Current HGH Test Has Caught No One

For the past eight years, the current blood test for HGH has caught a whopping zero people using the banned substance...that's correct, zero positives. Either no one is using the product or the test is ineffective in it's current state. I'll go with the latter.

In an article in the NYT, over 8,500 athletes have been tested for HGH since 2000 yet not one has tested positive. Osquel Barroso, the senior manager of science for the World Anti-Doping Agency, believed that out of competition testing would lead to positives. The current test will only come up positive if the user has used HGH about 30 hours after it is taken, a serious limitation on the effectiveness of the current test. "Barroso also said that another reason more athletes had not tested positive was that the threshold for a positive test was fairly high. When drug tests are first implemented, the level of detection is often high to avoid false positives, then lowered after thousands of tests have been conducted." The anti doping experts have said that athletes receive the most benefit from HGH when they use it several times a week while training.

Per the course, the MLB baseball union is feigning ignorance. Gene Orza, the general counsel for the players union said, “We are not going to jump to that conclusion that there is a test today. At best, the science is murky today and there are people invested in the test’s development.” Not jumping to the conclusion that there is a test today...a test that is administered at the Olympics?I've heard that rational thinking from the MLBPA before...we do not have a drug problem, etc. It's time to stop the "deny, deny, deny" game and be proactive. You might actually turn some fans back on to the sport.

Marion Jones Seeks Sympathy on Oparah

Marion Jones recently made an appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" seeking sympathy and admitting that she made a mistake when she did not tell the truth. She probably still is not telling the truth when she claimed she could have won the medals even without using PED's.

If you really believe that, why would you cheat? So you could beat the competition by an additional one-one hundredth of a second? Fans of track and field are not that neurotic: either you win the gold or you don't. They don't care or remember what your margin of victory was. Quick: anyone know Usain Bolt's margin of victory in either the 100 or 200? I thought so.

The reason she gave for not telling the truth in a tearful letter written to her children while in prison was "because I didn’t love myself enough to tell the truth". Great statement and better yet, excellent audience and the tears definitely helped sell the whole story. However, at the end of the day, you cheated. You lied about it and denied it for years, going so far to write a book and claim that you were clean.

What would have worked better for a comeback, would have been to take full responsibility and say you were a misguided person attracted to the fame and fortune of athletic greatness and would do anything necessary to achieve your goal. Now, older and wiser, you see the error of your ways and seek the public's forgiveness. That would have went over huge with the Oprah crowd. Once again Marion, you blew it.

Conveniently, there was no mention of the check writing fraud that led to her incarceration.

Carl Lewis Doubts Usain Bolt

In a revealing interview with SI.com, American Olympic icon Carl Lewis isn't buying what Usain Bolt's selling when he said, "for someone to run 10.03 one year and 9.69 the next, if you don't question that in a sport that has the reputation it has right now, you're a fool. Period. "

Lewis then went on to praise the best random and most comprehensive drug testing program (the U.S.) and contrast that with Jamaica. "Countries like Jamaica do not have a random program, so they can go months without being tested. I'm not saying anyone is on anything, but everyone needs to be on a level playing field."

Lewis goes on to say, "No one is accusing anyone. But don't live by a different rule and expect the same kind of respect. They say, "Oh, we've (the Jamaicans) been great for the sport." No, you have not. No country has had that kind of dominance. I'm not saying they've done anything for certain. I don't know. But how dare anybody feel that there shouldn't be scrutiny, especially in our sport?"

Reflecting on the 9.8 threshold that Bolt surpassed this year. "Let's be real. Let me go through the list: Ben Johnson, Justin Gatlin, Tim Montgomery, Tyson Gay and the two Jamaicans. Six people have run under 9.80 legally, three have tested positive, and one had a year out. Not to say [Bolt] is doing anything, but he's not going to have me saying he's great and then two years later he gets popped. If I don't trust it, what does the public think?"

Lewis addressed one issue I raised in an earlier post questioning when Jamaica became the sprint capitol of the world when he questioned how the women's world 100 champion cannot make the Olympic team. "I look at someone like [Jamaican track star] Veronica Campbell-Brown, who lives in the United States, and has been transparent and consistent. She won the worlds last year in the 100 meters and this year she can't even make the team? And you're going to tell me that shouldn't be questioned?"

Lewis is also not a fan of how admitted cheaters are still able to influence young athletes. "Here's what angers me: Antonio Pettigrew [a North Carolina assistant track coach who testified in federal court that he took human growth hormone and EPO between 1997-2001 while winning the 4x400 relay gold in the 2000 Olympics, a medal he returned in June] kept his job and he's coaching young athletes. This is wrong. There have to be consequences for your actions."

I agree with Lewis that Pettigrew should not be coaching young athletes, especially at a public university. He is an admitted doper and the line of athletes "learning from his mistakes" doesn't fly. Carl Lewis in this interview has done the impossible: by invoking five variations of "not saying anyone is on anything", Lewis essentially said Usain Bolt cheated without saying he cheated! If you're not saying anyone is anything, doubting Bolt's accomplishments and advocating a level playing field, then what the hell are you saying Carl?

You were on the forefront with Ben Johnson, be out on front again...but you have to say it.

Jamaicans Receive PED's through Mail

While not answering my last post, how did Jamaica become the sprint capital of the world, apparently, PED's helped fuel some track athletes' performance. While not the big sprinters from the Beijing Games, two members of the Jamaican track team, hurdlers Delloreen London and Adrian Findlay received PED's through the mail. The information discovered only pertains to the receipt and not confirmed actual use of PED's. Yet, when MLB discovered similar information, they took disciplinary action on the player receiving the PED's even though there was no positive test.

According to SI.com, London received two shipments of Somatropin (HGH) and one shipment of Triest (Estrogen) at a Texas address that traces to her along with a matching birth date. The only conflicting information: gender. The document lists the person's gender as male. In Beijing, London was .01 seconds behind the bronze winner in the 100 meter hurdles (which saw American Lolo Jones trip on the second to last hurdle). London was unavailable for comment, but her husband, Lincoln, "confirmed she ordered the drugs in June 2006 after consulting a physician over the phone about vaginal hemorrhaging she was experiencing. He said the shipment arrived when she was away at competition and that she never opened the package. He added that the 2007 package arrived unsolicited and also was never opened." The prescriptions written for London were obtained through the Anti-Aging Group, a network of clinics that advertise HGH and testosterone treatments on its website. The prescribing physician was Victor Shabanah who advertises himself as a "hormone therapist."

Going to a "hormone therapist" for a vaginal hemorrhaging problem...not too many others would have gone that same route. Speaking of the alleged health issue at hand, are we supposed to assume that the vaginal hemorrhaging just cleared up by itself without using what was recommended by the physician? Why even go with the prescription by mail route? A busy world class athlete couldn't cruise down to her local CVS? A mysterious package arrives unsolicited a year later and one can clearly recall that it was "unopened." How many packages does the average resident receive in a year? Regardless of the number, it's human nature to open the package, even if we don't know what's in it, who sent it, etc. We just go wild receiving and opening packages - it brings out the kid in all of us. To be adamant that one remembers specific packages from more than two years ago and that they remained unopened does not pass the sniff test. Nice try Lincoln and Delloreen.

Moving on to Adrian Findlay, an alternate in the 400m hurdles, in November 2006, he received a shipment of Testosterone Aqueous (Testosterone) and Oxandrolone (an oral steroid) to a North Carolina address that traces to him along with matching birth date. Unlike London, Findlay came out swinging in his denial. He said, "I've been running stable all my life. Trust me, I don't use steroids. I guarantee you it wasn't mine and I didn't order it. I have a theory how this was sent."

