Many believe that the steroid era is long over in the Major League Baseball. It may be true because of the infrequent cases of players failing a steroid test. The prosecution of some prominent players like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens has also caused a great impact in the league as well as on the players.

They are now well aware of the consequences of using performance enhancing drugs. Aside from the loss in income, it can also end their career in baseball. And for those players aiming for the Hall of Fame, steroid issues will prevent their induction. Just like what happen to Mark McGwire and Jose Palmeiro.

So, can we say now that the MLB is free from steroid problems? The answer is no. The major league has a lot of things to do to eradicate PED’s use in the entire MLB system.

Minor Leaguers Taking the Lead

The number of minor leaguers caught using anabolic steroid is on the rise. According to a baseball writer, the steroid related suspension of the league already reached to 40 this season alone. An alarming figure that must be addressed by the league. It seems that the 50-game suspension is not an effective deterrent for these young baseball players.

The MLB can claim of well established anti-doping measures with its Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. However, they should also look at the other side of the coin. Why is it that these Dominican players still take steroids despite the stiff sanctions? There were previous cases where coaches and trainers were involved in doping. Is it happening again?

Another possible reason for the increase in positive steroid test is taking contaminated supplements. The best action the MLB could take is to conduct an investigation on this problem. These young baseball players could be victims of some people wanting for more commissions once their players enters the majors.

Stanozolol and Nandrolone Common Choice of Dominican Players

If we will categorize the type of steroids found on these baseball players, most of them take stanozolol and nandrolone. The more popular brand for these steroids is winstrol and deca-durabolin. These steroids help build lean muscles and strength. However, the problem with these steroids is it is easily detected in anti-doping tests.

Some of the Minor Leaguers Slapped with 50-game Suspension:

Jose Raga
Catcher for Cincinnati Reds
Venezuelan Summer League
Steroid: stanozolol

Enyelberth Pena
Right-hander pitcher for Chicago Cubs
Dominican Summer League
Steroid: nandrolone

Miguel Severino
Right-hander pitcher for San Diego Padres
Dominican Summer League
Steroid: stanozolol

Alejandro Arteaga
Free agent pitcher
Steroid: stanozolol and nandrolone

Hugo Garcia
Free agent pitcher
Steroid: boldenone

Manuel Sanchez
Pitcher for Astros
Dominican Summer League
Steroid: stanozolol

Aderly De La Cruz
Right-hander pitcher for Blue Jays
Dominican Summer League
Steroid: nandrolone

Luillyn Guillen
Left-hander pitcher for Blue Jays
Dominican Summer League
Steroid: stanozolol

The United Kingdom will be hosting the 2012 Olympics and sports officials of the country are all busy preparing for this event. They want to make sure that all facilities are ready in time for the London Olympics. However, this is not the only thing sports officials are concerned about. As the host country, they want to be on the top medal tally when the competition ends.

Inviting Coaches To Train Elite Athletes

UK athletes are undergoing rigorous trainings but are recently on the scrutiny of some people. The UK Athletics brought into its coaching team a former Olympian involved in doping. Vesteinn Hafsteinsson, who was caught using steroids in the 1984 Olympics, was invited by the UKA to train some of its elite athletes. Hafsteinsson served a two year ban for nandrolone use.

One of the athletes who will be coached by the former Olympian is discus thrower Lawrence Okoye. Okoye recently broke the national record that was uncontested in 13 years. He throws 67.63 metres, an impressive record for a 19 year-old athlete.

Hafsteinsson already coached Olympians. Estonian discus thrower Gerd Kanter, who won a gold medal in the Beijing Olympics, is just one of those athletes he trained.

Some Not Happy with UKA’s Decision

Critics are worried on the decision of UKA. It can taint the achievement of their athletes in the London Olympics. Suspicions that these athletes are on some form of synthetic enhancement will not be prevented. An interview of the Daily Mail revealed this concern. “It’s quite wrong that UK Athletics should regard this man as a suitable character to coach young athletes. They ought to be trying to discourage lads like Lawrence from having any contact with convicted drugs cheats,” the source said.

