Post by cardsfan643 on Sept 8, 2007 1:55:33 GMT -5
www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/columnists.nsf/berniemiklasz/story/B5FAD02D0A1D6DBF8625735000138619?OpenDocument
We've hit the Rick Ankiel-Roy Hobbs angle pretty hard, so let's go there one more time.
"The Natural" had a happy ending as a movie. Roy Hobbs hits the winning home run to end the big game, and rips the baseball with such tremendous force, it shatters the stadium lights upon impact.
But the movie was based on Bernard Malamud's classic novel, and the conclusion to the book wasn't so sweet. The rapscallion Hobbs took a bribe, and he struck out on purpose. His team lost the big game. He was shamed forever.
Ankiel isn't Hobbs.
It's more complicated than that.
If Ankiel received and used human growth hormone (HGH) in 2004, did he violate any Major League Baseball rules? No. HGH was banned by MLB in 2005. Did he break the law? Apparently not, but his doctor may have some questions to answer.
Does this put Ankiel in the clear?
No.
Every player is a suspect, a possible dope cheat, and there are no free passes. That's because MLB has no test for HGH. Cheaters can continue to use it, without fear of flunking a test. And clean players who desire to clear their names can't request an HGH test, because it does not exist.
So we're not sure what to make of Rick Ankiel now. He may have stopped receiving HGH in 2004, but it doesn't mean he stopped using it. Frankly, I don't trust any player. I can't. We've been fooled too many times before. It's sad. Feel-good stories should come with a warning label.
The Ankiel fans who believe he's the wholesome victim of a vicious media assault will be firm in their support. The people who want to have us believe that Ankiel is hitting home runs powered by HGH will be convinced he's a cheater — no different from Barry Bonds. Extremists on either side of this debate won't be swayed.
Are there inconsistencies? Sure. Baseball fans wanted to root for Ankiel because of his amazing comeback story. They cheered for his improbable and triumphant return. Barry Bonds never got that love, because he isn't likable. American fans and media swoon over those underdog-prevails fairy tales, and Ankiel qualified. Bonds didn't. And neither did Mark McGwire after tanking before Congress.
Let's remember a few things beyond the obvious dissertation on the rules of the game, circa 2004.
— Ankiel's power is nothing new. As a 17-year-old in 1997, he hit a 450-foot homer in his final high school game, then was one of the top hitters for the U.S. Junior National team that summer. He played left field when not pitching and batted .387 with three homers, four doubles and 16 RBIs in a dozen games. Ankiel hit a three-run homer into the upper deck of the Toronto SkyDome.
— There is a difference between steroids and HGH. Author Will Carroll, who wrote "The Juice: The Real Story of Baseball's Drug Problems," summed it up in an interview Friday.
"In 2004, Ankiel was rebounding from Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery," Carroll said. "And HGH really helps with recovery and healing. But HGH has absolutely no proven application in strength gain of the type that would help a baseball player."
— If Ankiel wanted to muscle up for a raw power grab, he could have juiced without hesitation in 2004, because steroids weren't officially outlawed by MLB back then. This meshes with Carroll's theory that Ankiel could have tapped into HGH as a healing agent.
Ankiel hinted that Friday when he said, "I'm not going to give you a list of what doctors prescribed for me. But I've been through a lot, emotionally and physically."
I don't believe Ankiel went far enough. I think reasonable people are willing to give him a break. Ankiel could have done more to help his cause by saying something like this: He was worried about his career and baseball health in 2004, and desperation drove him to follow a doctor's advice to use HGH. And when baseball changed the rules, he stopped using HGH. And that he's never used any other illegal or banned substances. Period.
We've learned that candor is the best policy; McGwire's stonewalling ruined his reputation. Ankiel would have gained empathy by telling the entire story.
And here's another puzzler: Why did Ankiel receive medical treatment from a physician who wasn't affiliated with the team? Why did he receive care from a doctor who's under investigation for writing prescriptions to athletes he's never met?
As is, Ankiel will continue to be dogged by innuendo. He'll mostly be a baseball hero and favorite son in St. Louis. Elsewhere, his achievements will be viewed with skepticism. He'll be loved by some, loathed by others.