According to the article, Findlay's prescription was obtained through the South Beach Rejuvenation clinic by physician Daniel J. Hauser. This clinic ensnared MLB'er Jay Gibbons in December and he was suspended by MLB for violating their drug policy.

I would like to believe Findlay, but in his denial, I have a couple questions. Would I know if an athlete is running "unstable"? If you don't use steroids, why did you allegedly order an oral steroid and testosterone? Please provide payment records so you can validate that you indeed did not pay for the drugs. If you have a theory, by all means, share it now or are you waiting until this controversy dies down?

This issue will probably get worse for the Jamaican track athletes before it gets better.

When Did Jamaica Become the Sprint Capital of the World?

After having time to digest the Beijing Olympics, I'm left wondering the same thing: when did Jamaica, a nation of 2.8 million people, dominate both men and women sprinting?

When Jamaica swept the women's 100 meters the night after Jamaica's Usain Bolt become the World's Fastest Man (WFM), something didn't feel right. It didn't help that the Shelly-Ann Fraser, the winner of the 100m with a time of 10.78, didn't have a time under 11 seconds until this year. Another flag that came up: Fraser was sporting braces. High levels of HGH use include teeth gapping. Fraser is 21, comes from the inner city in Kingston and it's clear that she's going through braces later on in life. She is also a member of the Stephen Francis coached MVP Track Club based at the University of Technology.

The defending world champion in the 100m, Jamaica's Veronica Campbell-Brown, did not even qualify for the Olympics, yet ran the fastest 4th place qualifying time in the 100m. Campbell-Brown is not coached by Francis nor is part of the MVP Track Club. Another development that makes Fraser's performance in Beijing so unbelievable, is that per The Jamaica Observer in August 2007, she was "really looking ahead to the 2012 games in London, England, where she is picturing herself winning the 100m gold medal." The '08 games were not even a possibility less than a year ago. What changed so quickly in that time period for Fraser?

Looking at the world champion Veronica Campbell-Brown's yearly progression in the 100m, the biggest yearly decline was .37 of a second when she was 17 going on to 18. Since achieving a yearly personal best under 11 seconds in 2004, it has wavered .14 a second between 10.99 and 10.85 seconds. Her progression appears normal while Fraser came out of nowhere and was targeting the Olympics four years from now.

Jamaican women's sprinting history begins and ends with Merlene Ottey, the "Queen of Track." She has won medals at the Olympics for Jamaica in the 100m starting in 1984 through 2000. How is that longevity possible? No male had such a streak. During that period, there was some controversy involving PED's. In 1999 at an international meet in Switzerland, both "A" and "B" urine samples were positive for the steroid nandrolone. She claimed she was innocent of knowingly taking steroids. Eventually, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) cleared Ottey of all charges in the summer of 2000. In 1998, she already had moved to Slovenia and began training with Slovene coach Srdjan Djordjevic while still representing Jamaica, but started representing her new country in 2002.

As for the men and Usain Bolt, everything has been said that needs to be said: unbelievable. When comparisons are being made to Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton, we're getting way ahead of ourselves...easy Stephen Francis, coach of MVP Track Club. Everyone wants to believe they saw history on the track, much like in the summer of '98 when McGwire and Sosa were chasing "history." We're a society of suckers. The X-Files was right: We want to believe.

The problem occurs when Ben Johnson, Justin Gatlin and Marion Jones amazed us with their superhuman accomplishments, vowed that they were clean and then ended up serving doping suspensions. A reporter from the New York Times reported that the way to beat the urine test is to drop a grain of powdered laundry detergent since it will destroy EPO and HGH in the sample. With the positives not nearly matching the expectations, it looks like the cheaters are once again ahead of the testers.

Will the Jamaicans continue to dominate sprinting on the world stage or is this a temporary blip? When the women's world champion doesn't even qualify for the Olympics and then the country sweeps the 100m, I'd say they have the women's side locked up for the near future. With Bolt, everyone else is racing for second. Will other sprinters be tempted to dope to bridge the gap to catch up to Bolt? Wait and see.

Olympics: Another Arguement for Roided Athletes

It seems every 4 years at the Summer Olympics, someone will come out and support athletes having the freedom to roid out of their minds. If that ever does happen, bad news for the maker of the Whizzinator.

This year that argument comes from the New York Times' John Tierney. In his article, "Let the Games Be Doped", he describes the evolution of the Olympic athlete from the amateur to natural athletes, "untainted by technology". The amateur myth died and the natural myth "is becoming so far-fetched — and potentially dangerous — that some scientists and ethicists would like to abandon it, too". He also points out that anti doping authorities have created a culture of suspicion and claims that some tests, specifically for synthetic testosterone, are unreliable. He also warns that if athletes have moved from normal doping to gene doping, the authorities will have more problems catching these types of cheaters.

What would happen if athletes were allowed to do anything to excel? If athletes were allowed to shoot beef roids into their eyeballs, professional sport leagues and the Olympics would turn into pure entertainment. The athletes would look like professional wrestlers. Instead of being amazed by Michael Phelps's 12,000 caloric intake days, the media would be following his roid regime.

Would athletes even honestly discuss what they were taking and where they obtained their drugs? Doubtful, why level the playing field - that's one of the reasons athletes roid up, to get an advantage over the competition. Now the real race occurs off the field - who has the best roid connection. Imagine if Bob Costas chose to interview Dara Torres' chemist rather than her. The scientists and chemists would love to see this happen, because then they, not the athletes, would get all the attention. Rather than MLB's slogan back in the day, "Chicks Dig the Long Ball", the new slogan will be: "Chicks Dig the Chemists".

Olympic PED Preview

With the opening ceremonies for the Beijing Olympics a day away, a PED preview is in order.

According to the Chinese Anti-doping Agency, China has conducted over 5,000 doping tests on its Olympic candidates in the past several months. At the same time, the State Food and Drug watchdog has increased their control over the production, use, distribution, import and export of prohibited substances according to officials last week. This is a step in the right direction for the host country, but will the outside world believe everything and/or anything from the government controlled press?

This Olympiad will mark the first where testing methods are in place to detect the use of human growth hormone (HGH). The benefits of HGH include boosting strength and speeding recovery. The new test will track HGH use beyond 48 hours.

At the Sydney Games in 2000, there were 12 positive doping violations out of 2,500 urine tests for a 0.48% positive instance per test. In 2004, at the Athens Games, the most doping violations in Olympic history occurred with 26. There were an estimated 3,375 tests conducted for a 0.77% positive instance per test. The positive instance occurrence per test jumped 60% from 2000 to 2004. If this trend continues, there will be a 1.23% positive instance per test or approximately 55 athletes testing positive at these Games.

In a poll on this blog, the highest number of athletes to be busted for PED's at the Games (8.8 - 24.08) were 21-25 (12% of respondents). The highest possible answer was greater than 25. International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge expects up to 40 athletes to be caught doping at these games. 40 athletes would represent a 54% increase in the number of athletes caught doping from the Athens Games. Rogge's prediction is based on the increased testing and improved quality of urinalysis.

Already doping has ended the Olympic dreams of 20 athletes from all over the world and from sports as diverse as race walking, swimming, middle distance running and weight lifting. Notable athletes banned from competition include:

• Yelena Soboleva, Russian world record holder and favorite in the 800 and 1,500 meters


• Jessica Hardy, American swimmer tested positive for clenbuterol


• Song Hongjuan, Chinese race walker


• The entire Bulgarian weight lifting team (11 members in total male and female)

The Olympic doping testing period began July 27th and runs until the Games end. Let the Games begin.

Big Brown is Back...Will be Clean before Breeders’ Cup

Big Brown came from behind to win at the $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park Sunday beating 20-1 long shot Coal Play by one-and-three-quarter-lengths.

