“Moneyball” is major motion picture starring Brad Pitt that is based on Michael Lewis’ book of the same name. The movie, much like the book, is NOT about the use of anabolic steroids and performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball. This has upset some sportswriters, notably Lance Williams. Williams is the co-author (along with Mark Fainaru-Wada) of “The Game of Shadows”; the Williams and Fainaur-Wada book used leaked grand jury testimony from the federal investigation of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO) to craft a narrative about the widespread use of steroids by professional baseball players. [Read more…]
Steroids in Baseball
Sep
18
Roger Clemens’ Steroid Supplier Gets Second Chance at Baseball Facility for Kids
The New York Daily News reports that Brian McNamee has been named the new general manager of Baseball Plus. Baseball Plus is a state of the art facility offering private, professional baseball instruction. It has been described as the “mecca” for kids aspiring to become professional baseball players. Steve Diamond and Rod Ganis, the owners of Baseball Plus, have given McNamee a second chance at being involved in the sport he loves. McNamee’s life fell apart after he was named as the steroid dealer who provide anabolic steroids and human growth hormone to Major League Baseball player Roger Clemens in the Mitchell Report. [Read more…]
Sep
17
Roger Maris’ Family Wants Baseball to Acknowledge Steroid Era
The family of Roger Maris wants Major League Baseball to acknowledge the influence that the use of anabolic steroids has had on current records. Roger Maris set the home run record of 61 runs when he broke Babe Ruth’s single-season record in 1961. The record stood for 37 years until 1998 when Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa shattered it. Barry Bonds currently holds the single-season home run record. Bonds, McGwire and Sosa have all since been linked to steroids and have become poster boys of baseball’s so-called “steroid era”. [Read more…]
Sep
06
Congressman Thinks Roger Clemens Suffered Enough in Steroids Case
A former Congressman, who was highly active in the Congressional witch-hunt targeting athletes who used anabolic steroids, doesn’t believe the Justice Department should continue its pursuit of Roger Clemens on charges that he lied about his use of steroids. Former United States Representative Tom Davis doesn’t seem to think Clemens is telling the truth but he feels that Clemens has suffered enough and has already paid the price for lying to Congress. [Read more…]
Sep
01
Obstruction of Justice Conviction Upheld in Barry Bonds Steroid Case
United States District Judge Susan Illston upheld the conviction of Barry Bonds on obstruction of justice charge. The government had hoped to prove that Bonds lied about his use of anabolic steroids and human growth hormone in the multi-million dollar perjury case against the baseball slugger. They had charged him with three counts of perjury for specific lies about his steroid use during grand jury testimony. However, Bonds was essentially cleared after a hung jury resulted in a mistrial on all three charges and the prosecution declined the opportunity to retry Bonds on the three perjury charges. [Read more…]
Aug
09
Methyltestosterone and IGF-1 Concerns Lead Major League Baseball to Ban Velvet Deer Antler
Major League Baseball has warned major and minor league baseball players to avoid any dietary supplements and sprays containing “deer antler velvet extract”. The ban on velvet deer antler follows reports that athletes have tested positive for the anabolic-androgenic steroid methyltestosterone after using “Ultimate Sports Spray“. [Read more…]
Jul
25
Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco’s Steroid Dealer Busted by FBI in 1992
An anabolic steroid dealer who supplied Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco was busted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) during a federal steroid investigation codenamed Operation Equine in 1992. Former FBI Special Agents Bill Randall and Greg Stejskal arrested Curtis Wenzlaff who provided the federal government with evidence linking McGwire and Canseco to steroid use. Wenzlaff even provided details of the specific steroid cycles Mark McGwire allegedly used. [Read more…]
Jul
24
Roger Clemens Off the Hook for Allegedly Lying About Steroids?
The government’s court case against Roger Clemens for lying about the use of anabolic steroids and human growth hormone went down in flames after federal prosecutors made a colossal mistake that forced the judge to declare a mistrial. This doesn’t necessarily mean that Roger Clemens is off the hook. Most attorneys and legal experts feel there is a good chance that U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton will allow the government to pursue a second trial against Clemens. [Read more…]
Jul
15
Major League Baseball Suspends Four Dominican Summer League Players for Steroids
Major League Baseball has suspended four minor league players this month who were playing for their teams’ Dominican Summer League affiliates. Chicago Cubs pitcher Yomar Morel tested positive for the steroid boldenone (aka Equipoise) while his teammate pitcher Enyelberth Pena tested positive for nandrolone (aka Deca Durabolin). Houston Astros pitcher Manuel Sanchez and San Diego Padres pitcher Miguel Severino both tested positive for stanozolol (aka Winstrol). First-time steroid violations under the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program result in an automatic 50-game suspension. [Read more…]
Jul
14
Judge Declares Mistrial in Roger Clemens Trial After Federal Prosecutors Make Colossal Mistake
United States District Judge Reggie Walton declared a mistrial in the Roger Clemens case today after federal prosecutors made a colossal mistake. Judge Walton clearly blamed the government for the mistrial. Assistant United States Attorneys Steven Durham and Daniel Butler likely suffered one of the most humiliating days of their careers as Judge Walton chastised them for making a mistake that even a first-year law student would have known to avoid. Judge Walton reminded the prosecutors how much taxpayer payer money was spent on the Roger Clemens investigation and prosecution. He was troubled at the inexcusable and careless attempts by the federal prosecutors to break the rules set by the court thereby forcing a mistrial. [Read more…]
