ESPN Reports Palmeiro Testing Positive For Stanozolol

[Senators2005]

Tuesday, August 2, 2005
Source: Palmeiro tested positive for stanozolol

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ESPN.com news services

Rafael Palmeiro tested positive for the potent anabolic steroid stanozolol, the same substance Olympic sprinter Ben Johnson of Canada took in 1988, The New York Times reported on its Web site Tuesday night.

Johnson was stripped of a gold medal in 1988 after testing positive for that steroid.

According to a source with direct knowledge of baseball's drug-testing program, stanozolol, known by its brand name, Winstrol, was detected in the Baltimore Orioles first baseman.

"It's a mildly strong to strong steroid," Dr. Gary Wadler, a professor at New York University and an expert in sports doping, told the newspaper. "Potent is the word I would use."

On Monday, the 40-year-old Palmeiro was suspended for 10 days under the toughened major-league policy that took effect in March. Tuesday, Seattle Mariners pitcher Ryan Franklin was the eighth major-leaguer to be suspended for a positive test.

Palmeiro's suspension came five months after the player appeared before a congressional panel to dramatically deny he had ever used steroids.

While he didn't deny testing positive for the drugs, Palmeiro insisted Monday that ingesting them was an accident.

"When I testified in front of Congress, I know that I was testifying under oath and I told the truth," he said during a telephone conference call. "Today I am telling the truth again that I did not do this intentionally or knowingly."

Without giving specifics, the four-time All-Star left the impression that the banned substance was contained in a supplement that was not prescribed. He said it was an "embarrassing situation" and still did not know what caused the positive test.

"Why would I do this in a year when I went in front of Congress and I testified and I told the truth?" he said. "Why would I do this during a season where I was going to get to 3,000 hits? It just makes no sense. ? I'm not a crazy person."

On July 15, Palmeiro joined Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Eddie Murray as the only players with 3,000 hits and 500 homers.

[Senators2005]

My Note:  You can't "ACCIDENTALLY" take Stanozolol.  

[JMW IV]

To add Insult to Injury...

The Baltimore Sun is reporting that Palmeiro knew he'd failed the drug test since MAY, and MLB and the Orioles kept it under wraps until he got his 3,000th hit.

[Dave B]

I wonder why they would have waited.  It would just create a bigger media circus that way, because of the elite club palmeiro recently joined. Unless that is what MLB wanted; to take down a marquee player.  Orioles I guess wanted to wait so they could fill a couple more seats during the 3000 hit chase.  I guess palmeiro might have wanted to feel good at least for a couple more days.  So I guess as I wrote this, I kinda answered my own question.

Dammit Nats stop losing.

[Kenz aFan]

MLB had to wait until the decision from the arbitrator after Palmeiro launched his appeal against the findings. Had he been able to prove that he took the stanozolol by accident (its the type of steroid that can be mixed with pretty easily into any type of drink).

If you stop to think about it, even if Palmeiro took steroids in the past, with his appearing in front the congressional committee and with his 3000th hit in sight, he would have to be the world's biggest idiot to even think about taking any. If he has his own water bottle or drinks any one of the countless liquid *aids* it's possible that someone tampered with his bottle. It would be the easiest thing in the world to do.

Since I have no idea how long after its ingested, stanozolol stays in the system, and since I don't know the date he was tested, (was it during the season or spring training?), and unless stanozolol can be found in non prescription drugs, even if he is innocent, there's no way in hell he could prove it... He found out he tested positive in May, but when was he tested, does anyone know?

Without a detailed list of which over the counter drugs contain banned substances, and without a detailed list of what the banned (or allowed) substances are, the testing is kind of unfair. If you go to any gym, they have all kinds of *diet/health aids* on display and they are all legal products. Any athlete without an updated list can easily be under the assumption that if they are over the counter aids, they must be ok.

[JMW IV]

Ken...

Stanzolol is NOT found in any dietary supplements.

