Author: Dr. Steroids

A large Albany-based grand jury investigation into the sale of steroids and human growth hormone (hGH) over the internet culminated today in the raid of a Florida pharmacy and the indictment of two owners of a pharmacy in Alabama. Investigators said over twenty-four people would be arrested in the coming days including six doctors and three pharmacists. Two separate Signature Pharmacy locations, both in Orlando, Florida, were raided. Jason Grimsley reportedly was a customer. Four people, the two owners of Signature, Pharmacists and husband and wife, Stan and Naomi Loomis, Stan’s brother Kenneth Michael Loomis (also a pharmacist) and marketing…

Troy Ellerman, former lawyer for BALCO president, Victor Conte, has admitted to being the source of the BALCO grand jury documents leaked to San Francisco Chronicle reporters Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-wada. In court papers filed Wednesday, Ellerman agreed to plead guilty to four felony counts of obstruction of justice and disobeying court orders, to spend up to two years in prison and pay a fine of $250,000. As part of the plea, federal prosecutors will cease all attempts to put the reporters in jail for failing to reveal Ellerman as the leak. A judge still has to approve the…

The New York Daily News has reported that Barry Bonds failed an amphetamine test in 2006. Under the terms of Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention Program, a first positive test for amphetamines does not require a suspension or the naming of the player to the public. It does however trigger a provision that calls for Bonds (or any player testing positive for amphetamines) to be tested six times in the following six months. Bonds did not appeal the decision. According to the Daily News, several sources indicated that when Bonds was informed of his positive test, he attributed it…

The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced the results of this years balloting. Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken were both named on well over the required 75% of ballots cast by the Baseball Writers Association of America. This years results were of particular significance because it was the first year players widely associated with steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs were eligible. McGwire, thought to be a shoe in for the Hall before Jose Canseco’s book and his congressional testimony, appeared on 128 of a record 545 (23.5%) ballots falling way short of the 409 needed to be inducted. McGwire’s lack…

The Major League Baseball Players Association will fight the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling that gives investigators access to the names and urine samples of 80-100 players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs anonymously in 2003. Union Leader, Donald Fehr issued a statement in reaction to court’s ruling wherein he stated the union’s position. “We will consult with our counsel, and then determine what our next step should be in our fight to protect the Constitutional rights — including the basic right to privacy — of our members.” Fehr also placed the issue in a larger context. “In…

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned three lower court decisions, and in a 2-to-1 decision, ruled that federal prosecutors could use the names and urine samples of the 5-7% of players who tested positive as part of Major League Baseball’s anonymous survey testing in 2003. When federal investigators raided the testing labs for the results of 10 players linked to BALCO, they also seized computer files containing the test results of the other players not named in the government’s subpoena and warrants. Investigators were previously unable to determine who the other players were as each player was assigned…

Yahoo! News has reported that defense attorney, Troy Ellerman, lawyer for BALCO president Victor Conte (briefly) and vice-president James Valente, was the source of the BALCO grand jury documents published and expounded upon by San Francisco Chronicle reporters, Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams in December 2004. Larry McCormack, a former private investigator who worked on the BALCO federal steroids case and a co-tenant of an office with Ellerman in Sacramento, Calif. where the two worked together on cases in 2004 told Yahoo (and the FBI) that Ellerman was the source of the leaks. McCormick’s role in the investigation has been…

Guillermo Mota signed a two-year $5 million contract to remain with the New York Mets. Mota was acquired from Cleveland in August and was absolutely dominant down the stretch. In his 18 appearances with the Mets, Mota compiled a 1.00 ERA with a WHIP of 0.833 and over a strikeout an inning. All the while Mota had performancing-enhancing drugs, presumably steroids, in his system. Assuming he will be drug-free in 2007, Mota seems very likely to revert to his 2005/first-half-of-2006 self, and will likely decline from there as he hits his mid-thirties. So was this contract a reward for using…

The Hall of Fame Ballot was released Nov. 27. For the first time some serious suspected and admitted steroid users are eligible. Players inextricably linked to steroids including Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, and Ken Caminiti are listed alongside surefire first-ballot candidates Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. Caminiti and Canseco wouldn’t get many votes (if any) even if they weren’t tied to performance-enhancing drugs, so the real controversy/debate lies with McGwire. McGwire finished his career with 583 home runs, seventh in baseball history, and of course, set the single season home run record in 1998 with 70 before Barry Bonds…

The Hall of Fame ballot containing candidates for 2007 was released Nov. 27. Surefire first ballot players Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. headline the first-time candidates on the 2007 baseball writers’ Hall of Fame ballot released today. The 2007 ballot marks the first time players who have admitted using steroids and/or Human Growth Hormone or are widely accused and implicated in the steroid scandal are included. Jose Canseco, Ken Caminiti and Mark McGwire are the players causing the controversy. Canseco and Caminti both admitted their use of steroids and neither have the statistics to warrant induction into the Hall,…