Federal prosecutors still care deeply about steroids, and lying about their use to Congress as the aborted Roger Clemens trial shows.

The shredded reputation of Clemens remains in limbo after last week’s mistrial in the perjury case against one of baseball’s all-time greats.

From Miamiherald.com:

Charged with lying to Congress about performance enhancing drugs, Clemens joined otherwise surefire Hall of Famers Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire as the personification of the sport’s steroid era.

Bonds’ own steroid saga is likewise on hold. Back in April, a jury convicted him of one count of obstruction of justice but deadlocked on three other charges.

So, while it’s clear federal authorities still take matters of steroid use and false statements seriously, do the rest of us?

Steroidmania, which peaked with the demolition of Major League Baseball’s home run records, has ebbed as sluggers have retired and longball totals have dropped.

The fervency is tangibly on the wane in Florida, where a testing program at the high school level was allowed to lapse after one year. There is no current plan to revive it.

“I think there’s certainly some performance-enhancing drug fatigue,” said Charles Yesalis, a professor at Penn State and longtime outspoken critic of PED abuse.

Tags: Barry Bonds, baseball, Mark McGwire, Performance enhancing drugs, Roger Clemens, steroid, steroid era, steroid use, steroids

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

The mistrial in the Roger Clemens perjury trial has delivered the perfect ending to the steroid era.

The trial suggested that no one was definitively guilty and no one is undeniably innocent.

From News-sentinel.com:

Performance-enhancing baseball probably started earlier than we realize, hit its stride with the bogus Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa love fest and peaked when Barry Bonds’ head was mistaken for an entrant in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Very few elite power hitters from the performance-enhancing era emerged unscathed, with Ken Griffey Jr., Frank Thomas and Jim Thome being the most prominent apparently clean hitters to come to mind.

Few admitted guilt. McGwire did so only in order to return to the field as Cardinals’ hitting coach. Sosa not only failed to remember any encounter with steroids, he forgot how to speak English. Andy Pettitte came clean and was largely forgiven, as was Jason Giambi. Bonds stuck to never “knowingly” using performance enhancers. Clemens denied, denied, denied.

But the era, like the Clemens trial, came to an abrupt, unsatisfying end. Now we don’t know which records are legitimate, although Bonds’ regular-season and career home-run marks will never resonate like 60 or 61, 714 or 755. Most can still recall Bonds’ 73 in a year. Do most people know his career total? I had to look it up. It’s 762.

The final unsatisfying chapter of the steroid era is all closed now.

Tags: baseball, Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, steroid era, steroids

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

Mark McGwire, the retired US baseball star and home run machine, recently admitted of making use of steroids during his career including the time when he conquered the home run record in 1998.

The baseball slugger said he used steroids on-and-off for a decade and tendered an apology to every one hurted by his behavior.

From News.bbc.co.uk:

“I used steroids during my playing career and I apologise,” McGwire said in a statement published on the Major League Baseball (MLB) website.

“I remember trying steroids very briefly in the 1989-1990 offseason and then after I was injured in 1993, I used steroids again.

“I used them on occasion throughout the 90s, including during the 1998 season. I wish I had never touched steroids.”

He added: “It was foolish and it was a mistake. I truly apologise. Looking back, I wish I had never played during the steroid era.”

Correspondents say McGwire’s reputation has been in question since 2005, when he refused to answer questions on illegal drug use at a Congressional hearing.

During the hearing he repeatedly said he was “not here to talk about the past” when asked whether he took illegal steroids when he hit the then-record 70 home runs in 1998 or at any other time.

This confession followed a similar steroid use admission by Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees in 2009.

Tags: Alex Rodriguez, Major League Baseball, Mark McGwire, steroid era, steroids, use of steroids, Yankees

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

Henry Aaron, considered by almost every one as the true home run king, recently urged for a ban on cheaters in the game of baseball and Hall of Fame.

The baseball player said he wants to expose the list of 104 players testing positive in baseball’s confidential drug tests in 2003 that includes big names like Sammy Sosa and Alex Rodriguez.

From Blogs.ajc.com:

Aaron is right. It’s understandable that many have grown weary of steroids stories. But baseball never truly can move on until we understand the extent of what happened in the past.

That said, Aaron’s candidness seemed stunning. He largely had maintained a low profile on the subject, particularly during Barry Bonds’ chase of his career home run record. When I mentioned that to him, he laughed.

“Well, I’ve always felt this way,” he said. “There was just so much being said about it, I figured I would just kind of step back and listen. I didn’t want to open up any more doors that hadn’t already been opened. But when somebody asked me a question [Saturday] about, ‘Well, how do we handle this if a player from the steroid era is voted in,’ I just answered it. But I haven’t been losing any sleep at night.”

Asterisks won’t be necessary if suspected cheaters aren’t voted in. Hall of Fame voters have made their feelings clear on Mark McGwire. He has been on the ballot for three years and hasn’t received more than 23 percent of the vote (75 is needed).

