Is baseball really out of the PED era?

[stsparks72]

So much is made of the steroid or PED era in baseball. So much so that not a single player was inducted into the HoF this year. Players like Braun, Rodriguez, Gonzalez, etc are still being tied to PEDs. Are we to believe just because baseball has stepped up the testing that we are out of the PED era? Seems to me that it is as prevalent as ever. Players using PEDs don't care about the HoF, they care about the big dollar contract. Lance Armstrong made a career out of using PEDs and never failed a single test. Testing at this point is laughable. So what is the realistic answer to cleaning up PEDs in baseball or any sport for that matter? 50 game suspensions don't work. Maybe we should just let players legally use PEDs. At least everyone will be on a fair playing field, although it sets a terrible example for our youth.

The only thing that might work is the fear of a player being fined for the entire amount he would earn over the remainder of his contract (yet if he wanted to keep playing he would do it for free). That's not realistic though, because the union would never go for it. Plus the player then has every reason to use PEDs for the remainder of his contract since he isn't making any money anyway. Lifetime bans would not be allowed either. What is the solution?

[jlohm1]

Apparently there are tons of players who use HGH because until this season, MLB didn't test for it. It'll be interesting to see how it goes this year.

[dogdaddy]

It just stinks cause we have to talk about this. As a fan I would love to see a player that test postitive have to pay back all that he made in his career. That won't happen.....Cheaters will always stay one step ahead of the game. What do you do.....? Cheating now a days is crazy. Back in the day when you corked a bat or greased a ballcap was testing the system, however now its bringing the game down. Hope it goes away but I dought it.......................

[stsparks72]

Thing of it is, the science behind the blood doping is way ahead of the testing. Unfortunately I think it will always be ahead of the testing. Players that take the PEDs simply purge themselves of the drug under specialized physicians or trainers. The only time a positive turns up is when a player undergoes an improper purging (which is rare).

When I was younger I remember my peers telling me that all these big money contracts will eventually ruin the game. I'm all for a player making as much money as a team will pay them, but at the same time it's the money that has driven these players to use PEDs. I don't know if it will ruin the game, but it's sad when I have to look at every player and wonder "is he using PEDs?" It's even more sad that I am becoming numb to the fact that some of the most respected athletes in sports are tied in some way to PEDs. It doesn't surprise me at all, and even worse I know they will lie about using them. Professional sports is becoming a joke, some sort of freak entertainment show full of roid heads. Much like Pro Wrestling back in the day.

[IowaAJ]

The blood testing will help catch the cheaters. It is going to be a bumpy ride most in the nfl and major college football are also using HGH. One positive done for year 2 positives done for life it's the only way to eliminate this

[jlohm1]

there are ways to find any drug in someone, but the problem is, is that Bud Selig and the players union never bothered to start doing blood testing until now.

[ChrisSabo17]

First off, the percentage of players using PEDs today vs. 1999 is way down. So baseball testing and other sports testing has came along way. So are we out of the "era" yes are there still going to be some that try and get caught yes. Is there going to be some that get away with it? Yes. I think this is going to be a common thing where a group of players get caught every couple of years.
jlohm1- Bud Selig and baseball are the first to put blood testing for HGH in play. You arugment of the Players Assoiciation and Bud "just now" putting in blood testing is just not a valid point.
I think we as fans and the media make this a mountain out of a mole hill. Players are going to cheat it has happened since ...forever and it will continue. You guys think Pete Rose and the blacksocks are the only ones to every cheat through gambling? No they are the only ones that got caught. Same here some will some won't. Majority I believe are clean and will continue as long as the PA and Bud adapt and advance with the testing.

[jlohm1]

It's not invalid at all. He should have implemented blood testing 10 years ago. He didn't even enforce PED rules until they started getting pressure to enforce it. Fans wanted to see HR, and steroids were providing it, so Bud did nothing.

I don't think that the number is way down since 1999. like I said, until now, there was no way to test positive for HGH, so tons of players use it. I briefly wrote about it in a report I did for school last semester. If I had to guess how many players use PEDs, I would guess somewhere at about 50%, maybe slightly higher. many of these players will do anything to get better.

[ChrisSabo17]

O sorry didnt know you wrote a paper on it. The power numbers and lack of runs strongly shows peds in baseball are down since the late 90s. You are in your own words guessing when the proof is in the numbers. Your paper, is it published? I mean I wrote a paper on cancer in school doesnt mean I am qualified to treat it or know how to diagnose it.

[stsparks72]

I tend to think PED use in MLB is down, but I believe there are still a decent amount of players using them. Statistically speaking I think some players like Ryan Braun and Melky Cabrera are still making it look obvious. However, I think PEDs are being used more to recover from an injury than anything else.

So I think we are still in the PED era, its just getting harder to tell who is using them. The clinics are staying one step ahead of the testers. That gap is slowly beginning to narrow, but until that time comes am I supposed to believe Miguel Cabrera's numbers are for real? I don't know, but until the sport is truly clean we won't know what real numbers are supposed to look like.

[jlohm1]

O sorry didnt know you wrote a paper on it. The power numbers and lack of runs strongly shows peds in baseball are down since the late 90s. You are in your own words guessing when the proof is in the numbers. Your paper, is it published? I mean I wrote a paper on cancer in school doesnt mean I am qualified to treat it or know how to diagnose it.

No, it's not published. But I did some research on it. I think it's mostly used by minor league players, because most of them are young, and are willing to do anything to make the majors, and many of them are older players who used to be good, and trying to make a comeback. like sparks said, many of them are players who are trying to speed up their recovery process.

[ChrisSabo17]

The testing is so random and often I don't think anyone realizes how lucky you have to be. My cousin gets tested quiet often and they just stop by his house and he has to fill up the sample with them watching. The HGH concern can be detected in the piss samples with other drugs that they counter with, (E. Valquez birth meds and Manny had the some other meds for birthing children)so to say that HGH users are getting away with it is not all true. You would have to get extremely lucky to use PEDs and not get caught. I think less than 10% are using minors and all. The minor guys are tested the same way and as often. There are more minor guys being caught so your theory of them using them more is true but not as high as everyone thinks.

[jlohm1]

HGH is only in your system for no longer than 24 hours. it's almost impossible to test for. everyone that was getting in trouble for it, is because they were caught with it, or a clinic got busted.