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Monday, August 1, 2005
Palmeiro to be suspended for steroids; denies use
Associated Press

Rafael Palmeiro was suspended Monday for violating Major League Baseball's steroids policy, nearly five months after telling Congress that "I have never used steroids. Period."

Palmeiro two weeks ago collected his 3,000th hit, joining Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Eddie Murray as the only players with 3,000 hits and 500 homers.

Palmeiro, 40, is the seventh and highest-profile player to test positive for steroids under the major league policy adopted earlier this year.

In remarks prepared for a conference call Monday, Palmeiro said he had accepted his punishment and could not explain how the steroids got into his body.

"I have never intentionally used steroids. Never. Ever. Period," he said. "Ultimately, although I never intentionally put a banned substance into my body, the independent arbitrator ruled that I had to be suspended under the terms of the program."

A grievance filed by the players' union against the suspension was denied.

Appearing with Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and other baseball stars before a congressional committee on March 17, Palmeiro made an opening statement in which he said: "Let me start by telling you this: I have never used steroids. Period. I don't know how to say it any more clearly than that. Never."

Palmeiro seemed in that appearance to be indignant over accusations made by former slugger Jose Canseco, who cited Palmeiro as a steroid user in his tell-all book. In an interview on the CBS television show "60 Minutes," Canseco -- who also testified before Congress -- said he injected the drug into Palmeiro.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2121659

baseball is officially dead to me...i thought for a little while that rafael would be innocent and would not ever be linked with the word "steroids" ever again...but this is the era we live in--noone is really that pure of a player, even if his name is Rafael Palmeiro. There was little purity left in baseball after all this steroid stuff, and now, there is none. I'm done with baseball, who's with me?


except the cards

Palmeiro has just lost my respect. They really need to put an astress next to his hits and homers. They put an astress next to Roger Marris' home run record just because he got the record by playing a longer season then Babe Ruth. I don't see why they can't put an astress next to the numbers these Roid Abusers are putting up.

No way!! Man, if Raffi's on the juice... now the question is who isn't on the juice.

How's his HOF future now?

Of course, no where does it say what banned substance it was. All we know is what this one reporter stated in a rather non-objective manner.

I'm not saying he's innocent by any stretch, but you can't through his whole career out because of this.

He could have taken a supplement with Ephedra in it and failed the test just as easily as if he had shot up HGH.

Put him next to Sammy Soso. Which guy looks like he's on the juice. Which guy has the symptoms of a steroid user. It ain't Palmiero.

I'll wait to hear his side of the story before I have him executed for perjury.

He's been a stand-up guy his whole career so this does come as a shock to me b/c I've always liked the guy. Unfortunately, no matter what he took he will have a stigma attached to him from here out.

This might really hurt the O's since he's always been a good vet around the locker room.

Redskins Rule wrote:Palmeiro has just lost my respect. They really need to put an astress next to his hits and homers. They put an astress next to Roger Marris' home run record just because he got the record by playing a longer season then Babe Ruth. I don't see why they can't put an astress next to the numbers these Roid Abusers are putting up.

An ass-dress, or an asterix?

SKINZ_DOMIN8 wrote:I hate the Orioles in the first place and now this makes me laugh....Palmiero and his holier-than-thou speech in front of Congress puts his worthless carcass no better than a street drug dealer.

Sorry "Raffi" you ain't getting into the Hall of Fame now bucko.

You hate everything.

Yes, Raffi thinks he is God, and he is no better than a street drug dealer such as yourself.





Personally, I'll form my opinion once all the facts are out about this. But my initial thoughts are that there is NO ONE stupid enough to serve on a steroids committee, and then intentionally shoot-up with some 'roids. IMO, it was probably a supplement that triggered a "positive" test; and it was probably no more significant than one of us drinking Red Bull or eating a PowerBar to get some fuel.

It's an unfortunate story; but until I hear otherwise, I will give him the benefit of the doubt.

Here's the thing though. Giambi admitted it and look at the year he's having. So it may actually make him work even harder to make things right. You never know.

