Rick Ankiel - Cheater?

by tlt29 on Sep 7, 2007 1:19 AM CDT

With all of the warm-fuzzy feelings coming from the Rick Ankiel comeback story, we get this:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3008363

12-month supply of HGH from a Florida pharmacy in 2004.

Sucks.

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but..

as im sure the article says (read yahoo's story earlier) it wasnt officially banned by the mlb until 2005.

it still reflects badly on him and it tarnishes his comeback a bit, but I dont think its that huge of a deal.

by DShep on Sep 7, 2007 1:20 AM CDT reply actions

Here's the key:

"Ankiel received a 12-month supply of human growth hormone in 2004 from a Florida pharmacy that was part of a national illegal prescription drug-distribution operation"

ILLEGAL.

Hey...you should be able to play baseball if you murder someone because it's not banned by MLB.

by tlt29 on Sep 7, 2007 1:32 AM CDT up reply actions

I doubt you can find many players

in 2004 that weren't taking amphetamines, HGH, or steroids, all illegal. That includes a lot of squeaky clean fan favorites.

by DJCahill on Sep 7, 2007 5:57 AM CDT up reply actions

nice

the "everyone else was doing" it argument.

That didn't work for me when I was 16, and it shouldn't work for grown men either.

Greatest Inventions Ever? 1. TiVO, 2. Boobs, 3. Baseball

by willamos2 on Sep 7, 2007 7:58 AM CDT up reply actions

Yep

Such as Alex Rodriguez.

If Lindsey Lohan, Kobe Bryant, or a democrat politician was dogfighting, they'd walk and we all know it.

by Sharky on Sep 7, 2007 9:49 AM CDT up reply actions

and

Pudge Rodriguez.

by DJCahill on Sep 7, 2007 9:50 AM CDT up reply actions

MLB

has no authority here.

Can't punish a player for taking a substance that wasn't banned at the time.

Further they can't even prove that he took the substance.

The only thing that will result from this is that Ankiel will get scared and lay off the stuff and not have a MLB career as a result.

Saltalamacchia: one player, six vowels.

by tricer on Sep 7, 2007 9:06 AM CDT up reply actions

There is nothing

that indicates he took it in 2006 or 2007, so I wouldn't call the end of Ankiel's career just yet.

by DJCahill on Sep 7, 2007 9:17 AM CDT up reply actions

well if it wasnt illegal

it wouldnt look bad or tarnish much... but i should have been more clear.

its bad, but not his career is tainted bad.

by DShep on Sep 7, 2007 10:56 AM CDT up reply actions

What's not surprising to me...

It's not surprising to me that he was still trying to be a top-notch pitcher at the time of this alleged steroid use. I think steroids, HgH in particular has been used more by pitchers than hitters over the last 15-20 years.

That's why it's not surprising to me that the majority of suspensions over the past few years for steroid usage have gone to pitchers.

by rangeressary on Sep 7, 2007 4:46 AM CDT reply actions

too bad it wasn't cheating

at that time.

"Jon Daniels is going to end up being the best thing to ever happen to the Texas Rangers." - me, a long time ago...

by Longhorn on Sep 7, 2007 7:44 AM CDT reply actions

First of all

Im not saying that he did anything illegal.

But if you are facing the possibility of being out of baseball, the game you love and have given your whole life to, and to leave and get a real job, work real hours, for shitty wages.

YOU WOULD ALL DO ANYTHING TO PREVENT THAT.

Cut the bullshit, this is the real world.

by TexGoesYard on Sep 7, 2007 8:30 AM CDT reply actions

there are

always illegal shortcuts you can take that can earn you money - many ways in which you can make a lot of it with a substantially low risk of getting caught. so is the only reason you're not doing them because you're not aware of them?

Forget Johnny Bench, we got Gerry "the Jet" Laird

by ab03 on Sep 7, 2007 8:33 AM CDT up reply actions

I'm sure he was aware it was cheating

just like Im sure Pudge and others knew they were cheating when they took steroids. Just like everyone in the Rangers clubhouse who hammered amphetamines during the long season knew it was cheating.

They also probably knew that everyone else was cheating also.

This is Baseball, it ain't Golf. If you aren't cheating in baseball, you aren't trying nearly hard enough to win.

by DJCahill on Sep 7, 2007 8:51 AM CDT up reply actions

Haha

it's like when Barkley pontificates: "Man, this is the SEC. If you ain't cheatin, you ain't tryin."

"No team has any major strengths as all NFL players are roughly the same. If you cant run on third and one it isn't because of your players." - Sharky

by inactive lsb user on Sep 7, 2007 12:01 PM CDT up reply actions

Just like GMJ

Ankiel will suffer some embarrasment while the media attention is squarely on the story and probably recieve some threats of disciplinary action by MLB.

