And Now They Suspect Jhonny Peralta...
By: Jeff Riger
Enough is enough! Can we stop wasting our time already? Now we suspect Tigers shortstop Jhonny Peralta to having used performance enhancing drugs after his name was linked to Anthony Boesch, the director of the Biogenesis Company in Florida that is under investigation by MLB.
Alex Rodriguez, Gio Gonzalez, Melky Cabrera, Nelson Cruz and Ryan Braun all have been linked to Boesch and his clinic and now we can throw the name of Peralta to that list plus Detroit pitching prospect Cesar Carrillo as well. Of course everybody is denying it!
Peralta released a statement from his attorney stating "I have never used performance enhancing drugs. Period. Anybody who says otherwise is lying." The Tigers have also come out and sort of commented stating "The Detroit Tigers fully support Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. We are aware of this report, however since this matter is currently part of an investigation by Major League Baseball, the Club is not at liberty to comment."
Who cares?
These guys are guilty! Cabrera has already failed a drug test as did Braun but he got off on a technicality. A-Rod has already admitted to using PED's once so there is no reason to believe he would not use them again. Why do we believe any of these guys? These investigations are not wrong! We care now because there is a name of a Tiger found? But this is not the first time! Gary Sheffield was involved in the 'cream and clear" while Pudge Rodriguez mysteriously dropped over 30 pounds before spring training one season and let's not forget about the Magglio Ordonez rumors either. Oh, there was also Fernando Vina and Rondel White who were named in the Mitchell Report. Vina admitted that he used while White's checks were found plus a package addressed to White that had yet to be shipped. Also Kirk Radomski, the Mets clubhouse attendant and alleged drug trafficker went on record saying he verbally walked White through on how to give himself an injection.
Everybody is using! Everybody!
This is not the first time that I have said these words. People always disagree, wanting to believe that only a few are juicing and it's them that are ruining baseball's good name. C'mon. The example I love to use includes a couple of former Tigers. Nook Logan and Alex Sanchez were involved in the PED chatter. Sanchez was suspended for 10 games after failing a drug test while Radomski claimed Logan was referred to him by White. So if Sanchez and Logan were using, two guys that were just trying to stay in baseball and Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens have used, two of the best ever; doesn't it make sense that the guys in between were also juicing? Of course it does!
I don't care if these guys or anybody else uses.
Guys have been cheating in baseball forever and this is absolutely no different. In fact this situation might be fairer. It is my belief that there are very few guys in MLB that have not used something to get them through the season or an injury. People love to bring up the innocent players and how they get lumped in with the users. Yes, it's not fair but who is really innocent?
Every day we seem to find out that more people, players that you never even would think of are juicing. I believe Peralta is guilty, I have a right to that opinion and if he is it's another prime example that PED's don't automatically allow you to hit 70 bombs and drive in 120 RBI. Peralta hit a whopping .239 last season with 13 long balls. The season before his batting average was .60 points higher with 8 more homers and 23 additional RBI. Was he using that season?
It's exhausting to even care!
Bonds and Clemens were kept out of the Hall of Fame by writers who ignored the issue back in the day and now think it's their responsibility to set the moral compass.
Former pitcher Tom House, the guy that caught Hank Aaron's 715th homer claims he used steroids and said PED's were widespread in the game in the 1960's and 70's. He claimed that 7 or 8 guys were using from every team.
Numerous guys with numerous skill levels have admitted to using.
Make the stuff legal for all I care, at least that way guys can use the best stuff under the best doctor's orders.
Like I said before, everybody is using and denying. It's not until they have no other option that they will admit that they did it once or twice or in A-Rod's case, 1, 999, 333, 000, 888, 333 times. That number is accurate by the way!
People continue to talk about a "level playing field" and how PED's have ruined that. Well, I got news for you, there is a "level playing field" people just choose to ignore it.
Let steroid users in the hall, stop wasting time trying to figure out who's doping and just play ball already. Maybe the new drug testing in MLB will help, but probably not. The drug is always ahead of the test to detect it.
Let's stop acting outraged every time we hear a new PED story and instead just accept that guys do what they have to do to compete.
Oh, one more thing...
Aren't you proud of me for not using any Peralta-steroid jokes?
