McGwire Admits To Steroid Use

It was about a year ago when Alex Rodriguez admitted (well, was caught) to using performance enhancing drugs. Here, on January 11, baseball is once again saddened to find out that another popular slugger has taken steroids. Only this time, the victim is not as surprising.

Today, Mark McGwire admitted to taking steroids during the late 1990's. In 1998, McGwire smashed 70 home runs, breaking the single-season home run record (which was later broken by another alleged steroid user, Barry Bonds). McGwire and Sammy Sosa were neck and neck for the home run race, but McGwire finished on top -- thanks to a little help. (Sosa, whose face is now discolored, tested positive for steroids.)

"I wish I had never touched steroids. It was foolish and it was a mistake. I
truly apologize. Looking back, I wish I had never played during the steroid
era."

McGwire finished his career in 2001. During his career he smashed 583 home runs, batted .263 and had a .982 OPS. McGwire made the 2010 Hall of Fame ballot, but did not get in. The steroid controversy certainly will effect some votes from some writers.

McGwire is finally getting back into the game, which may have led to his confession. McGwire will be the Cardinals batting coach in 2010. Manager Tony LaRussa even went the distance of saying that McGwire could be activated as a pinch hitter in a pennant race!

I'm glad McGwire admitted it, but it doesn't remove the fact that he still took them in the first place. With all the Mark McGwire news, everything else in baseball has been overshadowed... and it's a shame it's for steroid purposes.

McGwire admitted to steroids, the sun rose, and it set today. Randy Johnson was measured to be tall; Bartolo Colon to be pleasantly plump.

Chase Utley admitted to excessive hair gel use. Utley claims he used LA Looks, which is legal around the league, but rumors are stating that Utley uses Redken, which is banned by baseball.

Okay, well the Utley thing is not true (well, it SORTA is), but it's a nice segway into today's real MLB news:

Greg Maddux will be the Cubs assistant general manager. Maddux is a first ballot Hall of Famer who had a 3.16 career ERA.

The Reds signed Aroldis Chapman to a five-year, $30 million deal. Chapman, a left handed pitcher, was Cuba's prized prospect. He tops 100 on the radar gun, but needs to improve his command.

The Giants agreed to sign Aubrey Huff, the Pirates are closing in on a deal with Ryan Chruch, and the Rangers signed Vladimir Guerrero.

QUOTE SOURCE: MLB.com

Latest News Around Baseball

J.C Romero, who is on the disabled list with a strained left forearm, made a rehab appearance in Clearwater. However, he suffered a setback. Romero threw ten pitches before being shut down due to soreness.

Romero, the Phillies left-handed specialist, has missed a significant amount of time this season due to a 50 game suspension and trip to the disabled list. Romero has a 2.87 ERA in 15.2 innings this season.

On the other hand, Chad Durbin felt fine after throwing an inning in Clearwater. He could be activated any day now. Charlie Manuel said that Clay Condrey (oblique) is “still a ways off.”

The Phillies released Triple-A infielder Pablo Ozuna. Ozuna had been suspended for 50 games after violating the minor league drug policy.

The 34 year old signed a minor league contract with the Phillies during the off-season. He batted .294 with 15 runs batted in with the IronPigs.

In MLB News, Josh Hamilton, who said has been drug and alcohol-free since 2005, now takes that back. Last January, several girls took "suggestive poses" with him. The pictures were released on Deadspin and Hamilton was surprised they didn't come out earlier. During that night, he also asked for cocaine. Hamilton admitted that he was drunk at the time. Embarrassed, he told his family and the Rangers organization right after the incident.

Hamilton, who battled a drug addiction, said "it was one those things that reinforce that I can't have alcohol."

After his named was leaked on the 103 players who tested positive in 2003, David Ortiz claimed that he is clean.

Alex Rios was claimed off waivers, but it is still unsure as to which team claimed him.

Even though this is a few days ago, in case you haven't seen, Prince Fielder tried to break into the Dodgers clubhouse after being hit by a pitch by Guillermo Mota.

Baseball's Latest

The New York Times reported that Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz were on the list of 104 players who tested positive for steroids in 2003. Both Ortiz and Ramirez were teammates at the time.

Ortiz previously made this comment about steroids:

"I think you clean up the game by the testing. I know that if I test positive by
using any kind of substance, I know that I'm going to disrespect my family, the
game, the fans and everybody, and I don't want to be facing that situation."

The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired George Sherill from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for prospects Josh Bell and Steve Johnson. Sherill has a 2.40 ERA and 20 saves as the O's closer.