A victory is a victory, even though it was unlike any of Big Brown's previous wins where he"destroyed" the field according to trainer Rick Dutrow. Like any good salesman, Dutrow spun the unimpressive victory by playing up the competition. "The other horse (Coal Play) ran a huge, huge race. That’s why maybe it looked like Brown didn't look like himself. But, man, in the last eighth of a mile, he really got himself together. He showed us that he’s back in town."

A week earlier, Representative Bobby L. Rush, chairman of the congressional subcommittee that investigated horse racing and performance-enhancing drugs during hearings in June, sent a letter to the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority (KHRA) asking why Dutrow only received a 15-day suspension for a positive test when the rules appeared to dictate a harsher penalty. The KHRA could have suspended Dutrow up to 60 days for a first offense and one to six months for a second offense. Dutrow has been fined or suspended at least once for the past 9 years. Apparently, the KHRA did not feel that Dutrow's previous missteps did not take place under their jurisdiction or simply were not relevant when netting out their current punishment for this transgression.

Look for more Congressional involvement in the sport after inconsistent enforcement of doping violations and look for a bit more skepticism from the public when it comes to Big Brown's earlier Winstrol-aided feats. The next confirmed race on Big Brown's schedule is the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Oct. 25. Big Brown's owners (IEAH) have said all their horses will be PED-free by October 1st. If Big Brown wins at Santa Anita, don't expect him to "destroy" the competition.

Jessica Hardy Fails Test for Substance that Ensnared Trainer

U.S. swimmer Jessica Hardy tested positive for the banned stimulant clenbuterol last week and is in the process of expedited arbitration proceedings to see whether she can swim at the Olympics next month. Clenbuterol is a bronchodilator belonging to a class of drugs known as beta-2 agonists. It is similar to albuterol which is one medication that Dara Torres currently uses legally by having a therapeutic use exemption (TUE). Unlike albuterol, no TUE's are permitted for clenbuterol because clenbuterol and zilpaterol are considered anabolic agents.

Clenbuterol has also been mentioned here when Big Brown trainer, Rick Dutrow's horse, Salute the Count, tested positive for two times the allowable amount back in May. The drug is an approved medication in horse racing used primarily as a bronchial dilator, which increases lung capacity.

I'll float two possible scenarios to explain Hardy's positive test:

One, Hardy has asthma, a TUE and accidentally grabbed the "wrong" inhaler which led to the positive test on July 4th while tests on July 1st and 6th were negative.

Two, as Gary Hall Jr. said earlier that the sport was adopting "entertainment morals" perhaps Hardy could speculate that a teammate sabotaged her asthma medication with the banned stimulant. If that type of reality tv shenanigans occurred, that would draw more interest to the pool and provide a whodunit element ensuring everyone on the team received their 15 minutes of fame...Now that would be entertaining.

You Know You're Doping When...

You flee anti-doping officials. That's what two stage Tour de France winner, Riccardo Ricco chose to do when anti-doping officials were looking for a sample after the fourth stage on July 8th.

Pierre Bordry, the head of the French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD), gave this description of the failed great escape, "When he knew he was going to be tested, he went off, and it is the escort who caught him. He found himself blocked off. There was a traffic jam of cars and he could not get through the cars."

The AFLD asked Ricco and his team, Saunier Duval for an apology. The AFLD decided to test Ricco everyday after his erratic behavior. Ricco was expelled before the start of the 12th stage after test results came back positive for EPO and his team quit the race. Ricco and fellow teammate Leonardo Piepoli were then fired.

One has to wonder what Ricco was thinking? If he avoided the doping officials in stage 4, would he have tested clean for the remainder of the race? Did he think officials and the media wouldn't be suspicious if he suddenly wanted to get another ride in after a grueling time trial? Here's a novel, inexpensive testing method: if an athlete flees at the site of doping officials, that counts as a failed test.

Marion Jones Asks President Bush to Commute Sentence

Marion Jones is one of the hundreds of convicted felons who have applied for presidential pardons or sentence commutations from President George W. Bush. She is seeking Bush to commute her six-month prison sentence. The Justice Department will review her application and make a recommendation to the president. A pardon removes a conviction from a person's record while a commutation only reduces or eliminates the person's sentence.

Jones entered a Fort Worth, TX prison on March 7th and is currently serving six months for lying to federal agents about using PED's and her involvement in a fraudulent check writing scam that ensnared the father of her older son (and a former WFM) Tim Montgomery. The check writing scam involved cashing millions of dollars worth of stolen or forged checks.

In January, Jones was sentenced to six months in prison and 400 hours of community service in each of the two years following her release. She was sentenced to six months relating to the steroids and two months relating to the check fraud, but allowed to serve both sentences concurrently.

Marion: don't expect W. to do you any favors. You get an "A" for effort, but really what are you thinking? Do you think being a former Olympic hero will grant you a favor with the president? Tonya Harding didn't have the gall to ask for a pardon when President Clinton was leaving office for her role in attacking fellow figure skater Nancy Kerrigan.

The president invoked the evils of steroids in his 2004 State of the Union address when he said, "The use of performance-enhancing drugs like steroids in baseball, football and other sports is dangerous and it sends the wrong message: that there are shortcuts to accomplishment and that performance is more important than character. So tonight I call on team owners, union representatives, coaches and players to take the lead, to send the right signal, to get tough and to get rid of steroids now."

Marion: You sent the wrong message that there are shortcuts to accomplishments and now you're looking for W to provide you with another shortcut! For you, performance was more important than character and apparently still is...you did the crime, do the time...all of it. I'd be shocked by your audacity, but shock and awe, when it comes to athletes went away a long time ago when they professed their innocence for years only to be forced to tell the truth...or face a longer jail sentence. Bad play, Marion.

Dara Torres is on PED's...Legally

NBC is pinning its ratings hopes for the Beijing Games on the momentum surrounding the unbelievable story of 41-year old swimmer Dara Torres. After her World Record performance at the Olympic Trials, it is now speculated that she will be the flag bearer at the Opening Ceremonies on 08.08.08.

Skeptics have questioned how it is possible that she swam faster this year than 20 years ago. Other recent athletes whose performance improved in their 40's were aided by PED's, most notably Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds.

This performance is made possible by the financial resources available to an ex-model and the daughter of the one-time owner of the Aladdin casino (along with Wayne Newton) combined with her Type A personality devotion to training, according to a piece in the New York Times. She reportedly spends over $100,000 a year on a bevy of coaches (head, sprint and strength) and receives additional support from two stretchers, two masseuses, a chiropractor and a nanny.

It turns out, this performance is possible in part (and what NBC and the rest of mainstream media fails to inform the public) by performance enhancing drugs. Torres' has a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) for Symbicort (active ingredient formoterol) and Proventil (active ingredient albuterol) to treat asthma which is on the World Anti-Doping Agency's 2008 Prohibited List under Beta - 2 Agonists. Unusual in Torres' case, her asthmatic condition was diagnosed only 18 months ago.

Amy Van Dyken, a former gold medalist swimmer, suffers from asthma. In a 1999 CNN online chat, Van Dyken admitted to using a "Ventilin (active ingredient albuterol) inhaler every day as needed. I'm on a Flovent (active ingredient fluticasone) inhaler twice a day; I'm on Serevent (active ingredient salmeterol) inhaler twice a day and a bunch of other stuff." She went on to win two Gold Medals in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Two of the medications mentioned are beta 2 agonists, but these drugs were not banned until September 2001. Van Dyken was also forced to testify to the BALCO grand jury in 2003. Gary Hall Jr., a former teammate of Van Dyken, recently questioned the validity of her accomplishments by comparing her to Marion Jones. Hall also doubts that the sport is clean. He is aware that the dopers will always be in front of the testers. Hall said, "This sport has become entertainment and it has taken on the morals of the entertainment industry where you can cut corners - and cheaters do prosper." Van Dyken has never tested positive for any PED.

