Hello baseball fans, We are just three days removed from the season-ending suspension of Brewers Outfielder Ryan Braun due to his connection to the Biogenesis Clinic. Now everyone is focused on Yankees Third Baseman Alex Rodriguez and what some media outlets have reported will be a 150-game suspension. With more than 20 current major leaguers including the aforementioned Braun and Rodriguez involved in this latest scandal, what should be done in regards to the testing. Both Melky Cabrera and Bartolo Colon were suspended 50 games last year for a failed test and appear on the Biogenesis Report. Are the penalties not strong enough? I believe they are not.
The benefits of using steroids and HGH still outweigh the consequences. Here are three prominent examples:
Melky Cabrera was a first time All-Star last year while playing for the San Francisco Giants. Cabrera had a single and a two-run home run in the National League’s 8-0 win. He was named MVP of the game and led the NL to having Home-Field Advantage in the World Series, which the San Francisco Giants went on to win. Despite being on the restricted list during the playoffs, Cabrera still received a World Series ring for his previous contributions to the ball club.
Bartolo Colon is a Starting Pitcher for the Oakland Athletics. Colon was suspended August 22, 2012, for 50 games by MLB after testing positive for synthetic. Although he was suspended late in the year, the Athletics still were able to catch the Texas Rangers in the division and earn a trip to the playoffs for the first time since 2006.
Ryan Braun is an Outfielder for the Milwaukee Brewers. Other than Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun is the most recognizable name connected to the Biogenesis Clinic. Braun was an All-Star, Silver Slugger, and was the National League MVP for the 2011 season. He came under scrutiny on December 10, 2011 when a confidential urine test result was leaked to ESPN’s Outside the Lines. The test would result in a 50-game suspension, but Braun appealed the result. Braun’s lawyers argued that the sample was not handled properly. The sample was collected on Saturday, but the collector said there was no FedEx open to drop the sample off so he stored the samples until Monday and then mailed them off. Although there was no evidence of tampering, MLB's drug-testing program states that the samples should be sent to the laboratory on the same day they are collected "absent unusual circumstance." On July 22, 2013, MLB suspended Braun for the remainder of the 2013 season (65 games and the postseason) for his involvement with the Biogenesis clinic.
Not only did the players still benefit from cheating, but so did their teams. Without Colon, the A’s probably don’t win the AL West by 1 game. The San Francisco Giants don’t get Home-Field Advantage in the World Series without Cabrera’s heroics in the All-Star Game. There is no current way for MLB to punish the teams of cheaters. Here are some of my ideas of how baseball can start to clean up the game:
Post-Season bans for the teams of offenders would discourage cheating more than just suspensions for players.
50-game suspension for first time offenders changed to season long(162 games) without pay.
100-game suspension for second offense becomes a lifetime ban.
Just because it’s baseball doesn’t mean it has to have 3-strike rule.
Lets just wait and see what MLB does with all the players involved in the Biogenesis case. Bud Selig doesn't seem too happy about it.
Until next time...
Geoff
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