The Pirates continue to be sellers and are basically giving up their whole team. The Cubs acquired John Grabow and Tom Gorzelanny for Kevin Hart, Jose Ascanio, and Josh Harrison.

Omar Minyaya apologized to a reporter after saying that he "lobbied for a player development position." Today, Minaya said that his comment about Adam Rubin was "out of character."

QUOTE SOURCE: MLB.com

The 104?

This is a RUMORED list floating around the Internet of the 103 players of a list of 104 who were tested positive for steroids in 2003. The test was supposedly anonymous, however it was recently leaked that Alex Rodriguez was on the list. A-Rod admitted to steroid use. Please note this is an UNCONFIRMED list and Swing and a Long Drive has no proof this is accurate. It was found on another website and spread around the Internet.

1.Nomar Garciaparra
2.Manny Ramirez
3.Johnny Damon
4.Trot Nixon
5.David Ortiz
6.Shea Hillenbrand
7.Derek Lowe
8.Pedro Martinez
9.Brian Roberts
10.Jay Gibbons
11.Melvin Mora
12.Jerry Hairston
13.Jason Giambi
14.Alfonso Soriano
15.Raul Mondesi
16. Aaron Boone
17.Andy Pettitte
18.Jose Contreras
19.Roger Clemens
20.Carlos Delgado
21.Vernon Wells
22.Frank Catalanotto
23.Kenny Rogers
24.Magglio Ordonez
25.Sandy Alomar
26.Bartolo Colon
27.Brent Abernathy
28.Jose Lima
29.Milton Bradley
30.Casey Blake
31.Danys Baez
32.Craig Monroe
33.Dmitri Young
34.Alex Sanchez
35.Eric Chavez
36.Miguel Tejada
37.Eric Byrnes
38.Jose Guillen
39.Keith Foulke
40.Ricardo Rincon
41.Bret Boone
42.Mike Cameron
43.Randy Winn
44.Ryan Franklin
45.Freddy Garcia
46.Rafael Soriano
47.Scott Spiezio
48.Troy Glaus
49.Francisco Rodriguez
50.Ben Weber
51.Alex Rodriguez
52.Juan Gonzalez
53.Rafael Palmeiro
54.Carl Everett
55.Javy Lopez
56.Gary Sheffield
57.Mike Hampton
58.Ivan Rodriguez
59.Derrek Lee
60.Bobby Abreu
61.Terry Adams
62.Fernando Tatis
63.Livan Hernandez
64.Hector Almonte
65.Tony Armas
66.Dan Smith
67.Roberto Alomar
68.Cliff Floyd
69.Roger Cedeno
70.Jeromy Burnitz
71.Moises Alou
72.Sammy Sosa
73.Corey Patterson
74.Carlos Zambrano
75.Mark Prior
76.Kerry Wood
77.Matt Clement
78.Antonio Alfonseca
79.Juan Cruz
80.Aramis Ramirez
81.Craig Wilson
82.Kris Benson
83.Richie Sexson
84.Geoff Jenkins
85.Valerio de los Santos
86.Benito Santiago
87.Rich Aurilia
88.Barry Bonds
89.Andres Galarraga
90.Jason Schmidt
91.Felix Rodriguez
92.Jason Christiansen
93.Matt Herges
94.Paul Lo Duca
95.Shawn Green
96.Oliver Perez
97.Adrian Beltre
98.Eric Gagne
99.Guillermo Mota
100.Luis Gonzalez
101.Todd Helton
102.Ryan Klesko
103.Gary Matthews

Violaters Shouldn't Rehab

Major League Baseball has allowed minor league rehab appearances for those who violated the drug policy. Manny Ramirez and J.C Romero, for example, were each allowed rehab appearances before their suspension ended.

Personally, I don't think they should be allowed to rehab before their suspension is up. They violated the policy, they should be penalized. They're banned from MLB for 50 games, that should mean all of baseball, minor leagues and its affiliates. If they need rehab, they should wait until the suspension is up. They can learn their lesson and it supports a stronger drug policy for MLB.

It's not really a suspension if they're still allowed to play somewhere. Yes, it's not the majors, but what if it is not Manny, instead a veteran player on a last place team, but borderline major league talent. He played in the MLB, but he isn't that good. He rehabs in Triple-A, but that is where he should play anyway.

Because of the rehab, Manny Ramirez is receiving more attention around the minor leagues now. Minor League Baseball even broadcasted the game live on their web site. Between innings, kids swept off the bases wearing Manny dreadlocks. Manny received so much fan support and said "People love me everywhere." What kind of message is this sending to kids? Take a banned substance get positive support and attention?

In conclusion, MLB should not allow rehab appearances. By allowing it, it is almost like they are somewhat supporting the policy.

Sosa Tested Postitive

Everybody knows about the corked bat incident. Everybody probably "speculated" use of steroids. His name wasn't on the Mitchell Report. However, it is now "official" that Sammy Sosa tested positive for performance enhancing drugs in 2003.

In 1998, Slammin' Sammy and Mark McGuire went head to head for the home run title. Big Mac finished with 70 HR. Sosa finished with 66.

In 2003, Sosa batted .279, hit 40 homers, drove in 103 runs, and had a .911 OPS. He finished eighth in the MVP voting.

In 2004, Sosa said his corked bat was mixed up with his batting practice bat which was used to provide entertainment, and extra souvenirs to fans. In 2005, he admitted to using creatine, a legal substance. What will be his excuse this time? We know he speaks English.

Just weeks after announcing his official retirement, Sosa is caught for PED.

Blogger "Speculates" Steroid Use for Ibanez

Not many blogs make headlines on ESPN. In fact, unless its by a paid columnist, it is extremely rare. However, JRod, a blogger from MidWest Sports Fans posted speculation about Raul Ibanez using steroids.

Disgusted, Ibanez was asked about the posts and had some words for the blogger and basically asked for a drug test to prove his innocence.

“You can have my urine, my hair, my blood, my stool- anything you can test,”
Ibanez said. “I’ll give you back every dime I’ve ever made [if the test is
positive.]"

The only counter argument the blogger had going was the ball park factor before he stated:

"Any aging hitter who puts up numbers this much better than his career averages
is going to immediately generate suspicion that the numbers are not natural,
that perhaps he is under the influence of some sort of performance enhancer."

Ibanez went to as low as you can critize a blogger calling him a "42-year-old in his mother's basement" and said:

“It’s unfair because this story should be about how hard work, determination,
and desire trumps chemicals and shortcuts,” he said. “That should be the
message: desire, character, work ethic. But some guy who doesn’t know me - one
idiot - says something like this. They should be held accountable. It’s
cowardly.”

Today, JRod had some sort of an apology to Ibanez.

"I'll accept some level of accountability and offer a sincere apology to Raul
Ibanez for advancing a public debate that, in his specific case, is very likely
unfair and perhaps even unnecessary. However, I'm not accepting complete blame
and accountability for being the person who started this. I just tried to do my
homework and write a cogent response to speculation I had heard from other
sources."

The blogger certainly received an increase of page views to his site, but also a bunch of nasty e-mails.

The Fightins and Gonzo have the full story.

Phillies Reactions to Manny

Some Phillies players have discussed the fifty game suspension of Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder, Manny Ramirez.

Brad Lidge

"It makes you wonder, was he doing it last year? Every time something like
this happens, you feel cheated a bit. Was he on the substance when I had to
pitch against him in the postseason? Naturally, it makes you feel upset."

"So he either did it negligently, or he did something he wasn't supposed to
do? Either way . . . I'd be curious to know the details. It makes you wonder,
was he doing that last year?"

"It's real frustrating, because it continues to tarnish our game," he said.
"No one knows who is going to be next. As players, we should realize that
every time someone gets caught, our game takes a hit."

Matt Stairs

“If you know the stuff isn’t on the list, why take it? I know I’m not very
smart, but I know I can figure that one out. There are a bunch of guys who are
going to have to stop taking all this health [stuff] and go back to being chubby
and having fun.”

“I think now there are guys who are taking MLB approved supplements and
sticking with it,” Stairs said. “But I’ve never even used that stuff and never
will unless someone puts it in my drink by mistake.”

(For more on Matt Stairs, visit Stairs' Way to Heaven and see the "fact" I suggested.

Shane Victorino

“It’s sad. I feel bad for him, but I guess he brought it on himself.”

Charlie Manuel

“I used to do a lot of work with him as a hitter. I knew how good he was.
He’s a great hitter. I know his talent. I’m sad. I don’t know what to say. I’m
just sad.”

“I don’t know anything about [the possibility of Manny taking steroids in
the 90s],” Manuel said. “When he was young I don’t think he was taking
anything.”

“I’d like to see baseball get cleaned out – cleaned up,” Manuel said. “I’d
like to see baseball get through it and move on.”

QUOTE SOURCE: Philly.com, Comcast Sportsnet

Phillies Note: Danny Ozark passed away on Thursday. He had a career record of 594-510 managing the Phillies, including 3 consecutive division titles. He was 85 years old.

Call of the day: In 1983, Tony Perez hit a home run to win the game.

"The 2-0 pitch.. LONG DRIVE! Deep Left center! Outta Here! A 3 run homer, Tony
Perez. And the Phillies win it by a score of 7-4, on a 9th inning homer by
Perez!"

Manny Suspended 50 Games

Manny Ramirez of the Los Angeles Dodgers has been suspended for 50 games for the use of performance enhancing drugs.

The suspension is similar to J.C Romero's. Manny was unaware the substance was banned. The substance that caused him to test positive was likely from a medication he received from a personal doctor for a medical problem.

Depending on rain outs, Manny will likely be back on the field on July 3.

Ramirez has been a key player for the first place Dodgers who set a modern day record for their 13-0 start at home. In 27 games, Manny is batting .348 with 6 HR and 20 RBI.

Manny will lose $7.7 million in salary for suspension.

Xavier Paul fill be called up from Triple-A to replace Manny on the Dodgers roster.

UPDATE (5:34 PM): The steroid Manny reportedly took was HCG, or human chorionic gonadatropin, a women's fertility drug. The drug is normally taken when a steroid user comes off a steroid cycle in order to restart testosterone production.

A-Rod Explains

Alex Rodriguez apologized to fans and teammates going more into depth about his steroid use on Tuesday. Calling it a stupid mistake, A-Rod claimed that his unidentified cousin injected him with a foreign substance.

"I knew we weren't taking Tic Tacs," he said. "It was pretty evident we didn't
know what we were doing," Rodriguez said. "We did everything we could to keep it
between us, and my cousin did not provide any other players with it. I stopped
taking it in 2003 and haven't taken it since."

A-Rod, who tested positive for Primobalan in 2003, also admitted to taking the product Ripped Fuel, which eventually became banned by MLB.

"It isn't lost on me the good fortunes I've received playing baseball. I [was in
the Major Leagues] right out of high school, and I thought I knew everything. I
clearly didn't. I've made mistakes in my life, and the only way I know to handle
them is to learn from them and move forward. One thing I know for sure is that
baseball is a lot bigger than Alex Rodriguez."

Rodriguez has lost the respect of many people in the baseball world including Jamie Moyer, who recently expressed his thoughts on his former Seattle Mariners teammate.

"I don't see how he has a chance [to make the Hall of Fame]. "Who in their right
mind would vote for anyone who got caught taking that stuff?"

"It's about respecting the game," Moyer continued. "I'd be disappointed in anybody in
that situation. When people have had an impact on your life, you want to feel
for them. But how can I feel for him? To me, if you're doing it, you know it's
illegal. I commend him for coming out and saying it, but why didn't he say it
seven years ago?"

Raul Ibanez, also a former teammate of A-Rod, said along with Ken Griffey Jr., A-Rod was one of the most talented players he ever played with.

"He's acknowledged that fact that he did the wrong thing," Ibanez added. "It's a bad
day. I think it's a bad day, but at the same time, I know the human element,
because I know Alex personally. We were teammates in Seattle. Normally, as a
player you see something happen with a guy that you don't really know and you
think that guy did something wrong. Because I know him, I feel for him. I know
he's hurting, and he's acknowledging it."

Current teammates of A-Rod, such as Derek Jeter, support him. It wasn't too long ago where other Yankees such as Jason Giambi and Andy Pettitte were in the same boat as Rodriguez.

"We're here to support him through it. We don't condone what he did. Alex
doesn't condone what he did. At this point now, it's our job to help him be as
comfortable as he can on the field and try to move past this."

A-Rod knows there is no other way to gain respect back but by finishing his career cleanly.

"I know that I am in a position where I have to earn my trust back," Rodriguez
said. "And over time, I am confident that at the end of my career, people will
see this for what it is -- a stupid mistake and a lesson learned for a guy with
a lot of baseball to play."

A-Rod claimed he hasn't taken steroids since, regularly taking blood and urine test. He is ready to start the season, proving he's still a great player steroid free.



QUOTE SOURCE: MLB.com

Tejada Charged

In 2002, he won the American League MVP. About a year ago, he was mentioned on the Mitchell Report. Now, Miguel Tejada could face a maximum of one year in jail.

Tejada was charged of lying to Congress about steroids. Tejada will meet in court on Wednesday, expecting to plead guilty.

In 2005, Tejada admitted he provided a vitamin B-12 injection to the positive tested Rafeal Palmero and two other Orioles players. Later that year, he claimed he had no knowledge of the use of steroids by other baseball players.

However, Adam Piatt was quoted in the Mitchell report to have had a conversation with Tejada about steroids. Included were checks written by Tejada to Piatt. Tejada claimed he had no knowledge of Piatt's use of steroids, giving false allegations.

Quotable: The steroid issue has brought up a lot of conversation over the last few days. Lance Berkman, a teammate of Tejada, stated he'd give blood weekly to prove he's clean.

"I want an honest evaluation of me as a player," he said. "I don't want to
compete against guys who are artificially enhancing. Are they physically gifted
above and beyond what I am? If they are, that's fine. If not, it makes me angry,
quite frankly."

Berkman also talked about his teammate:

"The thought definitely crosses your mind," Berkman said. "You hope whatever
plea agreement he worked out means he can continue to play shortstop for us."

A-Rod Admits To Taking Steroids

As seen on Philliesnation.com

Barry Bonds, Jose Canseco, Roger Clemens. When these names are brought up, one thing comes to mind: steroids. An asterisk is placed by their names and the thought of any player during the "steroid era" being clean comes to mind

For a while, A-Rod was thought to be one of those pure talented players, up until a recent report from Sports Illustrated. Random, mandatory drug testing was done, and A-Rod tested positive for an anabolic steroid in 2003, his first MVP year. In 2003, there was no penalty for steroids.

Because of the BALCO investigation surrounding Bonds, federal agents raided labs, discovering a list of 104 players who tested positive for anabolic steroids in 2004. The testing was supposed to be anonymous, but unlike the other 103, A-Rod's name was released. A-Rod has never been linked to the BALCO case.

In his book, Jose Canseco, linked A-Rod's name to steroids. Nobody believed him.

"I said in my book 'Vindicated' that he was a known steroid user before 2000," Canseco told the Miami Herald. "It's old news. I've been saying this forever. You guys are playing catch-up."

In 2004, Gene Orza tipped A-Rod about an upcoming drug testing with the Rangers. Orza had no comment on this matter.

The drug Rodriguez tested positive for, primobolan, improves strength, but does not show a dramatic change in body structure. A-Rod's numbers remained steady with no dramatic increase. Unlike Bonds, there was no suspicion that an illegal substance had been taken.

When A-Rod's name was released, he had no comments saying, "You'll have to talk the union." MLB Player's Associate had no comment due to court orders.

When the Mitchell Report was released just over a year ago, A-Rod told Katie Couric that he never took steroids.

"You never felt like, 'This guy's doing it, maybe I should look into this, too? He's getting better numbers, playing better ball,'" Couric asked.

"I've never felt overmatched on the baseball field. I've always been a very strong, dominant position. And I felt that if I did my work as I've done since I was, you know, a rookie back in Seattle, I didn't have a problem competing at any level. So, no," he replied.

A-Rod clearly lied as today, he admitted to taking steroids "for a period of time."

"When I arrived in Texas in 2001, I felt an enormous amount of pressure," Rodriguez said. "I felt like I had all the weight of the world on top of me, and I needed to perform -- and perform at a high level -- every day."

"Back then, it was a different culture. It was very loose. I was young, I was stupid, I was naïve. I wanted to prove to everyone that I was worth being one of the greatest players of all-time. I did take a banned substance, and for that I'm very sorry. I'm deeply regretful."

"I'm sorry for that time, I'm sorry to my fans, I'm sorry to my fans in Texas. It wasn't until then that I ever thought about substances of any kind. Since then, I've proved to myself and to everyone that I don't need any of that."

Rodriguez, who makes more money than the entire Marlins roster, is represented by Scott Boras. Boras claimed he had no idea that Rodriguez was taking steroids.

A-Rod did the right thing by admitting that he used them, but he still took and lied about using illegal drugs. He only admitted it because he was caught.

Because A-Rod took steroids, it questions if some of the best players in the game have also taken steroids in their careers. The entire steroid saga isn't good for baseball, or any sport for that matter, as players are cheating their way through the game. The only thing MLB can do is to continue to test and penalize users. Whether A-Rod gets penalized remains to be seen, but there is no proof that he is currently on steroids. He must prove that he is still one of the elite players in the game without illegal substances.

Tim Malcom from Phillies Nation also pointed out his side opinion of the story.

Phillies Nation Debut

For a while now, I've been doing some "side jobs" for Phillies Nation. I've been updating their MySpace page and more recently, the Facebook group. Today, I made my posting debut on their site in an article about Kyle Kendrick.

To read the article click here.

Recent news: Former Phillie Randy Wolf signed a 1 year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Wolf, who turned down a 3 year deal worth over $20 million with the Houston Astros, settled with $5 million with incentives.

Breaking news: A-Rod tested positive for steroids in 2003 while he was with the Texas Ranges. In that year, there were no penalties for steroids.