Asthma and sports is a topic that no one wants to address. Why do more Olympic athletes suffer from asthma than the general population? Among athletes surveyed in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, 10% took asthma medications yet only 1% of the general population suffers from asthma. The number of Australian Olympians calling themselves asthmatic jumped from 10% to 21% in 12 years. In the Winter Olympics the number of people using asthmatic drugs is much greater. According to the late International Olympic Committee (IOC) medical chief Alexander de Merode, 70 to 80 percent of the athletes are using asthmatic drugs. The question is why this abnormality when it comes to Olympic athletes and the logical answer is that the substances used to treat asthma improves performance.

Changes to the asthma assessment regarding the use of beta - 2 agonists were made in 2001 by the IOC after some disturbing trends were discovered at the 2000 Sydney Games. There was a large increase in the number of athletes notifying the panel of the need to inhale a beta-2-agonist at the 2000 Sydney Games and ironically enough the notifications were predominantly requested in endurance sports. It was at this time that TUE's would be granted for beta - 2 agonists.

Per the World Anti-Doping Authority (WADA) website, the criteria for granting a TUE include an athlete experiencing significant health problems without taking the prohibited substance and the use of the substance would not produce significant enhancement of performance. In Torres case, was she really experiencing "significant health problems without taking the prohibited substance" 18 months ago? What about two, five, ten and twenty years ago? Given her unlimited financial resources, one would think that a proper diagnosis of asthma would have been detected years ago. It would appear that the use of the substance did factor into her Olympic Trials performance. Now it is up to WADA to determine if the substance was a "significant enhancement of performance."

I raised both these issues with an official at WADA, but never received a response. In addition, I inquired whether WADA periodically reviews TUE's and has the ability to revoke a TUE during the year.

Everyone wants to believe in the unbelievable - that's entertainment. However, we are discussing international athletic competition, not entertainment. The public is under the impression that what it witnesses is pure and genuine. Lately, the public's trust in the pure and genuine of sport has crumbled with the fall from grace of Marion Jones, Barry Bonds and Floyd Landis. Before we get sucked into NBC and mainstream media's hype machine, let's analyze the facts: Torres admits to using banned substances, but has in essence a "doctor's note" by having a TUE saying that she needs the medication. In order to qualify for a TUE, one needs to demonstrate that significant health problems would occur without it and that her use of it is not performance enhancing. This condition developed 18 months ago despite having the financial resources to see the best doctors and receive the best treatment throughout her life.

If that's all she's using then legally she's clean, but morally is another story.

1st Bust Unoffically Signals Start of Tour de France

For mainstream media in the U.S., the Tour de France strated on Friday with the doping bust of Spanish rider Manuel Beltran. For those not paying attention, the Tour de France officially started on July 5th.

Beltran was suspended from the Liquigas cycling team and kicked out of the Tour de France after testing positive for EPO on July 5th after the first stage. If Beltran was using EPO on the first stage, his chances of winning the Tour were never that good to begin with. Beltran was a teammate of Lance Armstrong helping him win the Tour in '03, '04 & '05. Beltran is the fourth former Lance Armstrong teammate to test positive for doping after Floyd Landis, Tyler Hamilton and Roberto Heras .

Pierre Bordry, leader of the French anti-doping agency, said Beltran had been targeted after his "parameters were abnormal" during pre-Tour blood testing July 3-4.

Let's give the Tour some credit. Race organizers know their sport is in dire straits and have constantly raised the bar for combating doping. This year the Tour employs 8 specially trained chaperones who shadow riders after each stage, going as far as climbing onto team buses, to ensure cyclists go to post-stage anti-doping checks. Tour officials are realistic enough to know they won't eliminate the problem, but at least they are being out in front of the issue.

Curlin Off Roids...Looking for 4th Win Roid Free

Today Curlin will look to win it's 4th race in a row, roid free.

After being named the 2007 Horse of the Year, it turns out, Curlin might have been aided during his impressive run by Big Brown's roid of choice, Winstrol. His owner Jess Jackson, has acknowledged Curlin's past roid usage and now wants to prove that Curlin is a roid-free champion.

In January, Jackson "discovered" that Curlin was roiding up from trainer Steve Asmussen and advised him to stop its use. Since cycling off the juice Curlin is undefeated, and crushed the field in a seven-and-three-quarter-length victory over an impressive field at the $6 million Dubai World Cup in March. Dubai has the some of the world's toughest testing standards in horse racing.

In today's Grade I $500,000 Man o’ War Stakes at Belmont Park, Curlin will try to keep the roid free winning streak alive. This race is important for Curlin and Jackson because their sights are set on the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on Oct. 5 at Longchamp Race Course in Paris. If Curlin can win today and in October, Jackson hopes that he can bring back some much needed credibility to the sport of horse horsing.

“I’m trying to prove that Curlin is a real champion, and that we can race horses into their 4-year-old years and beyond,” said Jackson, 78, the founder and owner of Kendall-Jackson Winery. “I want to show the industry that we can breed horses with stamina and durability, and race them clean.”

Last month, Jackson put all his trainers on notice (he has more than 60 racehorses) that he would take the step to independently drug test his horses after each race. The owners of Big Brown, IEAH, have also said they will do this starting in October. Unlike most professional sports, Jackson has instituted a one strike and you're out policy: the trainer would be fired for any positive test.

Ironically enough, Texas racing officials said that a horse trained by Asmussen tested positive for the anesthetic lidocaine, the same drug that Roger Clemens said Brian McNamee injected him with and not the PED's that McNamme alleges.

What is it with baseball players and horses taking the same drugs? Isn't there something inherently wrong if the same drugs that Barry Bonds allegedly used to fuel his assault on the home run record is being used to fuel Big Brown's assault on the Triple Crown? If anything, this disturbing development leads credence to the claim that pets should be able to take psychotic drugs that humans take - apparently animals and humans are reaping the same benefits.

In this specific instance, Asmussen took a page from the "tested positive athlete" playbook and has denied wrongdoing, claiming that the test was "faulty" and that he was not allowed to send the samples to a lab of his choosing. Isn't the purpose of having independent testing so that the possible cheat doesn't have the option to send it to a "friendly" lab? Lucky for Asmussen, Jackson is buying his story! Jackson will take a wait and see approach before any discipline. I'm sure today's race had nothing to do with altering his stance on the one and done strict discipline policy.

The Problem with MLB

Over the 4th of July weekend, MLB unveiled Stars & Stripes caps for all 30 MLB teams as part of a "Welcome Back Veterans" program created by New York Mets owner Fred Wilpon. Though the Stars & Stripes program is not relevant to the Toronto Blue Jays, fortunately for Blue Jay fan, they were not left out of the program (their cap had the Canadian flag).

According to the AP, Wilpon hopes to raise $100 million. MLB will donate a portion of the cap sales (retailing at $34.99 each) to the program. The majority of the revenue not going to the vets will go to MLB, Mr. Wilpon himself and the other MLB owners. This is another classic example of MLB trying to do the "right" thing, but once again, coming up short. MLB's recent stances regarding uniforms, PED's and "staged moments" indicate that there needs to be a change at the top, specifically Bud Selig.

Regarding uni's, in March 2007 MLB instructed Craig Biggio to remove a cancer pin he had worn on his hat during spring training games for the previous 20 years. Biggio was the national spokesman for the Sunshine Kids foundation. Baseball card photos are usually taken during spring training and during his involvement with the cancer stricken kids, he knew how important it was for them to see the pin on his baseball card. However, baseball didn't give a damn about kids with cancer. MLB sent a fax to the Astros advising management for him to remove the pin. The umpires working the next spring training game were advised that he was not allowed to take the field with the pin.

