Rafael Palmeiro is a cheat and liar.
It’s plain and simple folks, Palmeiro the newest member of the exclusive 3000 hit club and more exclusive member of the 500 home run/3000 hit club, now a tainted member of both clubs, has tested positive for steroids. Is this proof enough for the head-in-the-sand crowd?
Is the apology to Jose Canseco in the mail?
Jose said it, Rafael denied it, the failed drug test proved it. There’s no doubt that Palmeiro is now ruing the day that he decided to point the finger at the Congressional Committee and declare in no uncertain terms that he never took steroids. Ask Martha Stewart what happens after you lie to Congress.
Palmeiro’s stock drug-cheater’s “I-didn’t-know-what-I-took” and “why would I take the chance, it makes no sense” excuse is beneath comment. Every cheating athlete, ever, has used the same story.
And those in the media who are shocked that Palmeiro would risk taking steroids because he is under the spotlight of scrutiny, just don’t understand the issue.
Olympic athletes and athletes in other sports such as cycling and weight-lifting have had to contend with the specter of drug testing for decades, and yet these athletes still risk getting caught using drugs because they want to be the best at what they do. Athletes are willing to cheat to reach the top. How can this be a surprise to anybody?
Cheating to reach the top happens in every profession, every day. Cheating to become rich – or even just to make more money – is commonplace. I am amazed that people who spend so much time around athletes would be surprised that a professional baseball player would cheat by using steroids to A) reach the top B) stay at the top C) become an all-time great and D) to enrich themselves.
Article comments
1 - RJ
The Major Leagues are likely filled with 'roid-injecting, millionaire pussies.
They should all be thrown out, as soon as they fail two drug tests in 5 years.
One failed test could be a fluke, a false-positive. But two, in a relatively short span of time? Highly unlikely.
Boot them all out, strip them of the money they earned playing a kids' game, and make them pump gas or stock shelves for a living, at 7 bucks an hour...
2 - Matthew T. Sussman
It saddens me that the world is so quick to condemn a player who's gained the admiration of a generation of baseball fans.
How would any of us feel if we made a mistake and were immediately condemned by our peers?
3 - Nicolas Martin
Major League Baseball has been a joke for years. It long ago sunk to the level of pro hockey, or even wrestling. The one good thing this generation of ballplayers has accomplished is to make Pete Rose look respectable. He was a bum, but a bum who played inspiring ball. Hank Aaron deserves to be remembered as the last great major leaguer.
4 - Randy P/Tube
I think many are "quick to condemn" because Mr. Palmeiro did a great acting job at the congressional hearings on national television. Pointing the finger and denying ANY use seemed to be sincerity on Palmeiro's part. He can be forgived but he tainted himself and he'll pay for what he did.
5 - MCH
I would be interested to know; Who did more drugs...Raphael Palmeiro or Rush Limbaugh.
6 - sal m
Matthew: Actually, I would think you would be saddened that Palmeiro saw fit to lie to the entire country, congress, his family and his fans. I would think that your saddness would be reserved for the players whose accomplishments were trumped by Palmeiro's drug-fueled performances. I would think you would not only be sad, but a might bit angry that Palmerio took the hypocritical position while sitting on MLB's Zero Tolerance Committee.
I am actually glad the Palmeiro has been overwhelmingly condemned not only for his failed drug test, but for his cowardly and contemptable defense of his actions.
7 - Dale G
Mark McGwire's stock just went up. If he did use steroids, he didn't lie about it to Congress like Palmeiro and Sosa. Now maybe he will get back some of the credit he deserves for being a class act and a genuine good guy.
But none of these guys deserve to have their reputations tarnished by a grandstanding Congress who seem more interested in steroids than Iraq.
8 - Matthew T. Sussman
Sal, Raffy lied to Congress?
Prove it.
9 - Dale G
Good point, Raffy could have very easily been clean when he testified before Congress. Clean or not, he and McGwire have handled themselves during their careers in a a humble way that does not deserve the wrath of their teammates or the public.
I wonder how the members of Congress, past and present, would feel to be marched in front of the nation and grilled about their extramarital affairs, taking bribe money from lobbyisits, etc. Their grandstanding makes me sick.
10 - aeo
I'm sorry people...Get used to it. This society is filled with people looking for an easier way... Always has been…
The Hall of Fame is no exception. It’s filled with extraordinary athletes indeed, but there are also a number of alcoholics, drug abusers, gamblers (who never got caught) and womanizers... What's wrong with a little performance enhancing?
Let's get real... The luster faded as soon as we finished Little League.
Perhaps if they organize “The Hall” by indiscretions...it will be easier for the kids to figure out which way they want to enter it.
In my humble opinion...no one associated with any illegal substances should be allowed in The Hall. Period!
Now that pro ball players have squatted on The Hall...I guess...nothing really is sacred.
11 - sal m
Matt:
Jose said he did + Raffy said he didn't + Drug Test Says He Did = Proof. That is how it works. Just like the criminal who professes innocence but is convicted when evidence to the contrary is presented.
There will be no pictures of Raffy with a needle in his butt, nor will there be videotape. This is how proof is furnished in these cases. Add to that the comments of former teammates/peers such as Mark Grace and Will Clark and Raffy will be even more disgraced as we go.
