[Optimus Prime]

So I've been watching this ridiculous hearing on Roger Clemens and Brian Macnamee...and it is pure comedy.

I mean come on Clemens. Do you really expect us to belive that you didn't do HGH or steroids? We've got testimony from your best friend that says you admitted to using it.

We have the Committee telling us about how you tried to get your story straight with your nanny a few days before she testified. (TAMPERING WITH A FUCKING WITNESS) She later confirms you were at this Canseco Steroid party.

The guy just needs to admit.

My question I guess, is do you guys care about all these guys using performance enhancing drugs? I don't think any of them belong in the Hall of Fame. It is a joke that Barry Bonds "technically" has more home runs than Hank Aaron....pathetic.

[paladin]

i care because i was an aspiring athlete who did not take performance enhancing drugs and that is the type of thing that can leave me on the outside looking in if i wanted to go towards a pro career

[Binder of Demons]

I agree Paladin. I know several people who are top class athletes who have busted a gut training for years to try and compete at an olympic level, and yet they see people whom they have beaten for years coming up through the various age groups, suddenly re-appear after an off season and be running times vastly quicker.

I don't know how they can keep going knowing they have no hope unless they "juice" up. It must be even harder to resist the temptation, when the promise of riches is so much greater in a sport like baseball, or american football.

Personally I can't stand it. I hope they manage to catch as many of these cheats as they can, to at least make some people question whether they should cheat or not. OR eventually you have a sport that is as laughable as cycling!

[Dancer+]

I agree with the post above. In addition, there needs to be a completely level playing field for athletes. Anyone who takes drugs knowingly should be banned for life, that is the message Sport needs to send across.

[wolf_2099]

The competition in sports these days isn't between athletes; it's between pharmaceutical companies to see who can make the un-detectable steroid.

I can understand why they do, especially at NBA, NFL, NHL, Olympic levels, etc, etc, the drive to win would be huge.

Do I think they should be doing it? Hell no. Do I think they can stop it? Probably not.

How would you test for something you don’t know exists yet, it isn’t like the pharmaceutical companies are handing over sample of their steroids and HGH to test on

[Coco with marshmallows]

when it comes to this kind of thing,
i'm kind of intrigued by the idea that B.J. Penn had.

basically, set up a seperate sports system for drug takers, and allow all performance enhancing drugs in it.

so you'd have (for example) a clean olypics, and an anything goes one.
a clean UFC, and an anything goes one, and so on.

Anyone daft enough to regularly use steroids/HGH considering the damage that it clearly does to people's health (pro wrestling death rates anyone?) should be left to it.

[caladanbrood]

With Dwain Chambers now racing again, this has become big news once more over here (well, bigish).

It should be simple really - cheat, get chucked out. Permenantly.

[Optimus Prime]

caladanbrood;259642 said:

With Dwain Chambers now racing again, this has become big news once more over here (well, bigish).

It should be simple really - cheat, get chucked out. Permenantly.

I agree.

I'm also kind of depressed that my gov't has pumped so much money into these investigations while we have bigger fish to fry....the damn leagues themselves should be able to police this crap.

Who knows who isn't tainted anymore? Very depressing for avid sports fans.

[Slum]

Steroid/HGH use was rampant for the better part of a decade in MLB. It wasn't tested for, and HGH wasn't even illegal. I could honestly care less about dragging the past into the light and ruining players' legacies. It has a certain appeal, like watching a car crash, but it's ultimately too much too late. They've now got testing in place. Hopefully, new players have learned from others' mistakes. It's basically two strikes you're out for year, three strikes you're out forever.

And I totally agree with Xander. Our government has a lot more important things to worry about than who injected what into whose butt 5 years ago. Give me a fucking break.

[Optimus Prime]

I don't have a problem with them looking into who did what these last couple of years...if only for the sake of record holders like Hank Aaron (a man of dignity and class). I do have a problem with not doing anything about it for the future. These professional sports leagues just need to grow some balls and start banning guys for life...hopefully that would scare the shit out of a lot of these dopers...but it will never totally go away.

Pharmacy drugs will always be ahead of blood tests unfortunately.

[Slum]

Yes, but uncovering truths about baseball players' past transgressions should be solely the domain of MLB's authorities. Making a three-ring circus out of an otherwise inconsequential matter is pointless. Um... how can we be so sure that Hank Aaron didn't take amphetamines or that old ballplayers didn't use what drugs were available to them at the time? Of course they did (not necessarily Aaron in particular). It's human nature to try and get an edge in competition. And if there's no rules prohibiting it, who's to say it isn't fair. All is fair in love and war, right? And isn't professional sports, basically, war without casualties? I've certainly heard it compared as such.

Edit: Perhaps I'm un-American in my disregard for the "Sanctity of the Game."

[Optimus Prime]

No, I agree Slum.

I hate that Congress gets involved...I just wish the leagues themselves would get this done. And if that asshole Congressman makes a big deal out of "Spygate" I swear I'm moving to Canada.....let the shit die...or let the NFL deal with it.

[Slum]

Agreed.

Edit: Spygate is comical. It's like they (the powers that be) feel pressured by MLB's investigation to act differently than they would have otherwise. Really, you can spy me gettin' ready for work, but do you know, truly, what I have planned that day? Granted it's a different equation, but gametime is gametime; if certain routes are compromised, there are other routes to travel.

Any good coach/leader has contingency plans.

[Optimus Prime]

I saw Andy Petite's apology today, and he came off as very sincere. He doesn't look nearly as slimey as Clemens does.

If you get caught, just admit. You'll look way better off in the long run. At worst, you are still a freaking GAZILLIONAIRE.

[Slum]

Yep, the Rocket's guilty as sin...He's kinda still intimidating, though. Pettite, not so much.

Pettite's afraid of some sort of Heavenly repercussions.

[Optimus Prime]

yeah, he definitely is terrified of God. Hilarious.

The Rocket is losing his intimidation...some of his claims are just plain laughable. His wife took HGH but he didn't know...riiiiiiiiight.

[Slum]

Yeah, his (Clemens) explanations are laughable and implausible. But no one can prove him false. It's a wonderful system...

[Optimus Prime]

well Petite proves he is lying at least about their conversation....Clemens' legacy is ruined now...which he deserves for being a liar. Had he admitted in the first place he could have possibly saved a lot of his legacy.

[Slum]

But.. he's (pettite) not trying to salvage a remnant of his legacy. Clemens wants the the title of "Best Pitcher Ever." The only way to secure said title and feed his ginormous ego is to fight the allegations. Basically, deny them into insignificance.

Pettite has never had that much to fight for. Pettite's lucky if he's a footnote in Yankees lore.

[paladin]

Slumgullion Spitteler;260318 said:

And I totally agree with Xander. Our government has a lot more important things to worry about than who injected what into whose butt 5 years ago. Give me a fucking break.

this is a statement i always have a problem with. the government handles a thousand different things and ensuring monopolies(especially ones with anti-trust exemptions) act in ways that arent detrimental to the consumers they provide a service to is one of the jobs they handle in the us.