I dont pay attention to baseball and the only thing I see is whats shown on EPSN. I've been lightly following this steriod fiasco and its beyond me as to how these players are still testing positive for this crap.

If you're ingesting anything besides water or milk then you need to go to your team doctor or whoever and ask "does this contained roids?". If they dont know then have them test it out. They have proven stuff that won't get you on the hotseat. I dont know if I feel sorry for this dude... I doubt that he took it on purpose, I remeber him from his 1st tenure and he's always been a good guy.

ESPN's Poll!


1) Before his suspension for steroids, was Rafael Palmeiro a Hall of Famer in your mind?

79.6% Yes
20.4% No

2) What about now?

52.5% He's a Hall of Famer by numbers, but steroids should keep him out

30.1% Still a Hall of Famer
17.5% I never thought he was a Hall of Famer

3) Rafael Palmeiro was one of the players Jose Canseco called out in his book ''Juiced.'' Does Palmeiro's positive test change your view of Canseco's allegations about other players?

65.6% I'm more likely to believe Canseco now
34.4% Palmeiro's suspension doesn't change my view of other players

4) When he testified before a House committee investigating steroids in baseball, Palmeiro said, ''I have never used steroids. Period.'' Should Palmeiro face perjury charges for lying?

54.6% Yes
45.4% No

5) The punishment for a first steroid offense is not 10 games, but rather 10 days. What is your take?

42.9% Should be more than 10 games
33.0% Should be 10 games, not days
13.2% 10 days is good
10.9% Should be one offense and you are done

6) Should a steroid suspension make a player ineligible for the Hall of Fame?

54.1% No
45.9% Yes

7) Does Palmeiro's suspension give you more faith in MLB's drug policy?

47.1% Yes, the fact a big name was caught makes me believe it is working
41.5% No, I'm still not convinced the testing policy is strong enough
11.4% Even before Palmeiro's positive test, I felt the policy was working

Here's a tidbit I found interesting. It doesn't prove his innocence, but it at least supports my feelings about him not intentionally taking 'roids...



Quote from Raffi:

"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 would not put my career on the line. I would not put my reputation on the line, everything that I've accomplished throughout my career. I would not do that. I'm not a crazy person."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/bba_drugs_palmeiro;_ylt=Ao4Pe2PuwI6zqY155VEtxZAEtbAF;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl


As I said, this obviously does not mean that he is innocent - but it gives credence to the fact that he may not have known he took something illegal.

I don't know about that "...only drink water and milk..." argument. I think we can all agree that almost every athlete in the world takes supplements (of the legal variety) to restore bodily fluids, vitamins, electrolytes, etc. Most of them probably don't eat just Power Bars all the time - they usually have custom designed foods and liquids which are specific to their body.

True, the sure thing for any athlete to do is drink water/gatorade/etc. and eat eggs/fish/etc. to avoid being an alleged steroid-taker. But that's almost unrealistic, IMO, in the world of technology - where a bagillion different "performance" and "energy" supplements promise perfectly legal and safe results.


It just sucks. Raffi is a much classier guy than any of those other 'roid-ragin' fools. He just needs to make sure Canseco doesn't bend him over again in his sleep.

True, the sure thing for any athlete to do is drink water/gatorade/etc. and eat eggs/fish/etc. to avoid being an alleged steroid-taker. But that's almost unrealistic, IMO, in the world of technology - where a bagillion different "performance" and "energy" supplements promise perfectly legal and safe results.

But why not run it past your nutionist or the team doctor 1st? Thats what I dont understand. Its almost like these guys act like there are steroids in the air and they can't help but to inhale.

If I was taking ANY supplement I would run it past everyone in charge 1st to make sure its legal.

Chris Luva Luva wrote:

Its almost like these guys act like there are steroids in the air and they can't help but to inhale.

How this suprises anyone is beyond me. Palmeiro was a high average/low power guy for his first 5 full season. He averaged less than 16 homers a year over more than 150 games a season despite spending time in the relatively homer friendly confines of Wrigley.

Canseco went to Texas mid-season in 1992 and Palmeiro jumps up to 37 homers in 1993 and has stayed at that type of level since.