12 - DG
This probably will sound like a justification, but in every walk of life we look for ways to enhance our performance in our chosen professions. I have yet to see an accountant work a tax return by hand, they use a calculator and various computer programs to make their work product better. Are they cheating? No, because everyone has access to the same tools.
We go into the ballparks to see these guys hit 500 ft homeruns, then blame them when they use a tool to be able to do that. It's hypocrisy.
13 - Matthew T. Sussman
Sal's logical thought: "Jose said he did + Raffy said he didn't + Drug Test Says He Did = Proof."
Drug test was after Congressional hearing, so that's irrelevant.
So it comes down to Canseco vs. Palmeiro in a "he said-he said" struggle.
You're gonna need more proof, i.e. someone like Juan Gonzalez or Pudge Rodriguez to point blank corroborate Canseco's claim.
As of now, there's no proof he perjured.
14 - Nancy
Steroids are not a tool: they're a drug, & unlike calculators, they're illegal. What part of that don't you understand?
I agree w/RJ: drug users should be busted from sports for life & their ridiculously huge earnings confiscated. What I don't understand is why this asshole was given special treatment. Money & fame talk, obviously, but those who allowed it should also be castigated for creating a double standard.
15 - Cranky
I don't give a writ-of-goddammus whether Palmeiro did or didn't, knowingly or unknowingly, produce a false-positive or a valid test result: what is ABSOLUTELY DISGRACEFUL is the spectacle of this nation's Congressmen abusing YOUR tax dollars so they can pontificate on the issue and preen themselves before constituents about how "get-tough" they are when it comes to such "important" issues as what professional atheletes do with themselves off the field of play.....
16 - DG
Cranky said it better than anyone.
And I beg to differ with Nancy, steroids are NOT illegal when prescribed by a physician, and most of these high dollar athletes have physicians willing to prescribe them. Remember, Tylenol w/codeine is illegal without a prescription, but we use it as a pain relief TOOL to do our jobs and go about our lives when needed and it is perfectly acceptable to do so. What part of THAT don't you understand??????
And for the record, Palmeiro has ALWAYS handled himself in a quiet, humble manner. I certainly do not think Nancy is close enough to him to be able to call him an asshole with any credibility.
17 - sal m
Cranky is right to a point.
However,the problem is that because Major League Baseball enjoys special exemptions from anti-trust regulations, which basically gives MLB the ability to run a legal monopoly, Congress is responsible for MLB's oversight. Without this status MLB wouldn't be the multi-billion dollar industry that it is today.
Add to this ultimate responsibility the FACT that behind the scenes officals from both the union AND the league have at time obstructed and outright lied to members of Congress and their staffers with regards to this issue, and you have a situation where Congress had to stick their noses in.
And don't think for a minute that those on the baseball side DIDN'T take into account the fact that the perception of Congress wasting taxpayer dollars would keep Congress from getting this involved.
It's a nice "get-mad at the waste of money speech," but it's really not the case. If you want to make the case that baseball doesn't deserve anti-trust exemptions, I'm all for it. But the reality is that Congress at some level can't ignore what is going on in a business that they hold so much sway over.
The involvement of Congress registers about a .0001% on the outrage scale and I'll save my "100% outrage" for important issues.
With regards to DG's comment about steroids being legal with a doctors prescription, that may be true. However, don't give these guys too much credit. Have you heard ONE ball player use this defense? Have you heard ONE of them claim their doctor has them on a medically prescribed hormone therapy program? And none of these guys have tested positive for too much testosterone, which would be the only "legal" steroid that they could claim that they were using for legit purposes. With that being said, if the players were using testosterone replacement therapy to get their levels back to normal - and not at performance enhancing levels - they probably wouldn't even fail a drug test.
And finally, Matt's request for one of Palmeiro's teammates and perhaps fellow users to turn him in ingnores reality and the nature of these ball players. You also are not taking into account the mind set of a cheater. These guys have gotten away with it, why would they admit it now?? Having spent time in lockerrooms over the years I can tell you that no one will rat out a teammate or fellow user.
It will be ironic if Palmeiro's career totally tanks as a result of this and, he becomes a pariah like Canseco, and as a result with nothing else to lose becomes the rat.
Palmeiro has lied repeatedly during this process. He even lied in his return statement! He said he couldn't discuss the particulars of the case because Congress was investigating, and not a few hours later Congress released a statement that said Palmerio can talk about whatever he wants.
Finally, if Palmerio was slandered by Canseco or unwittingly took a substance that caused him to fail a drug test and cast doubt on his entire career where are the law suits?
Not only is Palmeiro a millionaire ballplayer, but he works for one of THE most prominent litigators in the country, Peter Angelos. Angelos has made his services available to Palmeiro. If any of you were truly innocent wouldn't you make use of this opportunity?
18 - Tube
Palmeiro is showing his true colors by implying a teammate, Miguel Tejada, gave him a vitamin B12 injection (Which is LEGAL) that may have caused him to fail his drug test. There is no proof yet that this vitamin caused this. Trying to save face and implying another teammate may have given it to him. He should just shut up before he makes it any worse.