The presence of Hafsteinsson sends a wrong message. “Instead of which, they’re bringing this guy over here- at considerable expense- and placing him in a position of authority. In the year before the London Olympics, when the sport will come under real scrutiny, it seems incredibly insensitive. It gives the worst possible example,” added the source from the track and field.

UKA Defends Decision

Hafsteinsson will only provide his technical expertise and is not employed as a full time coach in the athletics. “Hafsteinsson has not been used as a coach but to distil technical expertise in his event. If he were to be employed as a coach, that would be different. He was used in a technical capacity and nothing else,” said a spokeswoman from the UKA.

Under the UKA rules, anyone who served a doping ban will not be issued a coaching license.

The UK anti-doping has vowed that they will not tolerate doping of any kind in their national pool of athletes. Just recently, sprinter Bernice Wilson was sanctioned for failing a steroid test. She was caught in an international competition and a good prospect for the Olympics.

Lord Coe, the head of the London 2012 Olympics, reiterated in the “Year to Go” celebration last week his zero tolerance policy on the abuse of recreational and performance enhancing drugs like steroids.

The defense team filed a motion this week asking the court to bar any move of the government to revive the steroid perjury case of Roger Clemens. Clemens’ lawyers claim that a re-trial would violate the constitutional rights of their client. If Clemens will be charged with the same offense it would fall under double jeopardy. They also argued that a second trial would put their client to even more expense, embarrassment and anxiety. Thus, it would be unfair to proceed with a second trial.

Legal experts already expected that the defense will invoke the double jeopardy rule. If this is upheld by the judge, Roger Clemens will finally get away with the charges. The defense also asked the court to dismiss the steroid perjury charges against Clemens.

The trial was cut abruptly on the second day for procedural error committed by the prosecution. Clemens is being tried for allegedly lying about his steroid use and obstructed a congressional investigation. Even before the jury heard testimonies from key witnesses, Judge Reggie Walton already declared a mistrial.

Prosecution Provoked a Mistrial

Rusty Hardin, Clemens lead counsel, said in the filing that the prosecution deliberately committed the error to result in a mistrial. “By the time the government provoked the mistrial, its highly experienced counsel had suffered a series of setbacks that cast doubt on the case against Mr. Clemens,” said in the motion as quoted by the AP.

The failure of the government caused the case to be unresolved. “The government had its day in court and squandered it with misconduct that irretrievably wasted time, money and the opportunity for a one-time, fair resolution of these charges for all involved,” they said.

The presentation of evidence that was already barred by the judge was not an accident. Actually it was the second offense of the prosecutors. The first was telling the jury that Clemens’ former team mates admitted to the use of anabolic steroids. The second, which angered Judge Walton, was the presentation of a video showing the deposition of Laura Pettitte.

Judge Walton already told the prosecution during the pre-trial hearing to remove any testimony of Laura Pettitte. Laura alleged that her husband Andy told her that the pitcher injected himself with human growth hormone. However, the judged ruled that it was hearsay and inadmissible as evidence.

Reasons Why the Prosecution Wanted a Mistrial

According to Clemens’ lawyers, the government wanted a mistrial because they need more time in reorganizing their strategies. The defense cited the judge’s decision to limit the evidences of the prosecution particularly from Clemens’ former teammates. The government was also caught unguarded when the defense raised the credibility issue against the key witness, Brian McNamee. The former trainer allegedly lied to police investigators during a sexual assault incident involving an MLB player.

The defense has been telling the court that McNamee is not a credible witness. They claim the trainer gave conflicting testimonies during the Congressional inquiry. Another reason why the government needs more time is on how they could defend the obstruction act in the indictment. Judge Walton has questions about the way Roger Clemens was charged with obstruction of justice.

Prosecutors Silent

The judge gave the prosecution until August 19 to respond to the motion by the defense. The prosecution declined to comment when asked by the media. “We’re limited in what we can say beyond what is formally submitted or stated to the court,” Bill Miller, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, told Bloomberg. “Our response will come on or before August 19,” he added.

A September 2 hearing is set to discuss if a retrial is needed.

There is a new trend in boxing, fighting outside the ring is becoming common. Floyd Mayweather Jr. is facing a steroid defamation suit filed by the 8 world division champion Manny Pacquiao. Floyd jr. and his camp alleged that Pacquiao is taking some form of performance enhancing drug in winning those titles.