Aaron hit 755 home runs. He did it the right way. He knows the difference between real and fantasy.

Aaron hit 755 home runs. He did it the right way. He knows the difference between real and fantasy.

Aaron also said his statements in relation to asterisks are meant only for those players who have been suspected of using performance enhancing drugs.

Tags: Alex Rodriguez, baseball, Henry Aaron, Mark McGwire, Performance enhancing drugs, Sammy Sosa, steroid era, steroids

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

The seventh and youngest player in Major League Baseball history to hit 600 career home runs, Alex Rodriguez, is still under a lot of pressure to prove critics wrong who often find it amusing to link A-Rod with anabolic steroids and performance enhancing drugs.

It is believed by some that the 600th home run may just not be enough for A-Rod to gain an easy entry into the Hall of Fame once he becomes eligible five years after retirement.

From NYtimes.com:

Rodriguez is part of a quartet of sluggers who carry the scarlet letter S on their broad backs. The retired stars Barry Bonds (the career leader with 762 homers), Sammy Sosa (609) and Mark McGwire (583) are all linked, to one degree or another, to performance-enhancing drugs.

They are stacked up in the stratosphere, waiting to see if the writers who vote for membership in the Hall will ultimately accept them. At the moment, there are no guarantees. McGwire, who has been eligible for four years, eked his way up to 24 percent in January, far short of the 75 percent needed for admission.

This overt withholding of honor is the legacy of a steroid era that began in the last decade, when McGwire, Sosa and Bonds all had surprisingly high home run totals at ages when most great sluggers are tailing off. Steroids were illegal by federal law and by edict of Major League Baseball, although no testing was in place during their peak years.

On his own, Rodriguez brought up his link with steroids Wednesday after the Yankees defeated Toronto, 5-1, at Yankee Stadium.

People still doubt me and my performance because of what happened in the past, Rodriguez told Suzyn Waldman of WCBS Radio.

Tags: A-Rod, Alex Rodriguez, anabolic steroids, Barry Bonds, Hall of Fame, Major League Baseball, Mark McGwire, Performance enhancing drugs, Sammy Sosa, steroid era, steroids

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

Henry Aaron, the only man recognized by baseball fans as the true home run king, is finally speaking out and said that there is no place for cheaters in the game of baseball and Hall of Fame.

Aaron wants the list of 104 players who tested positive in baseball’s confidential drug tests in 2003 exposed and this list has two big names – Sammy Sosa and Alex Rodriguez.

From Blogs.ajc.com:

Aaron is right. It’s understandable that many have grown weary of steroids stories. But baseball never truly can move on until we understand the extent of what happened in the past.

That said, Aaron’s candidness seemed stunning. He largely had maintained a low profile on the subject, particularly during Barry Bonds’ chase of his career home run record. When I mentioned that to him, he laughed.

“Well, I’ve always felt this way,” he said. “There was just so much being said about it, I figured I would just kind of step back and listen. I didn’t want to open up any more doors that hadn’t already been opened. But when somebody asked me a question [Saturday] about, ‘Well, how do we handle this if a player from the steroid era is voted in,’ I just answered it. But I haven’t been losing any sleep at night.”

Asterisks won’t be necessary if suspected cheaters aren’t voted in. Hall of Fame voters have made their feelings clear on Mark McGwire. He has been on the ballot for three years and hasn’t received more than 23 percent of the vote (75 is needed).

Aaron hit 755 home runs. He did it the right way. He knows the difference between real and fantasy.

Aaron also said that his comments about asterisks are only for players suspected of making use of performance enhancing drugs.

Tags: Alex Rodriguez, baseball, Henry Aaron, Mark McGwire, Performance enhancing drugs, Sammy Sosa, steroid era, steroids

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

Alex Rodriguez, who became the seventh and youngest player in Major League Baseball history to hit 600 career home runs, is still under pressure to perform better and prove others wrong who just cannot think beyond his association with anabolic steroids and performance enhancing drugs.

It is worthwhile to note here that this numerical milestone may not be enough for A-Rod to gain an easy entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible five years after retirement.

From NYtimes.com:

Rodriguez is part of a quartet of sluggers who carry the scarlet letter S on their broad backs. The retired stars Barry Bonds (the career leader with 762 homers), Sammy Sosa (609) and Mark McGwire (583) are all linked, to one degree or another, to performance-enhancing drugs.

They are stacked up in the stratosphere, waiting to see if the writers who vote for membership in the Hall will ultimately accept them. At the moment, there are no guarantees. McGwire, who has been eligible for four years, eked his way up to 24 percent in January, far short of the 75 percent needed for admission.

This overt withholding of honor is the legacy of a steroid era that began in the last decade, when McGwire, Sosa and Bonds all had surprisingly high home run totals at ages when most great sluggers are tailing off. Steroids were illegal by federal law and by edict of Major League Baseball, although no testing was in place during their peak years.