MLB didn't support Biggio's charitable work for cancer and forced him to remove a pin during meaningless exhibition games. One year later, MLB is dictating to all players that they need to wear a Stars & Stripes cap and appear as if they support the veterans whether they personally do or not. Most educated fans see this for what is: a publicity stunt and another way for MLB to milk the fans of their money by making them purchase yet another "special" cap. Using recent history as a guide, MLB does not support children with cancer, but whole heartily supports the veterans. A bit of a hypocritical stance for MLB, but that's how they roll under current leadership.

If only MLB was as vigilant with PED's as they were with uniform violations, perhaps MLB will not be questioned by Congress every six months. It is nice to know that their response time was about the same for uniform and PED violations: 20 years after the initial violation! After 20 years of wearing the pin, MLB decides to "crack down" which is approximately the same amount of time it took for a steroid testing program to be implemented after the drugs first started appearing in the sport. Excellent work, MLB - way to be enforcing uniform violations rather than players using illegal drugs - that's keeping your eye on the ball.

The reason why MLB was not out in front on both issues comes down to the same issue: money. When Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire brought baseball back from the brink, ownership and the Commissioner were not at all going to ruin a good thing. Attendance, ratings and interest were all up. That was not the time to "do the right thing" and set the right example for the kids who looked up to these juiced up ballers. Going as far to incorporate benefits of the Roid Era into marketing campaigns ("Chicks Dig the Long Ball") is proof that the people in the home office knew what was selling and they were going to ride it to the bank.

Uniforms too were changing about every three years for every non historical team (Devil Rays to Rays, different logos, etc.). MLB and ownership trying to squeeze every last dollar out of the public by constantly parading new merchandise for the fans. A fan of the New York Yankees is not going to buy a new Yankee lid each year, but a fan of the Brewers might buy the new uniform lid, retro lid and/or the Sunday home lid to mix it up with his old lid. Ownership will say that they have to change uniforms every 3 to 5 years in order to compete with the traditional powers because of the economic inequalities. Merchandise revenue is just another source of revenue that would allow a small market team to compete with a traditional, big market club.

The other issue with this Stars & Stripes event is it has the same feel as other "staged events" recently held by MLB. Usually these events occur at historical moments such as Barry Bonds passing Hank Aaron or at the All-Star Game, where an icon from the sport will be brought out and the current stars of today will race out to slap five with the "old school" player. This took place at the 1999 All-Star Game when Ted Williams rode out of center field on a golf cart and was then greeted by the current all stars at the pitcher's mound. The fans appreciate the spontaneous historical moments, like when Aaron passed Ruth and the two fans ran out on the field to congratulate him. These forced celebrations have the sincerity and feel of a forced smile at a disgruntled family reunion. Stop banging us over the head and making the public feel like they are witnessing something "special" or "historic". They (and time) will make that determination.

Personally I haven't seen too many people rolling in their team's Stars & Stripes lid so I think Mr. Wilpon will have to revise his goal of $100 million downward. Either that or hope fans have buyers remorse when MLB busts out the S&S lids on Sep. 11th.

Owner Advises Dutrow He's on Short Leash

Michael Iavarone, co-owner of IEAH which owns Big Brown is tiring of trainer Rick Dutrow's act, but is still is impressed with his results.

He told a reporter for ESPN that Dutrow is on "a short leash" in the aftermath of his handling of his latest drug offense. Salute the Count, Dutrow's horse he was training, tested positive for having more than two times the amount of clenbuterol after finishing second in the Aegon Turf Sprint at Churchill Downs on May 2nd. Dutrow faces a 15 day suspension.

Dutrow took the high road stating that the media has overblown the situation and that he had not intentionally broken any rules saying, "It's my responsibility, but it's not my fault."

Iavarone did go on to praise his trainer for an impressive win at the Belmont when 40-1 long shot Frost Giant won the Grade I Suburban Handicap this past Saturday.

At some point IEAH will have to make up their mind regarding Dutrow: either they are a results driven organization no matter what tactics are employed or they take a stand and break a trainer off who has been suspended at least once per year for the past nine years. Mr. Iavarone, ball is in your court.

Floyd Landis Becomes 1st Cyclist to have Tour Title Stripped for Doping

Floyd Landis lost his appeal today and becomes the 1st cyclist to have his Tour de France title stripped due to doping. The ruling also upholds Landis' two-year ban from cycling which expires January 29, 2009.

A three person panel from the the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld a previous panel's decision validating a positive drug test back in 2006 after Landis staged an improbable comeback in Stage 17 that was aided by synthetic testosterone.

In the 58-page decision, the CAS panel said that the lab performing the analysis did not have impeccable quality control, but did not involve any fraud or cover-ups as Landis alleged. The panel continued its criticisms of Landis by stating that he tried to muddle the evidence while blaming the lab and continued with that line of reasoning even when the evidence contradicted him.

The decision said, "Appelant's experts crossed the line, acting for the most part as advocates for the Appelant's cause, and not as scientists objectively assisting the panel in the search for the truth."

The case reached sports' highest court after his first arbitration case last May ended with the arbitrators disappointed in USADA and determining that the testing labs practices were less than ideal.

Most accused cyclists do not defend themselves the way Landis has. Athletes lack the funds to properly defend themselves in this type of case. Landis overcame this issue by creating a fundraising campaign in addition to several private sources contributing to his defense. His defense is estimated to have cost more than $2MM.

This case didn't lack in drama either. Greg Lemond testified that Landis admitted to him that he doped, but the panel couldn't use that testimony as an admission. However, before Lemond testified, Landis' manager called him the night before and threatened to disclose to the world "LeMond's secret" if he showed up the next day. LeMond showed up, and disclosed that he was sexually abused as a child and telling the panel that he told Landis this information...and then receiving a phone call from a member of Landis' camp the night before.

Do us all a favor and admit that you cheated. From the litany of explanations (drinking alcohol, naturally high testosterone, dehydration, thyroid medication, and a conspiracy against him), it just doesn't add up for a sane person - you might get the conspiracy theorists to jump on board, but that's about it.

That is the first step on the road to recovery for Landis. If you don't get past stage 1, there is no stage 2. Unlike Lance Armstrong, there is a smoking gun for you, the positive test so to "deny, deny, deny" is not going to get you anywhere. Your credibility is greatly enhanced if your current explanation is the same as your original explanation for the positive test. Look on the bright side, 7 months until the 2 year ban expires.

Dutrow Long Shot Wins Over the Weekend

Controversial trainer Rick Dutrow has done it once again. I'm not referring to another suspension, but leading an improbable horse to victory.

Frost Giant, a 40-1 long shot from the IEAH stable, won at the 122nd running of the Grade 1, $400,000 Suburban Handicap on Saturday at Belmont Park. Michael Iavarone, co-owner of IEAH, has stated that all horses in the IEAH stable will be drug free by October 1st.

It's unfortunate that a great underdog story is clouded by these facts: trainer facing drug suspension and ownership who says stable will be drug free in three months. If a 40-1 horse can win in an 8 horse field, this leads to some unsettling issues:

Either the odds makers are failing at doing their jobs and/or we are seeing the effects of "chemical horses" on the field of competition. Both are bothersome if the sport wants to be taken as a legitimate clean enterprise rather than "just a bet".

Olympics Loses a Team to Doping

The competition for Olympic men's and women's weight lifting just got a little more interesting when an entire country was banned from competing in the sport.