Just before the Khan-Judah fight, British boxer Amir Khan retaliates to the accusation of trainer Roger Mayweather that he is also on steroids. Khan vehemently denied this issue and explained he passed every steroid test before and after any fight.

Unfortunately, Khan’s TKO of Judah in their unification bout did not end this issue. Coaches are now taking the spotlight exchanging jabs in behalf of their fighters. Conditioning Coach Victor Conte joined the Mayweathers in the anti-steroid campaign. Conte insinuated that his rival conditioning coach Alex Ariza might be giving steroids to his boxers.

Amir Khan, Manny Pacquiao and Julio Cesar Chavez are just some of the best fighters in the world under Ariza’s conditioning program. It is not surprising if Conte made the same allegation because Zab Judah is under his program.

Conte is Behind Steroid Testing of Wild Card Boxers

In the interview of Lem Satterfield, Ariza said that it was Victor Conte who openly calls for steroid testing of all his boxers in the Wild Card Gym. A single case of doping already made them all suspects for steroids use said the coach.

Who’s the Best Conditioning Coach?

Ariza was in a fight mode when he countered Conte’s allegation. He has something to say about Conte’s bragging of his program. “In addition, Conte put out a statement saying that he’s got a more scientific and more comprehensive program than I do.” Victor Conte owns the SNAC (Scientific Nutrition for Advanced Conditioning). He is well known for producing supplements for professional athletes.

In fact, Conte was able to produce designer steroids that can’t be detected by anti-doping tests. His BALCO company was shut down by the government and he was sent to jail. After serving his jail term, Conte tried to redeem himself by helping USADA in its anti-doping crusade.

On the other hand, Ariza contends that he has a better conditioning program. “I really didn’t realize how good my program was until I saw Manny beat Miguel Cotto.” Under his program, Pacquiao took Cotto’s best shots and beat the latter badly.

Ariza Welcomes Steroid Testing

Ariza is no afraid of putting his fighters under rigorous steroid testing. “I welcome the testing. All that I’m saying is that Victor Conte is going on some kind of soap box about cleaning up the sport,” said Ariza but tells Conte to stay away from his fighters and from boxing. “Dude, Don’t worry about the sport, we’re doing just fine. Worry about whatever bulls**t you’re doing and stay on your side of the fence,” he said.

He said that they agreed to pre and post fight testing on Amir Khan to dispel any allusion that the boxer is taking steroids. “Amir had agreed to random testing and was tested immediately after the Zab Judah fight,” he said.

They are on Steroids

If it is not his wards who are on steroids, it must be theirs. “Everybody thinks that my guys are on steroids because that’s the kinds of performances that they’re producing,” Ariza said. “People are fighting us differently when they know they’re facing a guy who is trained by me and Freddie, and that’s just a fact,” Ariza concluded.

Former Tiger Cats long snapper Jordan Matechuk already pleaded guilty to possession of controlled substances. He was apprehended by US Customs and Border Protection officers last May for possessing 543 anabolic steroid pills, 262 milliliters of anabolic steroids in liquid form, 1.25 grams of marijuana, 19 syringes and 51 replacement needles. He is now facing two felony charges for steroids and Oxycontin possession and one misdemeanor charge for possession of marijuana according to online reports.

The case is being heard in a US District Court in Michigan. Prosecutor Brian Peppler told the AP that the case of Matechuk is considered closed after his guilty plea. The former Hamilton Ticats is scheduled to be sentenced on August 24.

The Hamilton Ticats immediately released him from the squad after the incident. They contend that Matechuk failed to adhere to the team’s integrity and honesty policy.

Matechuk Issued Apology

In the interview of Sportsnet.Ca, Jordan Matechuk apologizes to people who were hurt and affected by his involvement in steroids. “I’d like to send out a sincere apology to the Tiger-Cats franchise, the CFL, my teammates, coaching staff, peers within the league, my family and friends for the situation I’m in,” Matechuk said.