If Rick Ankiel is "The Natural," he stands somewhere in that gray area, somewhere between the book's sad allegory and the movie's unabashed glory.
We've hit the Rick Ankiel-Roy Hobbs angle pretty hard, so let's go there one more time.
"The Natural" had a happy ending as a movie. Roy Hobbs hits the winning home run to end the big game, and rips the baseball with such tremendous force, it shatters the stadium lights upon impact.
But the movie was based on Bernard Malamud's classic novel, and the conclusion to the book wasn't so sweet. The rapscallion Hobbs took a bribe, and he struck out on purpose. His team lost the big game. He was shamed forever.
Ankiel isn't Hobbs.
It's more complicated than that.
If Ankiel received and used human growth hormone (HGH) in 2004, did he violate any Major League Baseball rules? No. HGH was banned by MLB in 2005. Did he break the law? Apparently not, but his doctor may have some questions to answer.
Does this put Ankiel in the clear?
No.
Every player is a suspect, a possible dope cheat, and there are no free passes. That's because MLB has no test for HGH. Cheaters can continue to use it, without fear of flunking a test. And clean players who desire to clear their names can't request an HGH test, because it does not exist.
So we're not sure what to make of Rick Ankiel now. He may have stopped receiving HGH in 2004, but it doesn't mean he stopped using it. Frankly, I don't trust any player. I can't. We've been fooled too many times before. It's sad. Feel-good stories should come with a warning label.
The Ankiel fans who believe he's the wholesome victim of a vicious media assault will be firm in their support. The people who want to have us believe that Ankiel is hitting home runs powered by HGH will be convinced he's a cheater — no different from Barry Bonds. Extremists on either side of this debate won't be swayed.
Are there inconsistencies? Sure. Baseball fans wanted to root for Ankiel because of his amazing comeback story. They cheered for his improbable and triumphant return. Barry Bonds never got that love, because he isn't likable. American fans and media swoon over those underdog-prevails fairy tales, and Ankiel qualified. Bonds didn't. And neither did Mark McGwire after tanking before Congress.
Let's remember a few things beyond the obvious dissertation on the rules of the game, circa 2004.
— Ankiel's power is nothing new. As a 17-year-old in 1997, he hit a 450-foot homer in his final high school game, then was one of the top hitters for the U.S. Junior National team that summer. He played left field when not pitching and batted .387 with three homers, four doubles and 16 RBIs in a dozen games. Ankiel hit a three-run homer into the upper deck of the Toronto SkyDome.
— There is a difference between steroids and HGH. Author Will Carroll, who wrote "The Juice: The Real Story of Baseball's Drug Problems," summed it up in an interview Friday.
"In 2004, Ankiel was rebounding from Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery," Carroll said. "And HGH really helps with recovery and healing. But HGH has absolutely no proven application in strength gain of the type that would help a baseball player."
— If Ankiel wanted to muscle up for a raw power grab, he could have juiced without hesitation in 2004, because steroids weren't officially outlawed by MLB back then. This meshes with Carroll's theory that Ankiel could have tapped into HGH as a healing agent.
Ankiel hinted that Friday when he said, "I'm not going to give you a list of what doctors prescribed for me. But I've been through a lot, emotionally and physically."
I don't believe Ankiel went far enough. I think reasonable people are willing to give him a break. Ankiel could have done more to help his cause by saying something like this: He was worried about his career and baseball health in 2004, and desperation drove him to follow a doctor's advice to use HGH. And when baseball changed the rules, he stopped using HGH. And that he's never used any other illegal or banned substances. Period.
We've learned that candor is the best policy; McGwire's stonewalling ruined his reputation. Ankiel would have gained empathy by telling the entire story.
And here's another puzzler: Why did Ankiel receive medical treatment from a physician who wasn't affiliated with the team? Why did he receive care from a doctor who's under investigation for writing prescriptions to athletes he's never met?
As is, Ankiel will continue to be dogged by innuendo. He'll mostly be a baseball hero and favorite son in St. Louis. Elsewhere, his achievements will be viewed with skepticism. He'll be loved by some, loathed by others.
If Rick Ankiel is "The Natural," he stands somewhere in that gray area, somewhere between the book's sad allegory and the movie's unabashed glory.
