brewers survive the season’s grind better than they did last season. If this team is humming in September, Cameron will be a big part of the story. But we should not simply give Cameron a pass because we like him.

Cameron might be lying about his stimulant use. Even assuming he is being truthful, assuming the positive tests came from some sort of tainted energy drink, he still committed a sin of stupidity. That reality—and the resulting suspension—is part of this story, too.