Latest PED Findings Highlight Need For Patience, Better Punishment - Gary Armida's Blog

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Gary Armida's Blog

Latest PED Findings Highlight Need For Patience, Better Punishment Stuck

Posted on February 6, 2013 at 07:41 AM.

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Predictably, a few more names have been leaked out of the Miami clinic, Biogenesis. This time, Yahoo Sports published three more names with Ryan Braun being the headliner. Named alongside the 2011 MVP are Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli and Orioles third baseman Danny Valencia. There were always going to be more names. More will follow. The black cloud of the latest performance enhancing drugs scandal will try to envelope the sport as it looks towards the start of spring training and the World Baseball Classic.

But, like all of the previous scandals, Major League Baseball will overcome. History shows that Baseball has survived every type of scandal thrown its way whether it was gambling, cheating, drugs, and now PEDs. There is no death of baseball knell sounding, even as this latest one is bleeding far slower than when the Mitchell Report came out or that original list was leaked out.

There is, however, a positive with yet another list of names to ponder. With each new scandal, Major League Baseball and the Players Association will inch closer to a more appropriate punishment. As much as it seems like the leaking of names has been slow, the two sides have been slower in reacting. To be fair, fans and media were complicit with MLB and the Players Association. Everyone involved all turned away and pushed back the feelings of what the eyes saw because what we saw was spectacular. But, the price of that is now being paid.

�Blood will have blood they say.�

The game�s credibility continues to take body blows. Those blows aren�t enough to damage it forever, but they are becoming enough to make for real change. The two sides do deserve credit for their present day actions. The sport has the most thorough testing plan in professional sports. There will be blood testing this season. There will be long term tracking of testosterone levels. All of that is tremendous. Commissioner Bud Selig and Union Chief Michael Weiner have come together like no other lead negotiators in the history of professional sports. It may have taken a change in the leadership of the players, but present day testing is tops and as good as it gets.

The one thing that Major League Baseball does lack is appropriate punishment. That has been the one area that the two sides have always been slow with. At first, there was nothing. And then, there was the 10 game suspension for failing the test, which is essentially nothing. But, the two sides got together, reopened the collective bargaining agreement and stiffened the penalties to their current levels of 50 games for a first offense, 100 for a second, and then a lifetime ban.

The purpose of punishment is to stop behavior from recurring. Some may say that the current system is working. Players such as Melky Cabrera and Bartolo Colon were caught and suspended. While both lost money, both do have contracts for the current season. Cabrera may have lost $20 million or so and a long term deal, but he still got $16 million over two years. Sure, his name is soiled and everyone will scrutinize him, but his paycheck will clear on the first and fifteenth of the month. Bartolo Colon, even at the age of 40, has a guaranteed contract of $3 million. And, while Alex Rodriguez is once again linked to PEDs and has already admitted to using, he will still cash his checks and will finish career with earnings over $600 million.

If that is punishment, sign me up.

It is important to remember that due process and a thorough investigation must be conducted by Major League Baseball. Conclusions cannot be drawn until their findings are made public. Having Ryan Braun listed does immediately stir up the negative feelings of just one year ago when Braun was cleared of a failed PED test because of a violation of the collection process. Braun lectured the media and world at his press conference about the need to 100 percent accurate during this process. He was right. But, if it is proven that he did use PEDs from Biogenesis, his stern lecture and his tearing down of the collection agent will be put into the category of Lance Armstrong methodology--destroying whoever to be on top.

Braun released a statement that flatly denied his involvement.

"During the course of preparing for my successful appeal last year, my attorneys, who were previously familiar with Tony Bosch, used him as a consultant. More specifically, he answered questions about T/E ratio and possibilities of tampering with samples.

"There was a dispute over compensation for Bosch's work, which is why my lawyer and I are listed under 'moneys owed' and not on any other list.

"I have nothing to hide and have never had any other relationship with Bosch.

"I will fully cooperate with any inquiry into this matter."

His statement seems clear, it seems logical, and it could be the truth. And, if it is true, it really gives a good indication that the players listed next to PED�s like Rodriguez, Nelson Cruz and Gio Gonzalez, have quite a bit of explaining to do. If Braun was really using Bosch as an expert in his case, that seems really incriminating towards the players who have drugs listed next to their names on Bosch�s list.