The entire Bulgarian weight lifting team - 8 men and 3 women - was banned from the Olympics after testing positive for the banned steroid, methandienonea, in early June according to a statement from the Bulgarian weight lifting federation. This is not the first time Bulgarian weight lifters have been ensnared in a doping scandal. Three Bulgarian weight lifters were barred from the Athens Games. At the 1988 and 2000 Olympics, several Bulgarian weight lifters returned their medals when they failed doping tests after their events.

What's unique about this instance is that officials did not even wait for due process. All the positive results were from the "A" samples. If "A" is positive, the "B" sample is tested to validate the test. This was not done in this case.

Doping and weight lifting does not just go down in Bulgaria. Greece also had 11 weight lifters banned for two years for testing positive for a steroid in March. Luckily for Greece, not everyone on the team was doping (or at least not caught) since they are sending a team of four weight lifters over to compete in the Games.

Don't expect much from the Greek weight lifting team this year, but at least they will make it to the Games which is more than can be said about the Bulgarian team.

Dutrow Busted for PED's; Suspended for 15 Days

PED's once again caught up to controversial trainer, Rick Dutrow Jr.

Salute the Count, one of his horses he trained earlier this year, tested positive for twice the allowable level of clenbuterol, a banned substance. Two drug tests were performed after finishing second in the Aegon Turf Sprint at Churchill Downs on May 2. Clenbuterol helps burn fat while promoting muscle growth. In humans, the drug is used to treat asthma. As a result of the positive test, Dutrow faces a 15 day suspension; he does have the option of filing an appeal within the next 10 days, but has already taken responsibility for his actions.

“I was there all week and am responsible,” Dutrow said. “I use that medication on many of my horses and only once can ever remember having a problem with it.”

According to the New York Times, "clenbuterol is an approved medication in horses, and is used as a bronchial dilator — which increases lung capacity — though it has steroidal properties. It is illegal to administer it on race day, but states vary on the length of time beforehand that it can be administered. In New York, for example, it cannot be administered within 96 hours of race day. In Kentucky, 72 hours".

With the recent Congressional subcommittee hearing on the sport, this state discrepancy as to when clenbuterol can be administered illustrates the need for a national governing body. Simplify the process: create a national oversight body, implement universal rules and provide a stringent transparent drug testing program so that the public will be more comfortable that they are seeing less of these "chemical horses" that recent breeders have been testifying to.

This is not Dutrow's first suspension. He has been fined or suspended at least once for the past 9 years for various medication violations — including positive tests for mepivacaine, phenylbutazone and oxyphenbutazone and clenbuterol. He also served a 60-day suspension in 2005 after two of his horses tested positive for banned substances and claiming there was a violation.

Given Dutrow's track record, would any owner want all the additional baggage and speculation that comes with employing this trainer? Apparently, the folks at IEAH do not have a problem with it.

Big Brown's Stable to Go Roid Free...by Oct. 1st

Big Brown's owners are leading the charge in cleaning up horse racing when they announced Sunday that they would immediately begin withdrawing all steroids and any unnecessary medications from their horses. "Immediately" is a bit of a misnomer since the ban will be in place October 1st, conveniently after Big Brown's next race, August 3rd in the Haskell Invitational. This action is on the heels of Congress raising serious doubts that the sport can govern itself as currently constructed and considering adopting a national authority to oversee the sport.

Michael Iavarone, a co-president of International Equine Acquisitions Holdings (IEAH) which owns Big Brown among other horses, said that the more than 50 horses owned by his stable would be drug free by Oct. 1, and to quell speculation of roided up horses, that they would pay for tests to be administered by state or track veterinarians before and after each of their races to prove it.

He's confident that his stable does not need the juice to be successful out on the track. “I know Big Brown or any of our horses do not need this stuff to win,” he said. “I’m not worried about an uneven playing field, either. The cost of the drug tests are a small price to pay for the integrity of the sport. I’m urging other owners to join us, and let’s turn the game around.”

Controversial trainer, Rick Dutrow, is on board with the self-imposed ban on all medications perceived to be performance-enhancing. However, not all PED's and medications are off the table. The stable’s horses will continue to run on the legal anti bleeding medication Lasix when necessary.

IEAH might not have won the Triple Crown, but they struck gold when they brokered a deal to sell Big Brown’s breeding rights for about $60 million. For a relatively new outfit, IEAH has had quite a bit of success. So far in 2008, their stable has won more than $5.7 million in purses and won at a 23 percent clip. Bolstering their claim that their horses do not need the juice, they have won in Dubai, where the rules against drug use are the most stringent in the world. Dutrow, in written testimony submitted to the Congressional subcommittee last week, cited his horses’ victories in two $1 million races in Dubai as evidence that his horses could thrive in a drug-free environment.

Losing the Triple Crown was costly to IEAH. Besides the controversy of whether or not Big Brown is a "chemical horse", Iavarone said that performance cost at least $50 million in the breeding shed and in future marketing deals.

Just how costly was the Belmont? Try $60,000 - $125,000 per breeding session. According to the New York Times, "if Big Brown, a bay colt, never raced again, he might attract $40,000 to $75,000 for a breeding session versus the $100,000 to $200,000 he would have earned as a nobly defeated Triple Crown challenger or the 12th horse to sweep the series".

A novel twist to just going drug free for your stable was Iavarone's suggestion that racetracks and Daily Racing Form print in their programs that horses owned by IEAH, and any owner who adopts the policy, be listed as drug free. From a punishment standpoint, Iavarone also said that if any of his horses failed a drug test that IEAH pays for, the company would return the purse money. No word on what the punishment would be if a horse failed a drug test that IEAH did not pay for.

Whenever Congress gets involved in any one's business, that's when participants start circling the wagons. A few good ideas in this proposal and the glaringly obvious conflict of interest issues need to be addressed. Nice p.r. stunt to be an "early adopter" and "on the cutting edge" of drug testing and PED's in the sport. There is some history to back up IEAH and Dutrow's claims that they both won under the most stringent drug testing circumstances. Why not institute this policy before your most famous horse, Big Brown's, next race? The speculation will just continue to rise if Big Brown wins at the Haskell.

Given the conflict of interest, the general public will not buy that this process is being handled independently. This is exactly why Congress got involved and felt that the sport cannot police itself and is leaning to create a national, independent governing body. Nice try IEAH, a step in the right direction, but too little, too late and I'm not buying it.

Latest Ensared by BALCO: Greg Anderson's Wife

It's on.

Federal prosecutors have targeted former Barry Bonds' trainer, Greg Anderson's wife, Nicole S. Gestas in an effort to make Anderson testify. Anderson was imprisoned for approximately a year and half for failing to answer prosecutors' questions relating to Bonds' use of PED's. Anderson was released last November once Bonds was indicted on five felony charges - four for perjury and one for obstruction of justice - for testifying in front of a federal grand jury in 2003 that he had never used PED's.

The United States attorney's office in the Northern District of California sent a "target letter" to Anderson's wife in November after the indictment advising her that she could be charged with conspiring to commit a crime against the government. A federal conspiracy charge carries a sentence of up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. This letter advised her to contact the public defender's office if she could not afford a lawyer while it conveniently failed to specify the crime the authorities believe she had conspired to commit. While not specifically stating that it was intending to apply pressure on Anderson the message was clear since it was signed by Matthew Parrella, an assistant US attorney who is lead prosecutor in the BALCO investigation.

Bonds' legal team filed a motion in January to have the original 5 count indictment against him dismissed and a judge ruled in February that the authorities had to narrow the indictment or bring new charges to proceed. The government filed a new indictment in May.

It was Malone from The Untouchables who said, "When they send one of your guys to the hospital, you send one of theirs to the morgue." This is, metaphorically speaking, the government trying to send Anderson, not to the morgue, but to the stand and testify against his former client. Now if Anderson continues his stance and refuses to testify, his wife could be going to jail with him.

