Apparently even other MLB pitches think Dempster was "bush league"

Baseball Players Don’t Have a Problem with A-Rod via an ESPN Poll

Last week Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz came to the defense of Alex Rodriguez in the wake of the Ryan Dempster plunking on Sunday Night Baseball. If an ESPN confidential player poll is to be believed, Ortiz isn’t alone in the pro-Rodriguez camp. ESPN the Magazine interviewed 36 current MLB pitchers anonymously and asked them if they wanted to bean A-Rod?

Their answer: 100 percent no. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of TheBigLead.com.

Kicking Back Comments: Hmmmm ... That's pretty compelling stuff actually.

There were a couple of other things that caught my eye from the actual survey results (from the above link to ESPN).

First, was this:
4. If the 211-game ban were put to a vote with players, what percentage would side with A-Rod?
Average answer: 43.6 percent

Staggeringly precise answer aside ... it is actually a pretty small number. Far smaller than I would have ever thought.

Second, was this one, which was illuminating:

8. What percentage of players do you think is still violating MLB's drug policy?
Average answer: 7.1 percent

Wow. Honestly, I think that one is scary as I interpret this one as "How many do you have actual knowledge of that are still violating the MLB policy ..."

If it is near 10% this is really a serious issue ...

But like the NFL and NBA, MLB just does not care I would opine.

Take a look at the whole ESPN survey, it does paint a picture, and one that is not good at all.

I'm Baaaaaaaack ...

Well folks I am happy to be back and certainly will have a few interesting stories from a week in the mountains.

One was on the drive back today and listening to (sports) radio and catching up on some of the other goings on in the world.

As you can imagine, I was keenly fixated on A-Rod and others who later today (August 5th, 2013) should be receiving "punishment" from MLB for violating the PED rules.

Given my recent stance, and in large part my current stance, on Lance, which I will expand on, I am finding the whole incident farcical.

What was even funnier was FIFA's recent (August 3rd, 2013) reaction to the "doping scandals" that seem to be rocking every major sport right now, which was (it's only) cocaine and marijuana that the majority of players are getting caught for.

Wow.

See the whole article here, from Yahoo! Sports, and the statement directly from FIFA stating (in their opinion) "... their is no systemic doping ... ."

I found three things interesting.

First, from the FIFA article was the clear link to cycling and doping and how FIFA seems to be taking some queues from it. It is odd that cycling is "leading the way" in cleaning up all sports from such activities ... at least non-US sports.

Second, was the statement from FIFA CMO Jiri Dvorak who stated that:
"For me as a scientist I believe in facts and figures, not in speculation: We have no evidence that there is systematic doping."

I don't know how hard they are looking honestly. If there are no biological passports in place, as their is with the UCI, and FIFA is relying on "random" drug tests, as an engineer looking to solve problems (not a scientist who seeks the truth through experimentation), is FIFA looking to monitor, or just turn a blind eye to what really might be going on?

Finally, the blasé statement that most of the (70 to 90 out of 30000 samples) come back with "recreational drugs" and that does not alarm FIFA. Listen, I'm no prude, and certainly not a fool, but a few things came to mind.

First, are these recreational drugs on the banned list? While I don't think marijuana is a PED, except maybe for a brownie eating contest, I am not so sure about cocaine. In fact a very quick check of the WADA site indicates ... these substances are banned at all times. So while there may be no rampant PED use ... there is certainly a significant about of abuse of WADA banned substances.

Second, as the FIFA CMO, where is the outrage that this stuff is bad for you? I mean come on ... my sports heroes as role model fantasy left the station years ago, but a MD and CMO should at least have thrown in a ... you know kids this is not good for you ... statement.

Third, how is this not a problem? .3% Are popped for a WADA drug violation ... where is the line?

In my head it is ZERO. Anything bigger is an issue. Now, is there a PED epidemic in football? I dunno, but unless FIFA starts looking they won't ever know ... and that may be the plan (a la MLB). BUT, what about all the other drug use? Why isn't that considered systemic? Should it be?

Again, I dunno, but for FIFA I think they need to at least acknowledge the non-PED drug use. 

What's good for the goose ...

FIFA to test referees for banned drugs

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) -FIFA says referees could soon undergo testing for banned performance enhancing drugs.

FIFA's chief medical officer Jiri Dvorake says referees are part of the game and should be treated like players.

Dvorak tells FIFA's medical conference there is no indication of a doping problem among referees "but it's something we have to consider.'' ...

See the whole article here, from SI.com.

Kicking Back Comments: Just throwing it out there for now.

Kicking Back == Hypocrisy?

So as a backdrop for this whole story are the recent (re)accusations of Lance Armstrong (this time) by the USADA for doping.

Before I make my primary observation, here are some background opinions on the whole thing to set the stage.

1. I believe the USADA has a useful overall function in keeping young, amateur, developing athletes away from medication that will ultimately hurt them.
2. I believe that the CEO of the USADA, Travis Tygart, is wrong to go after Lance Armstrong. I will expand on why in a later post tentatively titled "Ahab and his Whale."
3. I believe Lance Armstrong is a "clean" rider, yet recognize the mounting amount of what I would consider circumstantial evidence to the contrary.
4. I have spent much of my youth, and all of my adult life trying to stop cheating inside soccer fields across the US and internationally on a more limited basis.

Now ... come in the wayback machine with me to 1986 in Mexico. Anyone recall this:

As a young referee with aspirations of becoming FIFA, I was furious. How could such cheating be left without being punished? How could someone who claimed to have respect for The Game cheat so blatantly?

How dare they!!

I instantly became an anti-fan of Diego Maradona, and while I have tremendous respect for his ability, I personally do not believe he has any respect for The Game at all, and should be punished as a cheater, when he demonstrated such.

Now, enter Lance, and his current controversy. I have to be honest, I don't feel the same way ... even if there is a "smoking gun" of evidence found showing he doped during his (7) Tour victories.

I had to stop for a second and really think about why that was. Why isn't a cheater (like Maradona) a cheater (like Armstrong)?

Was it that Maradona's multitude of incidents was just so off the reservation that put me to a point of no return? If true, why didn't Lance doping for (7) years get me to the same place?

Is it that Maradona has not made much of an appearance on the charity circuit as opposed to Armstrong's notable Livestrong Foundation? Not sure if that is true either as Maradona has done charity work for UNICEF, as well as a variety of other causes.

So what is it?

As scary as this might seem, I think for me it comes down to likability. While I have not met (for any length of time) either man, I just like Lance better than Diego.

One is a cheater, and one may soon be proven to be one which theoretically makes them equivalent.

In the eyes of a referee, they should be punished the same as we are not in the business of determining why a player did what they did, but rather responding to the actions they took.

There are always nuances and extraordinary factors to be sure. Do we think however that a player received a caution because you "knew they were going to be trouble", not by what they actually did? Or the opposite of "she's really nice most of the time", so was not sent off today.

It's hard to drop a bias and be completely objective, if that is even possible. As a referee however, we have to dump the baggage, and act on what we see.

As sad as that is to me, Diego and Lance would be one in the same, if Lance is found to have doped.