Friday, April 22, 2005
NOMAR GARCIAPROOF???
Bob Ryan has truly jumped the shark; no more Mulligans...Someone needs to take Bob's own advice...Only a good "slap" will straighten out his tired old game.
Unlike some of the delicate geniuses in the Boston media, I can't say for sure who did and didn't take steroids, but I can conclusively say this:Players take these drugs for the benefits such as recovery from fatigue and injury as much, if not more than, for added power. If you simply focus on who "looks like they are on the juice", then you are no better than some of the frauds, like CHB and Bob "Mulligan" Ryan, that are in the habit of penning a little "creative speculation without documentation," for their own fanfare.
Once again, I will briefly review what we actually do know about Olde #5 and his injuries, acknowledging that, without a smoking gun, I will always give the players the benefit of the doubt:
Nomar acknowledged that he has taken supplements, including Creatine, which is notorious for causing muscle cramps, pulls, and subsequently tear problems. If a player took Androstenedione(completely legal when Nomar had his best years and in '98 when McGwire made it famous, then essentially the player was on a legal steroid. Andro is a precurser to steroids, which means that it indirectly increases the amount of testosterone available. Ask your local doctor or pharmacist about how these drugs work in the body; the result of using Andro. is likely the same as injecting steroids directly.
OTC supplements that are made out of the U.S.A. were, and sometimes still are, readily tainted with steroids.
Nomar is a workout and diet fanatic (ala Gabe Kapler). This is well documented. He gained muscle mass consistently over 3-4 seasons before changing his workout routine, following the wrist injury, to more of a flexibility program and less weight training. This is also well documented by players that have joined him in the same Arizona strength program.
So, there are many plausible explanations for Nomar's current Bambino-Billy Goat curse; Guys from top to bottom feeder, Gammons to Mo Vaughn to Canseco, have said that steroids don't fit the Garciaprofile. Unless otherwise named in an FBI investigation or some other PROOF source that leaves us beyond a reasonable doubt, we should recognize Nomar and all other players as innocent until proven guilty. Now as for Balco Barry Bonds...
