Report: Sosa tested positive for banned substance in 2003
According to a report by the New York Times, Sammy Sosa is one of the baseball players who tested positive for a banned substance in 2003.
In some respects, this is hardly shocking news seeing as how many people already suspected that Sosa took banned substances during his playing career. But nothing had ever been confirmed until now.
What’s interesting is that earlier this month Sosa announced that he planned on retiring from baseball and that he would “calmly wait” for his “induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame.” Looks like you’ll be waiting awhile for that, chief.
Either way, Sosa has bigger issues on his hands than whether or not he’ll be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. If this report is true and he did test positive for a banned substance, that means he lied under oath before Congress at a public hearing in 2005. He claimed that he had never taken illegal performance-enhancing drugs, but the tests done in 2003 could prove otherwise.
Granted, there was no steroid policy in place in 2003, so just like Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez, Sosa technically didn’t break any MLB rules. But for a league desperately trying to clean up its image, this is yet another chink in the armor for MLB.
There’s still a list out there of 104 names of players that tested positive for banned substances. The test results from 2003 were to remain anonymous and therefore MLB won’t release the names, but it should. At risk of pissing off the player’s union, baseball should just release the names, take it’s medicine and then attempt to move on. Why not? What’s the difference if Sports Illustrated or the New York Times reports whose names are on the list or MLB does it themselves?
As long as there are still 100-plus names out there of players who tested positive, then this steroid issue will forever remain the elephant in the room.
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I still think it’s reprehensible that the 100-some names story leaked in the first place (if the tests were supposed to be confidential, then whoever leaked the results broke the law, and should be punished), but having said that, can we please put this to bed? God, MLB is so, so dumb about managing their image.
If anyone is truly upset about this news, may I please direct your attention to Donte Stallworth, who killed a guy while driving drunk, and will only serve 30 days in jail for it. That, my friends, is a sports story worthy of your contempt.
Sammy will have an excuse for this one also. Remember the corked bat ? Opps – that was just for batting practice. Sorry Sammy Fans – you drank the Koolaid.
Bud the Slug looked the other way on this one too didn’t he ?
Black Eye
I agree with David. The Stallworth story is a disgrace to humanity. Turns out he’ll only serve 24 days!!!!!! A disgrace.
David hits it right on the head and I have nothing to add to it..but it scares me that day after day people can pay there way out of crimes.
Why do we have laws?
This asswipre gets off with 30 days, Plaxico will be playing this year, Kobe is a Champion, Clemons and McGuire are juicin, Ray Lewis is playing but if Joe the Fan did any of this he’d be in jail.
Yes, Sir…lets take the family out for $250.00 to watch the convicts play some ball. Might want to stay home instead and rent the longest yard…same thing and it costs less.
Does anybody remember Jim Tillman?
Outside of Da Bear, where were all you guys when I wrote this:
http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/05/21/stallworth-to-avoid-manslaug
hter-charges/
I agree that the Stallworth news is stunning, but here’s an interesting article that sheds some light on some of the extenuating circumstances that went into the plea deal:
http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2009/06/cleveland_browns_
fans_stunned.html
I agree with all of the above. But my question is who enables these guys to get away with it? The sad answer is that we do. The fans are not the sole reason, but we as fans put these guys on pedestals and as long as they perform for our team we can turn a blind eye. For example: Kobe rapes somebody, allegedly, but all he has to do is win a couple of championships and all is forgiven.