How does a guy go from an 8 homer 600 AB season to one of the top 10 homer guys of all-time if it wasn't juice.

Besides the fact that no one EVER mentioned Palmeiro's name when steroids were brought up until Jose Conseco's book thrust the spotlight on him, the main reasoning for suprise is three-fold.

Number 1, look at the guy. His physique is not on the same playing field as players such as Bonds, Soso, McGuire and the like.

Number 2, look at the numbers. He got to 500 homers by consistently hitting 30-40 homers over a long period of time. There was no freakish 70+ seasons.

Numbers 3, look at his play at age 40. Guys who use 'roids over a long period of time start to breakdown physically. Palmeiro is 40-years old, and is playing at a high level. No sneezed landing him on the DL, or knee injuries that should last an offseason, suddenly requiring a full season off to recover.

JansenFan wrote:Besides the fact that no one EVER mentioned Palmeiro's name when steroids were brought up until Jose Conseco's book thrust the spotlight on him, the main reasoning for suprise is three-fold.

Number 1, look at the guy. His physique is not on the same playing field as players such as Bonds, Soso, McGuire and the like.

Number 2, look at the numbers. He got to 500 homers by consistently hitting 30-40 homers over a long period of time. There was no freakish 70+ seasons.

Numbers 3, look at his play at age 40. Guys who use 'roids over a long period of time start to breakdown physically. Palmeiro is 40-years old, and is playing at a high level. No sneezed landing him on the DL, or knee injuries that should last an offseason, suddenly requiring a full season off to recover.

I dont think he used them throughout his entire career. Im just dissapointed that these guys aren't more careful in making sure they aren't getting these steroids. They have the money to make sure mistakes such as this do not happen.

Right when i start to get into baseball again, this kinda thing happens and sets me right back aginest it again, Im shocked that its Raffy though.

JansenFan wrote:Besides the fact that no one EVER mentioned Palmeiro's name when steroids were brought up until Jose Conseco's book thrust the spotlight on him, the main reasoning for suprise is three-fold.

Number 1, look at the guy. His physique is not on the same playing field as players such as Bonds, Soso, McGuire and the like.

Number 2, look at the numbers. He got to 500 homers by consistently hitting 30-40 homers over a long period of time. There was no freakish 70+ seasons.

Numbers 3, look at his play at age 40. Guys who use 'roids over a long period of time start to breakdown physically. Palmeiro is 40-years old, and is playing at a high level. No sneezed landing him on the DL, or knee injuries that should last an offseason, suddenly requiring a full season off to recover.

1. You can't compare his physique to other players. Compare his physique in 1991 to his physique in 1994. Guys don't put on 30 lbs on muscle in their late 20's.


2. Those factors are all relative. McGwire was a 40 homer guy before steroids. Palmeiro was a 15 homer guy. A guy like Duane Kuiper could do all the 'roids on earth an not hit 50 homers. (Kuiper was a middle infielder in the late 70's early 80's most notably for SF with the lowest hr/ab ratio of the modern era. It was said that he couldn't hit a ball out of the Astrodome fungoeing one from second base).


3. You're ingoring the fact that Palmeiro's been primarily a DH for years (unless you count his "Gold Glove" year at first, biggest joke in baseball history). It really cuts down on the wear and tear on his body.



And don't claim that no one ever suspected he used. There are probably 40-45 names that almost everyone suspects of crossing the line and he was always one of them.

Ok my older brother who happens to be a Yankees fan put this into prespective for me. He's an old man in a young man's sport. And he's trying to keep up with people who are almost definitely using steriods. So although wrong, he did what he had to do to keep up. This from a guy who cannot stand the O's.

curveball wrote:

JansenFan wrote:Besides the fact that no one EVER mentioned Palmeiro's name when steroids were brought up until Jose Conseco's book thrust the spotlight on him, the main reasoning for suprise is three-fold.

Number 1, look at the guy. His physique is not on the same playing field as players such as Bonds, Soso, McGuire and the like.

Number 2, look at the numbers. He got to 500 homers by consistently hitting 30-40 homers over a long period of time. There was no freakish 70+ seasons.

