Jason Giambi Admits Steroids Use
 |
James Joyner | Thursday, December 2, 2004 |
Giambi admits using steroids (ESPN)
Jason Giambi admitted to a federal grand jury he took steroids and human growth hormone in 2003, according to transcripts of testimony obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle and published in the newspaper’s Thursday editions. The New York Yankees slugger’s admission in December 2003 contradicts denials he has made since then that he never took performance-enhancing drugs.
But in the testimony obtained by the Chronicle, the former American League MVP told the grand jury investigating the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative steroids case he used steroids obtained from Greg Anderson, the personal trainer for San Francisco Giants star Barry Bonds. Giambi did not implicate Bonds in his testimony; he pointed out that Anderson was secretive about who he was working for and what he was doing to help other professional athletes.
A shame, although hardly surprising. My guess is that the late Ken Caminiti was not far from wrong when he claimed that half of major leaguers have used performance-enhancing drugs.
Update: Jeff Quinton is on this one, too.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia.
Follow James on FriendFeed | Twitter | Digg
- None Found
- Obama Shafts Progressives, Campaign Loyalists
- Not the Great Depression (Updated)
- OTB Caption JamTM
- Sarah Palin in Demand
- Actors Going on Strike
- Jonesing For An Apology
- Geither at Treasury, Richardson at Commerce
- Hillary Clinton to be Secretary of State
- Terrorism Going Away?
- James Jones as National Security Advisor?
- Backcountry Conservative linked with Giambi Admitted Steroid Use
- PoliBlog linked with Sadly, No Surprise
- The MUSC Tiger linked with Jason Giambi Admits to Steroid Use
- Baseball Musings linked with Giambi On Steroids
- Pirate's Cove linked with Giambi 'Roiding
- Inoperable Terran linked with Department of unshocking
- InTheBullpen.com linked with Heads Should Roll
- InTheBullpen.com
- SportsBlog linked with Major League Baseball Announces New Steroids Policy
Supposedly there's an interview coming up Friday in which one of the BALCO operatives is going to name names . . . it wouldn't suprise me if a couple more steroid users decide to fess up before their names get dragged through the muck.
Eventually we'll need to come to grips with the reality that athletes can and will use "performance-enhancing" drugs. It's too lucrative a market for the dealers and too attractive an idea for the athletes, and the professionals have the money to spend.
An interesting take on the issue is Paul Kimmage's "Rough Ride", which was written many years ago but still applies today. Amphetamines, steroids and even relatively esoteric drugs such as EPO were (and, I'm sure still are) (ab)used by by at least a few cyclists. He compared it to the ever-escalating US/Soviet arms race, both in terms of the users and the detection strategies, and there's definitely something to that idea.
As I see it, we can continue to ostracize the few who are caught and greatly increase the risks for the many; or, acknowledge the reality, try to set reasonable limits, and recognize that modern professional sports are getting closer to performance art than real competition.
Is condoning steroid use ultimately to the benefit of society? No. But we can't stop it either, and I'm not convinced the ostracizing deters very many potential users. It may even have the opposite effect, in that a lot of incorrect information is being spread about their appropriate uses, benefits and drawbacks.
I don't like it either. But what I like even less is the glamorous aura surrounding professional sports. As in the fashion industry, much of it is a dirty, ugly business.
Hey, can you please add me to the links about the Giambi scandal. I have a lenghty post about it on my blog...
Comments are Closed