On his own, Rodriguez brought up his link with steroids Wednesday after the Yankees defeated Toronto, 5-1, at Yankee Stadium.

Rodriguez told Suzyn Waldman of WCBS Radio that people still doubt him and his performance because of what happened in the past.

Tags: A-Rod, Alex Rodriguez, anabolic steroids, Barry Bonds, Baseball Hall of Fame, Major League Baseball, Mark McGwire, Performance enhancing drugs, Sammy Sosa, steroid era, steroids, Yankees

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

Andre Dawson is about to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and think that writers will have their work cutout to se which they direction they would prefer going.

Dawson remarked that the steroid era has made things difficult for the writers and players from the 70′s and 80′s are being viewed differently by the voters in light of the steroid era.

From NYdailynews.com:

“The writers have their work cut out for them to see which direction they’re going to go with this. It’s definitely been damaging to the history of the game,” said Dawson, who will be enshrined Sunday along with former manager Whitey Herzog and umpire Doug Harvey. “Whether those players are Hall of Fame-worthy, that remains to be seen. But if my mind doesn’t escape me, integrity is still a big part of the game.”

Mark McGwire received negligible support even before finally admitting past steroid use before returning as the Cardinals’ hitting coach this season. And all-time home-run leader and alleged steroid cheat Barry Bonds will be on the ballot for the first time in 2012.

The steroid cloud has not escaped Yanks slugger Alex Rodriguez, who is one home run away from 600.

Hall of Famer Paul Molitor said of A-Rod’s about-to-come 600th home run and PED admission in 2009 that Alex Rodriguez is a gifted player and his 600th home run will be quite an accomplishment despite allegations and admission of steroid use.

Tags: Alex Rodriguez, Andre Dawson, Barry Bonds, Baseball Hall of Fame, Mark McGwire, steroid, steroid era, steroid use

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

Mark McGwire, the Cardinals’ hitting coach, said in the visiting dugout at Citi Field that he has moved on from the steroid era and is no longer interested in answering questions related to steroids or from where he got them during his major league career spanning 16 seasons. McGwire also said that he would not be judging Alex Rodriguez in his quest for 600 home runs.

It is worth noting here that McGwire came clean about his long-time use of steroids during a televised interview with Bob Costas in January.

From NYdailynews.com:

But that was apparently one of the last times McGwire would address his steroid use. Yesterday, when asked if a man named Curtis Wenzlaff provided him with steroids, McGwire responded that he had already “answered all those questions.” Wenzlaff was first identified by the Daily News in 2005, days before the congressional hearing, as the man who provided Big Mac with a powerful array of performance-enhancing drugs early in his career with Oakland. Two FBI sources confirmed the Wenzlaff information, which stemmed from the seminal FBI steroid investigation called “Operation Equine,” carried out in the late ’80s and early ’90s. McGwire’s name surfaced during Equine along with that of A’s teammate Jose Canseco, but the FBI was targeting dealers, not users.

McGwire socked 583 home runs in his career, including a then single-season record 70 in 1998. He admitted in January that his steroid use included the ’98 season. For the past four years he’s been on the Hall of Fame ballot, McGwire has fallen well short of the 75% vote needed to be elected to Cooperstown. McGwire said that decision is “out of my control.”

After McGwire came clean, he was welcomed back into the Cardinals’ fold in downtown St. Louis during a fan fest.

Tags: Alex Rodriguez, Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, steroid era, steroid use, steroids, use of steroids

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

The use of steroids by a Major League Baseball slugger can produce only modest improvements in muscle mass and bat-and-ball speed but has the ability to boost home run production by as much as 50 percent.

This finding was revealed by a study by Tufts University physicist Roger Tobin, a specialist in condensed matter physics with a long-time interest in the physics of baseball.

From News-Medical.Net:

Tobin reviewed previous studies of the effect of steroid use and concluded that muscle mass, the force exerted by those muscles and the kinetic energy of the bat could each be increased by about 10 percent through the use of steroids. According to his calculations, the speed of the bat as it strikes the pitched ball will be about 5 percent higher than without the use of steroids and the speed of the ball as it leaves the bat will be about 4 percent higher.

To determine the ultimate impact on home run production, Tobin then analyzed a variety of models for trajectory of the baseball, accounting for gravity, air resistance and lift force due to the ball’s spin. While there was considerable variation among the models, “the salient point,” he says, “is that a 4 percent increase in ball speed, which can reasonably be expected from steroid use, can increase home run production by anywhere from 50 percent to 100 percent.”

Tobin remarked that the home run explosion coincides with the dawn of the “steroid era” in sports in the mid-1990s and dropped significantly when Major League Baseball instituted steroid testing.

Tags: baseball, steroid era, steroid testing, steroid use, steroids

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