Bigger Than Balco - MLB Seeks Suspension Of 20 Players For PED Usage

Yet another Performance Enhancing Drug (PED) scandal erupts in Major League Baseball as the owner of the Biogenesis club in Miami, Tony Bosch, decides to turn stool pigeon and spill his guts over which players he provided products to.

According to an Outside The Lines report, MLB will seek to suspend about 20 players, including superstars Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun:

Tony Bosch, founder of the now-shuttered Biogenesis of America, reached an agreement this week to cooperate with MLB’s investigation, two sources told “Outside the Lines,” giving MLB the ammunition officials believe they need to suspend the players.

One source familiar with the case said the commissioner’s office might seek 100-game suspensions for Rodriguez, Braun and other players, the penalty for a second doping offense. The argument, the source said, is the players’ connection to Bosch constitutes one offense, and previous statements to MLB officials denying any such connection or the use of PEDs constitute another.

100 games! If enacted, these will be the first suspensions that haven’t resulted from a failed test or evidence gathered through an investigation. Instead it will be from the full cooperation of Tony Bosch with his detailed notes and knowledge of the substances. And that, according to Jason Stark at ESPN.com, could make it potentially bigger than the Balco scandal:

In the beginning, there were no failed tests, no announced suspensions, no proof, practically no rules for that matter. Just a giant guessing game played by amateur detectives from coast to coast.

And, of course, by that best-selling author, Jose Canseco.

But now, along comes Bosch, a man who took notes, wrote down names and may suddenly be on the verge of actually naming those names. If the price is right. If there’s enough in it for him.

Just take a second and try to digest what that means. If indeed this man is about to tell all about Biogenesis and its world-famous customers, this could make BALCO look like a teenage party bust.

But will Bosch’s word be enough? Even with his notes? After all…

Shorter version:

That ARod, who is currently recovering from a pretty severe hip injury, was named is not all that surprising since he is an known steroid user. Admittedly, he has been largely forgiven for his crimes, but it is ironic that he used them in the same vein (see what I did there?) that the Biogenesis club specializes in: injury recovery and overall health. The Yankees are obviously not pleased with their bazillion dollar investment, even if they won’t say so in so many words:

Pressed further on whether Rodriguez had acted like a Yankee, Steinbrenner said, “We’ll see. We’ll find out when he comes back. I know he’s been working hard to come back. He knows what it means to be a Yankee. He knows what we expect of him and he knows what his teammates expect of him.”

Steinbrenner was then asked if the Yankees had been disappointed in Rodriguez, who over the past two seasons has averaged 17 home runs and 60 RBIs while posting a .275 batting average.

“There have no doubt been times that we’ve been disappointed in him and we’ve conveyed that to him,” Steinbrenner said. “He understands that. Look, everybody is human. Everybody makes mistakes. If you’ve got a guy over the course of 10 years, there are going to be times any of us makes mistakes in that period of time.”

That was about as subtle as a 2×4 upside the head.

Braun, who went through his own ordeal with suspected PED usage in 2011, maintains his innocence stating “The truth has not changed”:

Braun on Tuesday said,  ”I’ve already addressed everything related to the Miami situation.”

“I addressed it in spring training. The truth has not changed. I don’t know the specifics of the story that came out today, but I’ve already addressed it. I’ve commented on it. I’ll say nothing further about it,” he said.

Poker face!!!

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