Anderson's refusal to testify has made him spend the most time in prison than any other defendant in the six year BALCO investigation. He served a three month term in 2005 after pleading guilty to distributing steroids and money laundering. Anderson could still face more jail time since prosecutors could still charge him with criminal contempt or obstruction of justice if he continues his stance.

Greg: after spending a year and a half in jail and your wife of a little more than two years possibly going to the hole for up to five years and having to pay a $250K fine, why do you still refuse to testify? You could go back to the hole along with your wife! I guess that's what true love is, but to whom: your wife or Barry?

This stance does not make any sense, which is why the only logical conclusion is Mr. Bonds has determined to take care of you financially for not testifying against him. As the cards are laid out on the table, it looks like from your time served and the possibility of fines and time served by your wife, we're looking at approximately $750K to $2.5MM. This assumption does not include legal fees and would drop substantially if Ms. Gestas opts for the public defender.

Big Brown to Ride Again: Trainer Expected to Recover in Time

Big Brown, who failed in his bid to win the Triple Crown, will ride again. His next race will be in the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park August 3rd according to one of his co-owners, Michael Iavarone.

Mr. Iavarone must know something about the dramatic recovery of Big Brown trainer, Rick Dutrow. Dutrow has been ill for the past two weeks after the Belmont and was too ill to travel to testify in person at a Congressional subcommittee hearing on horse racing last Thursday. Dutrow claimed he notified Congress that he would not appear, but Congress was not aware of this development. Apparently the owners of Big Brown are not concerned that this illness will linger any longer than an unpleasant Congressional inquiry. The question everyone will be asking the Big Brown camp: is he back on the juice?

The marvels of modern medicine continue to confound. Medicine is able to get a trainer to perform at a peak level through the Triple Crown and then once the desired outcome is not achieved, combined with a Congressional inquiry where the trainer is a key witness, a mysterious illness pops up that prohibits travel? Someone better check Mr. Dutrow's travel records for the past two weeks. However, travel plans and race information are confirmed for the trainer's next event in August...incredible and only in horse racing.

Horse Industry One Length in Front of Congress

Learning from other professional leagues being embarrassed by Congress, most notably MLB, the Thoroughbred Safety Committee (TSC) took the step of recommending that steroids and toe grabs be banned and new rules be implemented regarding the use of whips in horse racing before today's Congressional subcommittee hearing on the sport.

The proposals were endorsed by various parties - breeders, veterinarians and the operators of the largest tracks - a first in that various parties have come together to formalize a plan for cleaning up the sport. In addition the TSC will present recommendations on the use of illegal drugs and therapeutic medications as well as improving drug testing. The TSC will also propose toughing the penalties for rule violations including lifetime bans for major infractions.

Once steroids are banned in all 38 states where racing occurs, the U.S. will then be on equal footing with how the rest of the racing world deals with steroids. The toe grab recommendation will reduce the number of deaths at the track. Toe grabs and other devices worn on the front shoes of the horses have been found to put undue stress on the legs of the horses.

Today's hearing entitled, "Breeding, Drugs and Breakdowns: The State of Thoroughbred Racing and the Welfare of the Thoroughbred Racehorse," may ultimately consider a the creation of a central body to govern horse racing, similar to the British model. Some statistics released in conjunction with the hearing are troubling. Of the approximately 15,000 licensed horse trainers in the U.S., 9% have been cited for medication violations including performance enhancement. Unfortunately the one trainer who was expected to shed the most light at the hearing, controversial Big Brown trainer Rick Dutrow, will not testify, due to illness.

Dutrow has been ill since the Belmont, but did submit his written comments to Congress. He claims to have let Congress know in advance, but Brin Frazier, a spokeswoman for the subcommittee, was unaware of this development and stated that the committee members expected him to testify today.

Rick, aren't you a little bit past the age of playing the "sick card" to get out of an uncomfortable situation? Just over a week ago, you were talking tough, like the good old days before the Belmont about looking forward to testifying, but you would need to have your vet present.

To ensure the sport cleans up its act, the subcommittees ranking minority member, Representative Ed Whitfield, Republican of Kentucky, has decided to hit it where it hurts: their wallet. By threatening to reopen the Interstate Horse Racing Act of 1978, which allowed simulcast wagering and provides the basis for online betting allows wagering to take place across state lines. This betting accounted for 90% of last year's $15 billion wagered.

Whitfield's goals include more transparency, more information regarding the use of drugs and concern for the animals safety. By placing the simulcast money on the line, he hopes to force some minimum standards regarding these concerns.

As I see it, the issue is the lack of a central governing body that oversees all 38 racing jurisdictions. If I was a breeder, it would be a herculean task to manage what shots I could give my horse if I wanted to race him in 4 different states. Simplify the process, level the playing field and then everyone plays by the same rules. Sure there will always be others looking for an edge, but at least the sport will be taking a step in the right direction.

Rick, there is such thing as video conferencing. If they did that, I wonder if you would have pulled a Sammy Sosa and conveniently forget how to speak English. At least Sammy showed up when called to testify!

Congress Sets Sights on MLB & Horse Racing

Congress is ready to jump back into the PED fray over the next two weeks and is targeting MLB and horse racing. The horse hearing will be held next week while Congress awaits responses from a letter issued to MLB and the players union within two weeks.

The horse racing hearing was called due to the public outcry over Eight Belles being euthanized on the track after the Kentucky Derby. A statement from the committee called that recent deaths "point to a persistent and widespread problem, raising significant questions about the sport and its governance."

Controversial Big Brown trainer, Rick Dutrow Jr., will testify at the hearing. He has admitted publicly that he injects his horses with Winstrol on the 15th of each month. Steroids are legal in 28 of 38 racing jurisdictions including the three where the Triple Crown takes place.

He stated that Big Brown did not receive an injection in May. There has been much speculation that the reason why Big Brown finished last at the Belmont and did not have the "kick" that he normally has, was due to the lack of roids. Dutrow is aware that the committee will ask him about roids which is why he'll have his veterinarian with him so he answers the questions "fully and informed."

A world class trainer who has been shooting up his horses with roids needs his vet to be there so he can answer questions fully and be informed? Are you kidding me, RD Jr.? No one pops pills or puts anything in their body without "being informed". You make your living by training horses and I would assume you are already fully informed of the benefits and consequences of each steroid you inject in your animals. Something does not add up, and Dutrow can sense that the committee will see this. A little misdirection and preparing to be the sacrificial lamb for his sport seems like a nice p.r. stunt.

"I'm also interested in answering the questions about surfaces and fatal injuries. I'm coming here in good faith. And if they want to kill me, I'm going try to be prepared for that." Answering questions about surfaces? Congress does not call hearings regarding surfaces in horse racing. The topic is recent deaths and governance issues in the sport. Stay on topic or prepare for death, Mr. Dutrow, because Congress will be looking for blood.


"MLB has "done it once again" by appearing to be less than forthright in their 2005 Congressional testimony. Both MLB Commissioner Bud Selig and the head of the players union, Donald Fehr appear to have contradicted the Mitchell Report findings when they testified in 2005.

The issue at the center of the controversy is MLB's claim that positive PED test results were dramatically reduced from 2003 to 2004 (from more than 100 to 12). What MLB and the players union failed to disclose in their testimony was drug testing in 2004 was suspended for a portion of the season. Congress wants to know, if the program was suspended, why this information was not disclosed in their testimony. Congress also asked whether some players were given advance notice of upcoming tests and if this was the case, why this information was not disclosed in their testimony.

