Ron Washington claims to have used cocaine for the first and only time on a road trip to Southern California last year. Someone allegedly tried to blackmail Washington about the yeyo use (experiment?), and the manager threw himself at the mercy of the team. “A tearful, yet forced, confession to his superiors swayed any opinion about firing him on the spot in July of last season … it was later determined there was no evidence he was a consistent white line fever abuser.” Next time you fail a drug test after playing in the snow, tears + begging = saving your job. [Star-Telegram]
Ron Washington, the manager of the Texas Rangers, tested positive for cocaine in 2009, according to Sports Illustrated’s Jon Heyman. “I did make a mistake and I regret that I did it. I am really embarrassed and I am really sorry … Any attempt to try to explain it is going to sound like excuses. There is no right way to explain something wrong, and I did wrong. Was it tension? Maybe. Anxiety?” The Rangers knew about the positive test, then decided not to fire him. Washington’s star outfielder, Josh Hamilton, is a recovering drug addict. [SI]
Jose Reyes: "New scrutiny of thyroid hormones and their interaction with HGH has come amid the confusing reports on the health status of Mets shortstop Jose Reyes, who either has an overactive thyroid (as the Mets claim) or is perfectly fine (as Reyes himself claimed on Tuesday) ... More tests are forthcoming, and doctors are likely to examine records of blood tests Reyes has undergone earlier in his career ... And while those efforts may reveal Reyes has a natural illness, they also come on the heels of his admission that he received treatments from Anthony Galea, a Toronto doctor who has been charged in Canada with several drug offenses and is under investigation in the U.S. for conspiring to smuggle drugs, including HGH, across the border." [NY Daily News] (21)
Memphis 111, Boston 91: A humbling home loss for the Celtics, who lost at home to the Nets’ late last month. Boston is once again tied with the Hawks’ for the 3rd playoff spot. You might think the Celtics would be “lucky” to fall into the fourth spot and play the Bucks in the first round … but Boston just lost to them 86-84 the other day. Toronto, currently the 6th seed, has much better talent than Milwaukee. The Grizzlies have won a staggering seven straight on the road, but is still 3.5 games behind the 8th seed in the West, Portland. Read the rest of this entry »
Michael S. Schmidt scooped another big performance-enhancing drug story ahead of everyone yet again, reporting that baseball has decided to implement blood testing for HGH in the minor leagues this year. The report follows news that a reliable test for the substance might be close: Read the rest of this entry »
In what is being called a “major breakthrough” in the fight against doping, a British Rugby player tested positive for HGH, and is the first athlete to be suspended for use of human growth hormone. Doctors are thrilled. Athletes in the three main American sports probably aren’t. Read the rest of this entry »
Vancouver's Drug Safe House: "Just blocks from the city's picturesque waterfront, the colorful backdrop for the Winter Olympic Games, is the small storefront where addicts come with their illegal drugs, register their names and substances of choice — heroin, speed, morphine and other injectables — to use all they want." Addicts inject themselves using clean needles under the supervision of nurses. Its the social programs from Hamsterdam put into practice. (USA Today) (30)
Sean Sutton has been arrested on "drug complaints" — The former Oklahoma State basketball coach was arrested by the "Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs on Thursday in Stillwater on complaints of attempting to possess controlled dangerous substances." He had been receiving shipments of Adderall and Clonazepam from New York and Washington. (Tulsa World) (6)
Mark McGwire: "The Cardinals were so paranoid about potential leaks of McGwire's plans to disclose his steroid use, several team officials had to turn over their cell phones Monday after being informed of the pending announcement. The phones were returned after McGwire released his statement." [St. Louis Post-Dispatch] (9)
Mark McGwire: “The Cardinals were so paranoid about potential leaks of McGwire’s plans to disclose his steroid use, several team officials had to turn over their cell phones Monday after being informed of the pending announcement. The phones were returned after McGwire released his statement.” [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]
Ron Washington claims to have used cocaine for the first and only time on a road trip to Southern California last year. Someone allegedly tried to blackmail Washington about the yeyo use (experiment?), and the manager threw himself at the mercy of the team. “A tearful, yet forced, confession to his superiors swayed any opinion about firing him on the spot in July of last season … it was later determined there was no evidence he was a consistent white line fever abuser.” Next time you fail a drug test after playing in the snow, tears + begging = saving your job. [Star-Telegram]
