Rewards of PEDs Outweigh Risks In MLB
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By DERON SNYDER
Melky Cabrera, in the midst of an MVP-like season for the San Francisco Giants, tested positive for testosterone around the All-Star break. Major League Baseball announced Wednesday that the Giants outfielder is suspended for 50 games.
Ryan Braun, who won the MVP award with the Milwaukee Brewers last year, tested positive for testosterone after the 2011 regular season ended. After he won his appeal in February, MLB vehemently disagreed with the arbitrator’s decision, which was based on a technicality and not the test’s veracity.
Those cases — not to mention the three other major leaguers suspended this season — bring us to the sad conclusion that performance-enhancing drugs in baseball are alive and well. Especially in the minor leagues, where there have been 70 suspensions this year (although 19 were for a “drug of abuse,” meaning some players still are interested in getting high more than making highlights).
I have no idea if testosterone provides a buzz, but it definitely delivers a boost. Cabrera, who averaged .267 with eight homers and 54 RBI during his first five seasons, was a different player last year. He hit .305 with 18 homers and 54 RBI for Kansas City, crediting it to working harder, eating better and drinking less.
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