It is a steriod, plain and simple, and the only way you can ingest it is to take the steriod in pill form or injection.

the only places you can get it are on the Black Market, and through a Doctor's Prescription(as it does have a specific medicinal purpose, but  not one that i can imagine Raffy was suffering from).

You CAN'T take Stanzolol and NOT know about it.

[JMW IV]

and I was reading some Orioles Boards about this...and one of them said that Canseco's Book names Stanzolol as the drug that Palmeiro was using in Texas.

what a coincidence...

[Kenz aFan]

Ken...

Stanzolol is NOT found in any dietary supplements.

I used the term diet/health aids because there are dozens that contain substances banned by the IOC. Since there are banned substances in hundreds of over the counter medications, I said its possible. (When I trimmed down my reply, I cut out parts that would have had it make bit more sense.) If it is the same steroid that cost Ben Johnson his gold medal, then doctoring his water (or drink) supply would have been very easy. After Ben Johnson was stripped of his gold medal and before he finally admitted to having made the mistake of listening to his trainer (rolls eyes), they were showing on the CBC how easy it was to tamper with an athletes water supply without them knowing. It was at the time a case of grasping at straws, but they needed to make excuses or fill air time.

[Kenz aFan]

the only places you can get it are on the Black Market, and through a Doctor's Prescription(as it does have a specific medicinal purpose, but  not one that i can imagine Raffy was suffering from).

There are dozens, if not more banned substances sold over the counter in places like the Dominican Republic, where they aren't illegal. I'm pretty sure Palmeiro doesn't live there, but there are more ways than the black market of getting steroids.

I was raised thinking that unless there was incontrovertible proof, that a person was considered innocent. And since there's no way the MLB drug testing program can give absolute incontrovertible proof of guilt. It can only mark a player as a possible offender, until someone proves to me Palmeiro is a bold faced liar, I'll take a man at his word.

[tomterp]

Everything that I have read indicates that the stanozolol is something you have to go out of your way to ingest.

Let's assume Ken's point, that it could have been slipped to him intentionally by spiking a drink.  This is theoretically possible, in that any medication able to be taken in pill form, can generally be delivered through a disolved solution too.  But I find this a very far-fetched scenario, that assumes ill-intent or even conspiracy against a very popular player.  

I suspect we will not see a full fledged police investigation into the source of such a spiking, because I bet the last people Raphy wants to see around the clubhouse are the local gendarmes.

To me it's a far more likely scenario that the "accident" he refers to, is that he didn't follow instructions for masking the substance properly.

If true, he has two choices:  either go clean, or try to be more diligent and effective in his masking attempts, and hope to foil the certain surprise tests to follow.  

So which Raphy will we see:  last year's anemic performer, or this year's .300+ 18 homer guy?

[mar (AKA pasqual AKA JMG)]

Everything that I have read indicates that the stanozolol is something you have to go out of your way to ingest.

Let's assume Ken's point, that it could have been slipped to him intentionally by spiking a drink.  This is theoretically possible, in that any medication able to be taken in pill form, can generally be delivered through a disolved solution too.  But I find this a very far-fetched scenario, that assumes ill-intent or even conspiracy against a very popular player.  

I suspect we will not see a full fledged police investigation into the source of such a spiking, because I bet the last people Raphy wants to see around the clubhouse are the local gendarmes.

To me it's a far more likely scenario that the "accident" he refers to, is that he didn't follow instructions for masking the substance properly.

If true, he has two choices:  either go clean, or try to be more diligent and effective in his masking attempts, and hope to foil the certain surprise tests to follow.  

So which Raphy will we see:  last year's anemic performer, or this year's .300+ 18 homer guy?

Your analysis kind of mirrors the Ben Johnson defence. First it was a spiked water bottle, then it seemed to devolve into "I thought I had discontinued it early enough that it wouldn't show up in a test."

Me, I prefer the Scoscia defence: Everybody does it