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Friday, April 11, 2008

AP: Major League Baseball players, owners reach drug agreement; suspensions rescinded

Baseball players and owners agreed Friday to more frequent drug testing and increased—but not total—authority for the program’s outside administrator.

All players implicated in December’s Mitchell Report on peformance-enhancing drugs were given amnesty as part of the agreement, which toughens baseball’s drug rules for the third time since the program began in 2002. Thus, the deal eliminated 15-day suspensions assessed against Jose Guillen and Jay Gibbons.
...
In the deal, the sides agreed:
— annual tests will rise by 600 to 3,600.
— as many as 375 offseason tests can be conducted over the next three years, up from the current limit of 60 per offseason.
— testing will include the top 200 prospects for each year’s annual draft.
— the IPA will issue an annual report detailing what substances resulted in positive tests, the number of tests given and therapeutic use exemptions by category of ailment.
— additional substances were added to the banned list, among them: insulin-like growth factor, gonadotropins, aromatase inhibitors, selective estrogen receptor modulators, and clomid and other antiestrogens.
— an automatic stay for an initial suspension will be expanded to players disciplined for conduct unrelated to a positive test.

NTNgod Posted: April 11, 2008 at 08:37 PM | 15 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
  Tags: steroids

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   1. As foretold by the prophesy (JFSE) Posted: April 11, 2008 at 08:42 PM (#2739732)
...selective estrogen receptor modulators, and clomid and other antiestrogens.


...?!?
   2. robinred Posted: April 11, 2008 at 08:49 PM (#2739742)
clomid


Giambi allegedly used IIRC.
   3. scareduck Posted: April 11, 2008 at 08:52 PM (#2739746)
Wikipedia to the rescue. Both men and women produce estrogen, just as both men and women produce testosterone. Selective estrogen receptor modulators lead to an increase in follicle stimulating hormone, which in turn "enhances the production of androgen-binding protein". I don't know about you, but that sounds like a way to get better use of the steroids you have floating around your body to begin with, sort of a supercharger for natural steroids without having to inject more.
   4. Jolly Old St. Neck Wound, Moral Idiot Posted: April 11, 2008 at 08:53 PM (#2739748)
Hard to tell from reading the article: Do the players get advance notice of any test, or is it truly random?

Without blood testing it's kind of a lame setup anyway, but it is nice to see that the names are going to be withheld until "discipline" is taken. The more publicity for the guilty ones the better, but you better first be sure they're guilty.
   5. Tim Stauffer, Trot Nixon's Coming (Dan Lee) Posted: April 11, 2008 at 08:56 PM (#2739753)
testing will include the top 200 prospects for each year’s annual draft.

You just know there will be a couple dozen players hoping they'll be #201.
   6. scareduck Posted: April 11, 2008 at 09:02 PM (#2739766)
And incidentally, I would be really curious to learn why people would end up getting suspended for something when the only charges are based on hearsay.
   7. Hal Chase Headley Lamarr Hoyt Wilhelm (ACE1242) Posted: April 11, 2008 at 09:31 PM (#2739789)
How does the MLBPA negotiate on behalf of the top 200 prospects, of whom I assume none are MLBPA members?
   8. Tim Stauffer, Trot Nixon's Coming (Dan Lee) Posted: April 11, 2008 at 09:39 PM (#2739796)
What about ex-replacement players who aren't allowed in the MLBPA, guys like Kevin Millar and Jamie Walker - will they be tested? I guess there could conceivably be advantages to not being a union member if you're interested in juicing.

I've had it up to here with guys like Eddie Oropesa and Chris Truby not being tested for steroids because they were replacement players more than a decade ago.

I would be really curious to learn why people would end up getting suspended for something when the only charges are based on hearsay.

I heard through the grapevine that every single player in the American League who isn't a member of the Cleveland Indians is on the juice. Please, Bud, suspend all 325 of 'em.
   9. Dan The Mediocre Posted: April 11, 2008 at 09:43 PM (#2739801)
And incidentally, I would be really curious to learn why people would end up getting suspended for something when the only charges are based on hearsay.


The Mitchell Report amnesty also covers players for whom receipts and other paper records linking them to now banned substances. So players like Guillen who have sufficient evidence to link them to HGH purchases would no longer be at risk of suspension for previous conduct.
   10. Pete Toms Posted: April 11, 2008 at 10:06 PM (#2739821)
#7 - I agree. As the amateurs are not yet members of the PA how can they be forced to submit to testing?

This whole thing is a farce. Probable cause testing will be used by management to punish players who fall out of favor. Schafer being suspended without a positive test ( I know there isn't a test for HGH ) or any empirical evidence linking him to purchasing HGH ( not that I've read )....

Maybe it is time for Fehr to leave.
   11. Hal Chase Headley Lamarr Hoyt Wilhelm (ACE1242) Posted: April 11, 2008 at 10:57 PM (#2739874)
#8 - I had this explained to me once by a friend who's a lawyer for the MLBPA, but alas it didn't sink in. The replacement players are subject to the CBA, and they do get some benefits of union membership. Some of the licensing stuff also applies to them. Cueing one of our resident BTF legal staff ....
   12. Misirlou's got a busy day, he's wearing a vest Posted: April 11, 2008 at 11:10 PM (#2739888)
#7 - I agree. As the amateurs are not yet members of the PA how can they be forced to submit to testing?


Well, they don't HAVE to I suppose. If prospect #175 plans on going to Harvard Business School and eventually run his father's hedge fund rather than playing professional baseball, he can refuse. But for anyone planning on having a professional baseball career, just think of it as a pre-employment drug test.

And I believe ACE is correct. The union negotiates the CBA, and the CBA applies to every MLB ballplayer.
   13. Halofan Posted: April 11, 2008 at 11:17 PM (#2739906)
Ah, who dumped their Clomid shares yesterday?
   14. ronh Posted: April 12, 2008 at 04:09 AM (#2740495)
I see the probable cause crap is still in there.

MLB suspects a player is on PEDs. It says they want to test him. The union automatically files an appeal. By the time it is settled the player has plaenty of time for the PEDs to clear his system.
   15. Justin 'The Cespedobear' T Posted: April 12, 2008 at 05:17 AM (#2740522)
I'm most interested to know what a gonadotropin is.

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