“I take full responsibility for my actions and whatever happens, happens,” he said. “I want to better myself as a human being more than anything. I’m not saying I’m a bad guy or anything, I was caught in a situation and I’m dealing with it. My dreams and my life have basically been taken away from me by my actions and I take responsibility for that and do what I have to do,” Matechuk added. He also thanked his family and friends for the support during this very difficult part of his life.

He also said that a letter of apology was sent to the CFL management. When asked if there was a response from them, Matechuk declined to comment.

Not a Steroid User, has His Own Story to Tell

During the interview, the former CFL player contends that he is not a steroid user contrary to what many people assumed. Health experts estimated that the amount of anabolic steroids seized from him is enough for a one full season of steroid use so it’s not unusual for people to think that he purchased steroids for personal use.

The former Ticats also told the media that he was hurt by many slanderous reports about him. He said there’s another side to this story. He promised to talks about it after his sentencing. “Once it’s all resolved on the 24th, I’ll gladly speak to you and everyone about that,” he said.

He also shared the same comment when interviewed by the AP. “The facts about what has happened aren’t as they appear in the media stories I’ve seen, and there is another side to the story. Unfortunately, I can’t comment further on it at this time,” Matechuk said.

Still Wants to Play Football

Matechuk is still doing workouts in gym to maintain his physique and hopes that he can still return to professional football. However, his future is dependent on the August 24 verdict. He could face up to 3 years in prison but may receive a lighter sentence because of the plea deal. Another problem that he must face is on how to convince Canadian football teams to give him another chance. Once convicted, he has a very dim chance of playing football again.

The assistant of controversial Canadian Doctor Anthony Galea was given a lighter sentence for her possession of human growth hormone and Actovegin, an unapproved drug in the US. Mary Anne Catalano, 33, was sentenced 1 year of unsupervised probation in a US District Court. She previously pleaded guilty of providing false testimonies to investigators. Catalano was the former executive assistant of Dr Anthony Galea, who earlier pleaded guilty for bringing unapproved drugs in the country particularly Actovegin and HGH. Dr Galea’s sentencing is scheduled on October 19.

Catalano Helped Prosecutors Nail Dr Galea

The judge handling the case considers the recommendation of the federal prosecutors as very unusual. Under the sentencing guidelines, Judge Richard Arcara could impose one year jail term for Catalano. According to prosecutors, Catalano cooperated fully in investigating Dr Galea which resulted to the doctor’s felony conviction.

Catalano told investigators that she was supposed to meet clients of the doctor when she was apprehended in the US-Canada border. A duffle bag containing medical supplies including the HGH Nutropin and Actovegin was seized from her.

Catalano disclosed that in 2009, Dr Galea treated at least 23 elite athletes in the country. Tiger Woods and Alex Rodriguez are just some of the professional athletes who admitted receiving treatments from the Canadian doctor. Dr Galea traveled to the country many times to treat athletes usually at homes or hotels. The government contends that Dr Galea has no license in the US to practice his medical profession.

Athletes Received Injections of HGH

Another testimony of Catalano that could put several athletes under the radar of federal investigators and professional leagues is her allegation that Dr Galea made injections of HGH on professional athletes. Those athletes named publicly as former patients of the doctor denied any treatment of HGH or anabolic steroids.

Based on the report of ESPN, authorities in Canada also seized from Galea’s office records and journals of professional athletes treated by the doctor. File folders for NFL and CFL players were also discovered. Authorities did not disclose if there were any illegal treatments given to these athletes.

MLB and NFL Wants to Know More

During the sentencing, MLB representatives were present. The lawyer of Catalano, Rod Personius, told the ESPN that Daniel Mullin, MLB’s vice president of investigations and assistant Victor Burgos arrange a meeting with him to discuss Catalano’s possible role in MLB investigation. There were also reports that the NFL is interested in the getting more information from the former assistant of Dr Galea.

Players Treated with HGH Still Unnamed

Because of the plea deals of Dr Galea and Catalano, the names of athletes allegedly injected with human growth hormones were still undisclosed. This is the reason why the MLB and the NFL wanted to talk to Catalano and most probably making her a witness if an investigation proceeds. However, Personius told the media that her client will not cooperate with outside investigations until Galea is sentenced.