Numbers 3, look at his play at age 40. Guys who use 'roids over a long period of time start to breakdown physically. Palmeiro is 40-years old, and is playing at a high level. No sneezed landing him on the DL, or knee injuries that should last an offseason, suddenly requiring a full season off to recover.

1. You can't compare his physique to other players. Compare his physique in 1991 to his physique in 1994. Guys don't put on 30 lbs on muscle in their late 20's.


2. Those factors are all relative. McGwire was a 40 homer guy before steroids. Palmeiro was a 15 homer guy. A guy like Duane Kuiper could do all the 'roids on earth an not hit 50 homers. (Kuiper was a middle infielder in the late 70's early 80's most notably for SF with the lowest hr/ab ratio of the modern era. It was said that he couldn't hit a ball out of the Astrodome fungoeing one from second base).


3. You're ingoring the fact that Palmeiro's been primarily a DH for years (unless you count his "Gold Glove" year at first, biggest joke in baseball history). It really cuts down on the wear and tear on his body.



And don't claim that no one ever suspected he used. There are probably 40-45 names that almost everyone suspects of crossing the line and he was always one of them.

I have followed Palmeiro closely since his first tenure in Baltimore. I have never heard his name and steroids in the same sentence. Further more, if there was such wide support for Palmeiro as a user, than why was the collective sports media so surprised when Palmeiro was called to testify before congress, and why was he able to push away the accusation simply by denying it.

As for the assertion that an athlete can't put on 30-pounds without steroids, that's just absurd. Roy Jones, Jr. changes weight classes more than he changes his underwear. Simple weight gainer used on a regular basis, combined with proper nutrition and exercise for someone already in good physical conditioning can put on 30 pounds in a few months, not to mention, his weight gain was hardly all muscle. He's thickened a bit, but not just in the shoulders. Started happening to me in my late 20's with out weight gain.

As for DHing being responsible for his longevity, that's a stretch. He played mostly first in Baltimore during both tenures, and even with being the designated hitter, 20 years of steroid use still takes a toll on your body, as well as your mind. Ever here of an angry Palmeiro pushing a camera man, or even being angry at someone?

I spent a few minutes this morning listening to his press conference and reading the Post and MLB's write-ups. From all accounts, he is embarrassed by the test, he fought it tooth and nail because, although he wouldn't say so, he asserted that he took a supplement from a company that he didn't know much about and he didn't take the time to verify the ingredients. I say add 10 days for stupidity, but I don't think that condemns him as a life-long steroid abuser.

So how do you reconcile the fact that he went from a relatively light hitting player to a consistent HR machine when Canseco arrived in Texas (the same time Canseco says he used 'roids)?

Check out the differences in physiques between his Miss St. or Cubs days and his physique circa 1995. That wasn't simply someone "filling out". You or I may "fill out", but we're not highly conditioned professional athletes already in top form.

He himself has credited the coaching and training staff with the Rangers for his improvement in both hitting and power.

Don't get me wrong, I am not naive. It is surely possible that he tried it at that point, and maybe even that he used it for a short period of time resulting in his initial growth. I do however think that the growth was possible without steroids, as well.

I also don't think this test proves whether he did or did not use them then, and I certainly don't think it proves that he has used them all along.

As a matter of fact, I believe his longevity and consisteny in behavior over his 20 years in MLB prove otherwise; not that he never tried them, but that he is not a habitual steroid user.

curveball wrote:How this suprises anyone is beyond me. Palmeiro was a high average/low power guy for his first 5 full season. He averaged less than 16 homers a year over more than 150 games a season despite spending time in the relatively homer friendly confines of Wrigley.

Canseco went to Texas mid-season in 1992 and Palmeiro jumps up to 37 homers in 1993 and has stayed at that type of level since.

How does a guy go from an 8 homer 600 AB season to one of the top 10 homer guys of all-time if it wasn't juice.

By this reasoning, you should also state that Brian Roberts is juicin'. He's never hit more than 4 or 5 homers in a season, and all of a sudden he's a machine. Definately pumped, by your assertions.