In the Mitchell Report, it was uncovered and confirmed by baseball and union officials that the random drug testing program was suspended for a large part of the 2004 season. Also in the report, at least one player was informed by Gene Orza, the chief operating officer for the players union, that he would be tested within two weeks.

Donald Fehr and MLB were both on the same page regarding the integrity of the testing program in 2005. Fehr said, "no player knew when he was going to be tested" and Rob Manfred, baseball's executive vice president for labor relations, wrote to the Congressional committee in 2005 "no notice was provided to players prior to testing."

The testing was suspended in 2004 after the 2003 positive results were seized as part of the BALCO investigation in April 2004. For the players who tested positive in 2003, they were not tested until the end of the 2004 season. It was determined that those players were not to be tested until they had been notified that their results had been seized. Orza did not notify the players until late in the season, leaving little time for the annual test to occur.

It doesn't take an average IQ MLB'er, who still thinks the pie in the face is high hilarity, to know when it's time to cycle off the juice. This group of 100 players who were being notified late in the season, already tested positive in 2003 and more than likely were still using. Orza already advised one player that he would be tested in two weeks, how many other players did he notify?

Gene Orza declined to provide additional details to George Mitchell when he declined Mitchell's interview request. Nice work on the transparency and legitimatizing your constituency Mr. Orza. You served your people well.

Terrell Owens Enters NFL's "Reasonable Cause" Testing Program

Not answering the phone can have dire consequences on an athlete's perception, just ask Terrell Owens. It was a miscommunication between the NFL and Owens that led to him missing a random drug test. The NFL's policy states that a missed random drug test places the player in the "reasonable cause" testing program with up to 24 tests per year. At the NFL's discretion, the league can fine or suspend a player who misses a random test.

Like most of his past transgressions, Owens is not taking any personal responsibility for this latest mishap. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, is the fall guy. Owens provided the NFL with contact information after the season for his agent and stated that the league had a previous contact number for him that he never provided. Owens included the agent's number "because I know he always answers the phone." Even for Owens, that was a bit over the top. If any other athletes are represented by Mr. Rosenhaus, you may want to check on his recovery because T.O. just threw him under the bus.

T.O. went straight to the Barry Bonds / BALCO playbook saying that in his 12 NFL seasons he has never tested positive "for substance of any kind." Track stars and baseball players were so arrogant and adamant in their denials because they were ahead of the curve. They could also boast the "never tested positive" line even when observation or circumstantial evidence made one question the truthfulness of their claims. It has been said Owens, 34, has the body of a 25 year old. Is that all from hard work or in conjunction with PED's?

I hope for Owens' case that he is not using any PED's. In T.O. land, this is a win-win situation. If he never tests positive, vindication with the ultimate, "I told you so" moment and even if he does test positive, there will additional media attention and someone on deck to be thrown under the bus so in T.O.'s mind, he didn't do anything wrong.

NFL Roids Dealer Commits Suicide

David Jacobs' life and that of his former girlfriend, Amanda Earhart-Savell, came to a tragic end last week. The Dallas County medical examiner ruled that David Jacobs' shooting death was a suicide. Police declined to comment whether Jacobs shot his former girlfriend. A .40 caliber Glock was found next to Jacobs' body.

As mentioned previously, Jacobs was sentenced to three years probation and fined $25,000 on May 1 after pleading guilty last year in federal court in Dallas to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute anabolic steroids. He said he sold tens of thousands of dollars worth of performance-enhancing drugs to former Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Matt Lehr in 2006 and 2007. Lehr's attorney has denied his client used banned substances after a four-game suspension in 2006.

Conspiracy theorists would love to believe that some NFL'er put the hit on Jacobs because he "ratted" people out to the league. Jacobs' father, David Arthur Jacobs, feared his son was in danger and would be hurt as a result of his dealings. He didn't think his son was suicidal. However, to think that someone in the NFL ordered a hit on a small time steroid dealer is giving the NFL too much credit. This is the league that after all added the phrase "making it rain" to the lexicon. We'll be on the lookout to see if his conversations with the NFL lead to anything.

Big Brown Should've Roided Up

As I speculated in my prior post, if Big Brown did not win the Belmont and finish the Triple Crown, gamblers and other sports fans looking to see history will be furious that the horse wasn't getting shot full of Winstrol.

With Big Brown finishing dead last, contradicting Rick Dutrow Jr's contention earlier in the week that a Belmont win was a "foregone conclusion", Dutrow can expect, and should take some heat for his training methods. This performance will also shed some more light on whether steroids do improve a horse's performance. The initial evidence would point to yes.

The quotes from all members involved with Big Brown also corroborate that roids make a difference. The on site veterinarian noticed nothing wrong with the horse. Yet, the jockey stated that the horse had nothing to give and the owner said he was not himself today. Not having anything to give and not being himself is code for the drop off in production from a lack of Winstrol.

If the gamblers and fans really want to see history and true competition, ban roids and all other detectable PED's where horse racing occurs. It's that simple. No one is even talking about how the long shot, Da' Tara, won the race by going wire to wire...no word yet on whether that trainer shot up the horse with roids, but let the speculation begin.

Big Brown Cycling Off the Juice

After appearing on Jim Rome is Burning yesterday, Rick Dutrow Jr said Big Brown did not get his monthly shot of Winstrol. He's been off roids, according to Dutrow, since mid-April. Apparently horses have to cycle off their roids like humans.


I'm sure Big Brown going off the juice had nothing to do with the firestorm that erupted after Dutrow admitted to shooting up the Triple Crown favorite with Winstrol last month. What happens if Big Brown doesn't win the Belmont on Saturday? People will say the horse wasn't roided up enough! The guy cannot win on this one.

More curious is why mainstream media has refused to question why Eight Belles was the only horse tested for steroids, yet all horses from the Kentucky Derby were tested for banned substances. I'm sure the horse racing honks would say it's because steroids are legal in 28 of the 38 states where horse racing occurs including the three states where the Triple Crown takes place. The honks would also toe the company line and say that there is no advantage gained by injecting a horse with roids. If there's no advantage, why are trainers doing it.

The simple solution to this controversy is level the playing field by banning all steroids in the 28 states where it's legal. At least the sport will appear it is out in front on this issue unlike baseball which had to be pushed to act by Congress. The cheaters will still move on to some undetectable PED, but at least we can stop reciting the same statistics and rehash the same annual controversy every May and June when discussing the Triple Crown.

Michael Johnson to Return Gold Medal

Michael Johnson has decided to return the gold medal that he won along with his teammates in the 1,600 meter relay from the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. In a column he wrote for the Daily Telegraph, Johnson was "shocked" to learn Antonio Pettigrew, someone he considered a friend, used PED's from 1997 to 2001.

When Jerome Young tested positive for PED's in 1999, Pettigrew and Johnson discussed whether to give back the medals. Since Young was exonerated, Pettigrew convinced Johnson that they were in the right to keep their medals, even though Pettigrew "was guilty and the medal was tainted anyway."

Johnson has "been naive," but does not buy the excuses everyone needs to use PED's in order to compete because everyone else is using and that coaches are pressuring athletes to use PED's.

Johnson supports the crop of new stars: Jeremy Wariner, Allyson Felix, Tyson Gay, Christine Ohuruogu, Usain Bolt (current WFM) and Asafa Powell, but can understand how the public can be skeptical of their performance. Many of the athletes who admitted to using PED's never tested positive.

As I speculated in a previous post, when three of the four runners in the finals have admitted to using PED's, there are only three possibilities regarding the fourth: he was using, he didn't know or he knew, but took the high road and raced clean.

As for Pettigrew, is he out of the hospital yet? Johnson threw him under the bus! By taking the high road, Johnson forced Pettigrew to give up his medal. If Johnson didn't do the right thing now and return the medal, when would he?