Author: Dr. Steroids

The next or perhaps more accurately, the newest generation of performance-enhancing drugs in sport is insulin-like growth factor-1 or IGF-1. The first synthetic version of IGF-1 approved for sale in the United States was Increlex. To understand Increlex one needs to look at human growth hormone. Human growth hormone is a favorite among athletes and celebrities for its healing powers and anti-aging capabilities. In the liver, hGH converts to insulin-like growth factor-1 promoting growth. While recombinant human growth hormone been around since the 1980s, synthesized IGF-1 wasn’t approved for use until 2005. In August, 2005, the FDA approved Tercica’s IGF-1…

Track coach Trevor Graham, who helped launch the federal probe of steroid use reportedly will be charged by the grand jury following up on that very matter and all of Bay Area Laboratory Co-op’s dealings. The grand jury that is expected to indict Graham is the same panel investigating baseball slugger Barry Bonds for tax evasion and perjury related to his testimony about not knowingly using performance enhancing drugs. Graham initiated the whole controversy by anonymously mailing a vial containing “the Clear,” a previously undetectable steroid to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. At the 2004 Athens Olympics, Graham acknowledged mailing the…

New York Mets pitcher, Guillermo Mota, was suspended 50 games Wednesday for violating Major League Baseball’s drug policy. It was the third suspension this year (following Yusaku Iriki and Jason Grimsley) and fifteenth suspension overall. Mota admitted full responsibility in a statement issued the same day. “I used extremely poor judgment and deserve to be held accountable. To my teammates and the entire Mets organization, I am sorry. I truly regret what I did and hope that you can forgive me.” “To baseball fans everywhere, I understand that you are disappointed in me, and I don’t blame you. I feel…

Human growth hormone (hGH) is a polypeptide hormone synthesized and secreted by the anterior pituitary gland which stimulates growth and cell reproduction in humans and other vertebrate animals. In the liver, hGH converts to insulin-like growth factor-1 promoting growth. Secretion levels are highest during puberty and decrease during adulthood and are directly related to aging. The attempt to synthesize hGH began in the 1930s when Dr. Choh Hao Li, at the University of California’s Experimental Biology Laboratory, sought to isolate hormones. In 1971 he successfully synthesized hGH from the pituitary glands of human cadavers. Over his career, Dr. Li isolated…

The Steroid Era is now cemented in baseball lore alongside the Dead Ball Era. The Dead Ball Era, notorious for a lack of offense, began in 1900 and ended in 1919 when the White Sox threw the World Series and Major League Baseball made a number of changes that favored offense. Baseball historians will inevitably compare famous Dead Ball stars like Joe Jackson and famous Steroid Era players like Barry Bonds not only to eachother but to the stars of the future. This is what baseball people do. It’s important for baseball fans to best be able to understand when…

According to a court filing Thursday, the San Francisco Chronicle has agreed to be held in contempt of court for refusing to assist a federal grand jury probing who leaked the secret testimony from the BALCO grand jury. The agreement is largely procedural, allowing the entire case to move before the appeals court which will ultimately decide if the fines and prison terms for its journalists, Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wadaand are to be upheld. The newspaper joined its two employees in their refusal to assist the government’s investigation into the leaked grand jury documents and testimony. The government would…

In light of the redacted names from the Jason Grimsley affidavit hitting the papers, Roger Clemens entire career has been called into question. Clemens now find himself in the middle of the controversy alongside Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco. UPDATE: Clemens was heavily implicated in the Mitchell Report. His former trainer, Brian McNamee told investigators that he provided Clemens with anabolic steroids and human growth hormone and personally injected Clemens at least 8 to 10 times according to the Report. As to whether or not Clemens is actually in the affidavit. UPDATE: The Grimsley affidavit was unsealed December…

These men are resposible for helping rid baseball of steroids and human growth hormone (hGH). Certain people such as Bud Selig and Jose Canseco have had a profound effect on the scnadal and will ultimately prevent countless players and children from using steroids and hGH. But since their actions have also contributed to countless instances of performance-enhancing drug use (selig with his complacency, Canseco directly and indirectly may be the worst of all) this column is loathe to consider either a hero. Journalists Thomas Boswell Boswell broke the silence about steroids in September 1988 in an interview with Charlie Rose.…

As Game of Shadows’ authors Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada await their appeal, and ultimately a decision on whether or not they go to jail, the government continues its investigation into who leaked BALCO transcripts and court documents to the San Francisco Chronicle. Meanwhile, Barry Bonds’ lawyer, Michael Rains, is trying to leverage the government into abandoning its perjury investigation of Bonds. Rains claims to have his own evidence as to who leaked the BALCO grand jury testimony and court documents. Rains says the leak is inside the federal government, and has threatened to go public with his information if…

U.S. District Judge William Alsup ordered Barry Bonds’ personal trainer, Greg Anderson released from jail Thursday, citing a legal “snafu” that has arisen in the case. Alsup said Anderson must be freed because a federal appeals court hadn’t affirmed his contempt order within the required 30 days after he was jailed for refusing to testify to a grand jury investigating Bonds. The 9th US District Court of Appeals declined to reissue a new contempt order. Instead they sent it back to the judge saying Alsup’s ruling regarding the tape recording was not clear enough. “This snafu has arisen by an…