Francisco Cervelli also released a statement, stating that he consulted with many experts, including Biogenesis to help him recover from his 2011 foot injury. He asserts, �I purchased supplements I am certain were not prohibited by Major League Baseball.�

Again, that sounds perfectly reasonable. And, does seem to further indite players who have drugs listed next to their names.

That is precisely why Major League Baseball must be thorough in its investigations. That thoroughness will become even more important if MLB and the Players Association take the next logical step with punishment. Suspending players for a set period of time just doesn�t seem to have an impact. 50 games isn�t even half the season. For players who are making millions of dollars, the loss of 50 games is hardly felt. Even 100 games doesn�t quite do it. To millionaires, that is simply a worthwhile risk. Someone like Melky Cabrera looked at the punishment system and saw that the reward of a big payday was worth the risk of being punished. He lost some money, but he is on a team that enters the 2013 season as a division favorite.

The punishment has to be more severe to deter players from using drugs and to use the state of the art conditioning facilities, coaches, and approved experts. Right now, the pressure to perform is still too great. And, while many will simply gloss over the names like Francisco Cervelli, Danny Valencia, and Cesar Carrillo, they are actually the players most impacted by the PED culture. These are the marginal players who may take the drugs just to have a chance at a Major League career. Right now, the 50 games isn�t even enough to deter them. The chance at a Major League payday, even at the minimum, outweighs the possible punishment. The money is too great; the competition is too great. The pressure is even greater.

It is a culture that we all helped create when we glorified Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa a decade ago. We all did this--the fans, the media, Major League Baseball and the Players Association. Even the players who never cheated did this; nobody said a word. It was easier to be silent. And, when someone like former Texas Rangers starting pitcher Rick Helling spoke at Union Meetings about the steroids problem, he was ostracized.

At some point, MLB and the MLBPA will look into stricter, more appropriate punishments. Any time a consequence system fails to change behavior, there has to be an adjustment. They�ve already made one adjustment. But, what is the appropriate punishment level? It has to be something severe. Maybe a one year suspension would be appropriate. One year�s salary is significant. That will stop more players from cheating.

But, the only method that would all but insure that PED�s would disappear is a one strike policy. If a player gets caught, he loses the right to play Major League Baseball. Of course, there would have to be a more thorough appeal process and investigation process, but the loss of a livelihood would deter almost everyone. There will always be the guys who will attempt to cheat for various reasons, but the majority of players who are on the edge of cheating will likely pull back because of the harsh punishment. The fear of never playing again should outweigh the potential gain of using drugs.

In reality, we aren�t there yet. It will take time for the two sides to come to that conclusion. They will likely up the punishment to 100 games for the first offense and then ban the player. It will deter some, but there will still be a significant number of players using. They could still make their money, even with the suspension. Eventually, the two sides will see the only possible way to truly clean up the sport. It will take time, but they�ll get there. Each new scandal brings them a step closer. Each new scandal brings the game closer to what it once was.

And, that�s about the only positive that can come out of this.

Sound off OS: Do you think MLB should adopt a one strike policy (a lifetime ban for one failed drug test) when it comes to players who are caught using PEDs?

Gary Armida is a staff writer for Operation Sports. He also writes more baseball at fullcountpitch.com. Join the conversation on twitter @garyarmida.

Comments

# 1 jWILL253 @ Feb 6

I think we need to properly define what a PED actually is. Because, as it stands, the drug policies in all the major sports leagues are to ambiguous to really be effective in weeding out the cheaters. That, and it would help the debate it tremendously. Because we just assume it's all testosterone and HGH. For all we know, these guys could just be taking supplements that contain banned ingredients in them

# 2 bobtrain @ Feb 6

Agree with this article. The media has a funny way of placing words together that incriminate individuals before they are actual guilty of any wrong doing. Many people take media reports that he's guilty. I also agree with @JWILL253. My wife is a pharmacists and she laughs at the major sports leagues PED lists because some are used for actual medical purposes while others aren't on the list altogether.