Then the media will go away, and baseball will realize that they can't punish a player for taking a substance that they can't prove he took.

Then it will be back to business as usual for everyone.

Saltalamacchia: one player, six vowels.

by tricer on Sep 7, 2007 9:03 AM CDT reply actions

What...?

"Can't punish a player for taking a substance that wasn't banned at the time."

I do not understand this when people say it. Is it not in the rules that it is illegal to takes anything that is against the law? This is what I understood. So then he could be in trouble but since they can not prove that he took the substance that is the crux. But if they can prove that he and GMJ where recieving the HGH why can they not just suspend them since the HGH was received illegally it it against Baseball rules, right?

by sftxfan on Sep 7, 2007 9:40 AM CDT reply actions

Well, if you want to punish everyone

who took them, we'd probably be hard pressed to field enough bodies to get games in.

by DJCahill on Sep 7, 2007 9:42 AM CDT up reply actions

so be it

I'd rather have baseball shut down for a year or two, cleaning itself up, then become the WWF, WWE, or whatever else they call themselves these days.

And that is a huge leap of faith to assume that there aren't enough guys to field teams, but I guess if you didn't believe that, you couldn't use the "everyone else is doing it" and "even playing field" arguments.

Greatest Inventions Ever? 1. TiVO, 2. Boobs, 3. Baseball

by willamos2 on Sep 7, 2007 10:44 AM CDT up reply actions

How long of a suspension do you want?

How long until we get, say, Michael Young, Hank Blalock, and Kevin Millwood back?

by DJCahill on Sep 7, 2007 10:48 AM CDT up reply actions

until

they pass their urine tests AND blood tests.

I don't care if they punish players for past transgressions...just stop it at all costs right now.

Greatest Inventions Ever? 1. TiVO, 2. Boobs, 3. Baseball

by willamos2 on Sep 7, 2007 11:30 AM CDT up reply actions

Shut down the sport?

That only works if the NFL and NBA do it too - because cheating is equally as prevelant in those sports. The only difference is that when NFL stars are caugh cheating the only controversy is how it affects fantasy and gambling strategies; and when NBA stars cheat David Stern just quietly shreds the test results.

This is NOT a baseball only problem. The fact that baseball is held to a higher standard means that unlike football and basketball, fans still believe baseball can redeem itself.

by JBImaknee on Sep 7, 2007 11:34 AM CDT up reply actions

NFL

They have just as bad a steroids problem as MLB, if not worse. Shawne Merriman got busted for steroids last year, and nobody batted an eye.

Bill Romanowski makes appearances on Sporting News radio as a "nutritional expert;" even though he was implicated just as much as Bonds in the whole BALCO scandal.

"Then I met some friends for a beer, went to a BoDeans's concert, and son of a vondruke, if I didn't leave him at the concert hall."

by RCCook on Sep 7, 2007 3:04 PM CDT up reply actions

MLB is not a law enforcement agency

He would have to be found guilty by a court before MLB could take any punitive action.

If he broke a baseball rule, then baseball could hand out a punishment - but with the timing Ankiel allegedly broke the law, but not a baseball rule.

At least that is my understanding of how it works.

Saltalamacchia: one player, six vowels.

by tricer on Sep 7, 2007 9:55 AM CDT up reply actions

Yep

That's how I understand it as well. If Selig were to start suspending players on the belief they did steroids- without any actual criminal evidence- you can bet the MLBPA would file a ton of appeals and lawsuits.

"Then I met some friends for a beer, went to a BoDeans's concert, and son of a vondruke, if I didn't leave him at the concert hall."

by RCCook on Sep 7, 2007 11:04 AM CDT up reply actions

in 2004...

that was the last time he pitched. wasn't his problem control? that stuff wouldn't help with control...

Al Gore 2008 http://www.myspace.com/igotsculture

by gossamer on Sep 7, 2007 11:58 AM CDT reply actions

HGH is in the body naturally

theres no way other than a pharmacy bust or whatever to prove they got their hands on the shit. And even with that its not 100% proof they took it. MLB could test for high HGH levels but someone could easily fail that test just because of some sort of naturally occuring overactive gland.

by dubman @ Lone Star Ball on Sep 7, 2007 2:59 PM CDT reply actions

Ankiel's Latest

Ankiel Update

What I like about Ankiel is how up front he is about everything. He makes it very clear that everything he took was prescribed. He makes it very clear that he's not juiced, and if he ever took anything it was because it was prescribed to him for his recovery.

It seems like the vast majority of the fans have defended him through this whole thing, yet still it's funny how in a 48 hour period he can go from hero to villain and back to hero.

I wish the Mitchell investigation would simply release any information that they have (which we all know is very little), and then simply let the story be. MLB is doing anything to try to cover up that they are the real bad guys in this whole thing.

by rangeressary on Sep 8, 2007 1:42 AM CDT reply actions