The "sudden rash in positive steroid tests" among MLBers -- four pitchers, all caught with Stanozolol in their system, have been suspended since players reported to Spring Training -- has the league "looking into any links between the cases and exploring why the old-school drug is popping up on tests again," according to Jorge Ortiz of USA TODAY. The recent suspensions "are already one more than the number of players on 40-man rosters penalized for using performance-enhancing substances all of last year." The presence of Stanozolol in all four "has raised questions as to why the easily detectable drug, popular with bodybuilders for its muscle-building and fat-burning properties, may have made a resurgence." MLB has "yet to find a connection between the four positive tests" (USA TODAY, 4/13). Twins P Ervin Santana was one of the four suspended for 80 game due to the positive test, and Twins President Dave St. Peter said, "It’s hard for me to gauge how it impacts individual players because I’m not in the clubhouse, but make no mistake: I think that news was not just surprising, it was shocking to our team, our front office and our ownership" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 4/12). Mets P Jenrry Mejia, Braves P Arodys Vizcaino and Mariners P David Rollins are the other players to be suspended (THE DAILY).
ALWAYS PART OF THE GAME? ESPN's Mike Golic said officials are "never getting rid of PEDs" in MLB, as it is just a "matter of how much you can get it to come down and where is the correct line." He asked, "Is 80 (games suspended) better than 50? Yes. Is 80 and you're out of the postseason better than 50? Yes, it is. So that will deter some, but not all. It's a matter of how far you're willing to go. Anybody that says, ‘We want to get it out of the game,’ you're kidding yourself. You're not getting it out of the game. You could go to, ‘If you test positive one time, you will never play baseball again,’ people will still do it" (“Mike & Mike,” ESPN Radio, 4/13).
