PED's

I used to be somewhat athletic.  I can no longer do much of anything, given my age and infirmities.  But I do pay attention to what's going on.

One issue that's raised its ugly head in the last couple of days has been PED's.  I think anyone who knowingly uses them is cheating.  Many, many people in many, many sports have been banned for their use.  Without examining every case, I tend to believe that the governing bodies got it right when they banned the offenders.

There are three case, however, where I think that either the sport got it wrong or where I'm totally confused by the allegations.  In each case a high-profile player is involved.  But due to certain facts, I think the players are either innocent or at least reasonable doubt exists -- absent an explanation from an  expert in the field -- that the players are guilty of using PED's.

The first case involves Rafael Palmeiro.  Anyone who saw him play knows he had one of the sweetest, most natural swings in the game.  When it was announced that he had tested positive for PED's, I was stunned.  Other announcements didn't faze me; Raffi's did.  When he was asked about the positive test, Raffi said that Miguel Tejada had given him what he thought was a vitamin supplement.  As far as I know, Tejada never addressed the issue, although I may have missed any comment he may have made.

A few years later, Tejada was listed in the Mitchell Report as having tested positive for PED's. 

As far as I'm aware, no one has ever gone back and addressed these events.

The next player who tested positive, allegedly, was Ryan Braun.  Another hitter of exceptional ability, Braun allegedly tested positive during last year's playoffs.  He ultimately won in arbitration to have the results thrown out on procedural grounds and was villified for having done so, even though he was well within his rights under the collective bargaining agreement to challenge the process.  What Braun said in his own defense was that none of his measurables ever changed, and this year he's batting just about the same as he did prior to the scandal, presumably while being tested.  If a player's measurables are unchanged, if the test was so out of whack as to be unbelievable, and if his performance after the test in question shows no fall-off, what are we to believe?  I believe Braun was clean at the time of his test, that he is clean now and there was some problem with the collection or maintenance of his sample.

The final example is Lance Armstrong.  From reports I've read, Armstrong isn't the most personable athlete out there.  Perhaps he's no Ty Cobb, but even so, he's not going to be confused with Mr. Robinson, either.

But here's what I can't fathom:  After having endured cancer and the rigourous and invasive chemotherapy that he did, after riding in grueling Tours de France that tax even highly-conditioned athletes, how is his body not breaking down?  Instead, he's now competing in triathlons.  We've seen the effects of PED's with wrestlers and other athletes, so if he was using PED's during his glory Tour days, how is it that he's unaffected by all his body's been through -- cancer, PED's, seven Tours -- and the aging process, to the point that he's able to compete in triathlons?

I don't know whether Armstrong used PED's, but until a medical professional can answer that question to my satisfaction or the governing bodies find the smoking needles, I reserve opinion as to whether he used PED's.

(c) 2012 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles