One Pennsylvania columnist thinks he has figured out why Alex Ovechkin is not the same as he was in the past years, as the Capitals continue to find their footing after recent changes to the coaching staff.

According to the Pennsylvania Observer-Reporter’s John Steigerwald, Ovechkin is now off the juice.

From Wtop.com:

The guy was superhuman when he first came into the league. He had the hardest shot anybody had seen in years. Goalies around the league talked about how it was different from everybody else’s shot.

He’s taking about half as many shots as he used to.

Is any of this proof that Ovechkin’s performance was enhanced before, and now it’s not? No. But, you combine it with the fact that his doctor was charged with bringing PEDs over the border from Canada, and it gives you the right to be suspicious.

Add to that the fact a Washington D.C. chiropractor was investigated after he bragged about supplying steroids to members of the Capitals and Washington Nationals.

The chiropractor Stigerwald refers to is Douglas Nagel, who was arrested in 2010 for purchasing anabolic steroids from a Florida dealer.

Tags: Alex Ovechkin, anabolic steroids, PEDs, steroids

Posted in buy steroids, Steroid Cycles, steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in Sports

There seems to be an epidemic happening at the NHL this season. More than a handful of NHL stars are taking a break due to broken bones.

This week, Atlanta’s Ilya Kovalchuk broke his bone in his right foot. He will be missing  on the next three to five weeks this season.

Two of Boston Bruins top forwards, Marc Savard and Milan Lucic will miss four to six weeks. Savard suffered a broken foot while Lucic had his finger broken.

Joining the list are Carolina forward Erik Cole with a broken leg, Vancouver winger Daniel Sedin with a broken foot, New Jersey defenseman Paul Martin with a broken arm and Pittsburgh blueliner Sergei Gonchar with a broken wrist.

With the rampant use of steroids use in the world of sports, it would be impossible not to suspect steroids as the main culprit for all these bones breaking. Many people, especially those in the medical field know that steroids can lead to brittle bones, which can increase chances of broken bones.

One thing good about NHL is that the league always subjects their players to drug testing before competing in international games such as the Olympics. Bryan Berard was previously caught positive for PEDs use by this particular NHL system before the Torino Games.

From the Miami Herald:

You see a lot of sports drinks floating around NHL locker rooms, but with the amount of broken bones suffered so far this season, perhaps teams should make milk readily available as well.

Tags: NHL, PEDs, steroids

Posted in buy steroids, Steroid Cycles, steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids

Total Non-stop Action Wrestling, the second largest wrestling promotion, behind WWE is noted not to have a wellness policy.

TNA must seriously consider establishing a wellness policy as media would normally turn to WWE every time a wrestler gets busted for steroids or drug use.

There are number of reasons why TNA should have a wellness policy. It includes getting the message across that steroids and other performance enhancing drugs are not tolerated in professional wrestling.

TNA gives the impression of offering an open door for anyone using steroids, PEDs and painkillers.

Ex-WWE wrestlers involved in steroids issue usually enter TNA after being released from WWE. This creates a very negative impression on TNA.

Having a wellness policy improves TNA’s credibility, as more viewers become attracted to the company. Many wrestlers also prefer to work in a company with a clean and honest reputation to avoid their reputation from being tarnished in return.

A wellness policy is also one means to control future “accidents” or deaths in the future. Several wrestlers have wasted their life over drugs, stars such as the late Andrew “Test” Martin or Curt “Mr. Perfect” Henning.

Finally, media would less likely criticize pro wrestling if wrestlers come out clean. Nobody wants pro wrestling destroyed just because of controversies such as wrestlers getting caught from using steroids.

From Bleacher report:

Even I have called TNA out on some of these issues but something that grinds my gears about TNA, and something that strangely no one has brought up, is that they have yet to establish a wellness policy.

As of right now, TNA has no wellness policy at all, not even one in basic form.

Tags: Andrew “Test” Martin, Curt “Mr. Perfect” Henning, PEDs, steroids, TNA, wrestling, wwe

Posted in buy steroids, Steroid Cycles, steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in Boxing, Steroids in Sports

Many people would refer to Human Growth Hormone (HGH) as steroids. Actually, it’s not. Human growth hormone is a synthetic hormone.

For years, HGH has been promoted to increase healing following an injury or trauma, enhance athletic performance and increase cardiac output. Some even take HGH, which is believed to have anti-aging properties.

Professor John T. Wendt, Associate Professor in the Ethics and Business Law Department of the University of St. Thomas, a specialist in Sports Law and Olympics policies and business, explained the real effects of HGH, its side effects, and its impact in sports.

The major effect of HGH in the body is to stimulate the production and secretion of insulin. As insulin levels increases production of cartilage cells is stimulated. This results in bone growth and in organ growth.

Among the side effects of HGH include diabetes, muscle, joint and bone pain, abnormality in organ growth, hypertension, cardiac deficiency, accelerated osteoarthritis and worsening of cardiovascular diseases.

HGH is never permitted in and out of the competition, based on the World Anti-doping Authority rules.

There are cases, however, that steroids or PEDs use is permitted. A medical condition such as asthma is allowed by WADA to be treated with steroids such as Symbicort.

From the Examiner:

Professor Wendt reiterates that using HGH is not permitted under the World Anti-Doping Authority’s list of Prohibited Substances and it is not possible for one to obtain a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) for the hormone. Professor Wendt wrote, “The important thing to remember is that hGH is prohibited in both in- and out-of-competition. WADA uses a blood test to test for hGH and has been in use since the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.”

Tags: HGH, PEDs, WADA

Posted in buy steroids, Steroid Cycles, steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids

Steroids are commonly associated with bodybuilding. However, most people are not aware that common drug treatments used in various medical conditions are also a form of steroids.

Take for example in bone marrow stimulation. Anabolic steroids are used to increase red blood cell count. They are particularly useful in treating hypoplastic anemia, a type of anemia commonly seen among leukemia or kidney patients.

Another use of anabolic steroids is appetite stimulation. This effect may be attributed to the increase in metabolism rate of a person. Anabolic steroids are also useful in improving muscle mass. Patients with chronic diseases like cancer or AIDS usually experience loss of appetite and subsequent weight loss. They may also experience muscle wasting due to immobilization. There are numerous studies showing that these patients were given anabolic steroids and they showed positive results. Anabolic steroids work in these conditions by increasing the energy consumption through increase food intake.

In cases where there is stunned growth due to some pituitary disorders, testosterone works best by promoting signs of puberty.

Testosterone is also beneficial as a male contraceptive. Testosterone enanthate is given to decrease normal production of testosterone in a male’s body. It is slowly gaining popularity in the field of family planning. It is also proven reliable and is a reversible type of contraceptive method.

From Knol:

Steroids are meant for different purposes and are prescribed by doctors with several intentions. In the aspect of body building, they are used for muscle development. On the other hand, there are those steroids which are used in pain relieving when exercising. Medical use of steroids is very relative and there are different approaches in which it is adopted.

Tags: anabolic steroids, Major League Baseball, medical, Mitchell Report, PEDs

Posted in buy steroids, Steroid Cycles, steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids

To each his own. Things get hotter in the Major Leagues now that MBPA Executive Director Donald Fehr counters Commissioner Bob Selig’s statements that the union refused the drug testing of players. He said if he had only known that a significant number of players were using the performance enhancing drugs the union might have consented to the drug testing. He says though that the program was working very well.

One of those tested positive for steroid use in 2003 was Alex Rodriguez the results were leaked which forced him to admit to using the PEDs. As damage control and, perhaps, self preservation Selig issues a statement that the owners made a proposal in 1994-95 that drug testing should be part of the labor talks. He accuses the union of declining the proposal. To which Fehr rebuts, that they weren’t serious.

From the Los Angeles Times:

Rodriguez’s confirmation prompted Selig to issue a statement in which he noted that owners proposed drug testing as part of the 1994-95 labor negotiations but were “rebuffed by the union.” The statement also said that the union consented to testing as part of the 2002 labor agreement “but only after an extremely contentious standoff.”

Fehr said Tuesday that owners did make a proposal in 1994 but, “They weren’t serious about it. It didn’t even get to the main bargaining table.”

Fehr said he had no idea steroids were prevalent in the game in the 1990s. In hindsight, he said, the union could have been more proactive on the issue “in theory.”

It seems that everytime a new personality is brought upfront to be allegedly involved in the steroids scandal, he forms another link to the blame game. The public and the media turns to Selig for answers since he’s the commissioner, he points a finger at Fehr, Fehr pitches the issue to the team owners. Rodriguez should be commended for owning up to his deed.

Tags: Alex Rodriguez, Bob Selig, Donald Fehr, MLBPA, PEDs, steroids

Posted in steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in Baseball, Steroids in Sports

Anyone can bet that the steroids controversy will not die down anytime soon. New players are brought into the game and the recent one placed on the grilling is Bob Selig, Major League Baseball’s Commissioner. He had been accused of neglecting to address the issue of steroid use in the MLB. Rumors of steroid use among baseball players have been circulating for more than 10 years already and now people wonder why no one made a big deal about it until now when Yankees baseball star, Alex Rodriguez came forward to admit that he was using performance enhancing drugs. Also implicated was trainer Angel Presinal, who allegedly supplied the players with the banned substance.

Selig continued to defend himself over the criticisms saying he did all he could in curbing the use of PEDs. But the stringent laws of the MLBPA have kept him from doing so.

From Sun Times:

“The American labor laws are very clear. They’re very lucid. They’re very concise,” Selig said. “The fact is, it’s a subject of collective bargaining. So if I were to make some dramatic announcement that I’m going to do it anyway — you can’t do that.”

Why not? Wouldn’t there be a position of strength created simply from a bully-pulpit standpoint — as opposed to weakening the office?

“No, and I’ll tell you why,” Selig said. “It’s clear that drug testing is a subject for collective bargaining, and, therefore, if you do it, and an arbitrator — boom — throws you out fast because there’s no doubt it’s a subject of collective bargaining, then you really haven’t accomplished anything.

Being a top honcho in the MLB, Selig should have known about the use of steroids in the teams. However, he maintains that he had given recommendations that drug testing should have been done as far back as 1995 but he said that the players union had always fought against it. Some say he could have used his authority to impose it or condemn the use of the drugs.

Tags: Bob Selig, Major League Baseball, PEDs, steroids

Posted in steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in Baseball, Steroids in Sports

And NFL’s big burly guys don’t get slammed at all when it is so obvious that their quarterbacks reek with PEDs. One would wonder why the media isn’t cutting the Major League Baseball some slack when the NFL is equally guilty of having players on dope.

According to statistics in an anonymous survey 16% offensive linemen and 15% defensive linemen have admitted to using performance enhancing drugs. If the NFL officials rounded up the players that represented the numbers it would cost the sports industry its business.

The nature of both games make the big difference. NFL is a contact sport where you see tackles and muscled creatures wrestling each other on the field. Their use of the steroids seems valid. With baseball, players hardly need the brawn to be able to pitch or bat. The extra muscle could hamper their performance in the game.

From USA Today:

No one is screaming “Kill the pitcher!” in baseball. A much more refined, nuanced game, baseball doesn’t cover its players’ faces (other than the catcher’s), allowing the one-on-one, pitcher-hitter matchup to become a masterpiece played over and over. When the pitcher leans in to get the sign, we can see his eyes narrow. The batter, too, is on display for all to see in a way an NFL player never is, be he the quarterback, the kicker or the return man.

Thus, we feel we know the baseball player better than the football player. It follows that those we know better, we care more about, and perhaps even begin to trust more. So if they cheat, it bothers us more.

“In baseball, it’s one person,” said Michael Yessis, a specialist in athlete training. “In football, it’s the entire line buried in there somewhere. We look at them and judge them very differently.”

NFL at least had tested their players to find out who’s on the “juice.” Major League Baseball had to wait til a big story like Alex Rodriguez leaks out to the press.

Tags: Alex Rodriguez, baseball, football, Michael Yessis, MLB, NFL, PEDs, steroids

Posted in steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in Baseball, Steroids in NFL, Steroids in Sports

The Rodriguez saga might not end in such a happy note as everyone might expect. The baseball star, who had been the center of attention for admitting that he used performance enhancing drugs in 2001 through 2003, may have another problem in his hands. A cyst had been discovered at his right hip that some speculate may have been caused his steroid use.

Internist and anti-doping expert Gary Wadler of the World Anti Doping Agency say it wasn’t likely. However, the presence of the cyst might jeopardize Rodriguez’s chances to play in the World Baseball Classics under the Dominican Republic Team.

From Newsday:

“Everybody’s jumping to correlations or conclusions, but there’s no basis for it,” Wadler said yesterday from his Manhasset office.

Rodriguez, the Yankees‘ third baseman, might not play in the World Baseball Classic because of the cyst, whose presence the Yankees disclosed Tuesday. Rodriguez flew to Vail, Colo., yesterday morning to be examined by hip specialist Dr. Marc Philippon.

The cyst is probably not related to an injection of anabolic steroids, Wadler said, because the hip is not an injection point for the performance-enhancing elixirs. Among the much more likely causes are athletic wear and tear, infections, tumors or genetic conditions.

“Some people are born with them,” Wadler said. “You’re either born with them or probably the single biggest reason is trauma or osteoarthritis, and then down the line are various forms of malignancies.”

Roger Clemens once had an abscess (an infected cyst) on his buttocks that was linked to a PED injection by his longtime trainer Brian McNamee during a February 2008 Congressional hearing. Clemens continues to deny he ever took PEDs.

A-Rod recently join the D.R. team, a decision he might have hoped quiet down the steroid scandal and help him put the past behind.

Tags: cyst, Dr. Gary Wadler, Dr. Marc Philippon, PEDs, Rodriguez, Roger Clemens, steroids, Wadler, World Anti-Doping Agency, World Baseball Classics, Yankees

Posted in steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in Baseball, Steroids in Sports

Ever since New York Yankees superstar Alex Rodriguez admitted to using PEDs he’s been under the public’s microscopic eye. He’s been through analysed and scrutinized making him the most talked about major-league player.

As the World Baseball Classic looms, A-Rod should expect more attention especially since he decided to join the Dominican Republic team instead of playing for the United States. He will be the force to reckon with in this most anticipated baseball season. The steroid scandal would make him more interesting to spectators around the globe.

From the Seattle Times:

“Alex is the best player in baseball,” said Stan Javier, the Dominican Republic’s general manager and also a former Mariner. “When we found out he was playing for us, I was very happy for him and very happy for us.”

For three months, Javier and manager Felipe Alou worked to assemble the most potent team possible. Javier lamented how superstars Albert Pujols, Alfonso Soriano and Vladimir Guerrero were not playing for the Dominican Republic. But the team had Rodriguez drop into its dugout when he said his mother wanted him to play for her native country.

As the Yankees know and as the Dominican Republic team might learn, the attention will often tilt toward A-Rod.

“We have to see and wait how Alex does,” Javier said. “I hope that he can be in a very relaxed environment. Like the slogan says, ‘Talk baseball.’ That’s what we’re trying to do. I hope it’s a nice environment for him and the other teams to play in.”

A-Rod was described as “cooperative” when he faced MLB officials last Sunday. He continues to focus on his game than dwell on the steroid issues.

The controversial trainer Alex Presinal will not be used by the Dominicans. He worked with them during the World Baseball Classics in 2006.

Tags: Alex Rodriguez, Dominican Republic, Major League Baseball, New York Yankees, PEDs, Presinal, Stan Javier, steroids, WBC

Posted in steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in Baseball, Steroids in Sports