[topsy_retweet_big]For the past six years Major League Baseball has been plagued by the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs. The games biggest names have been accused, suspended, or admitted to using a PED.
Another scandal is starting to surface in baseball over the drug Actovegin. This particular substance is a free protein extract obtained from filtered calf blood.
Federal investigators met with Mets shortstop Jose Reyes last week to question him about his relationship with Dr. Anthony Galea. The Canadian doctor has recently been charged in relation to the unapproved drug Actovegin.
Actovegin enhances absorption of glucose and oxygen which are factors in boosting cellular metabolism to improve physical performance and stamina. It also improves the regeneration process.
Who is Dr. Galea? What does this mean for baseball? Can Actovegin treatments become common use in professional baseball?
Providing Athletes Universal Health Care
Dr. Galea is a 51 year old Canadian sports medicine specialists and team physician for the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL.
Galea has a pretty notable list of clients from Olympic medalist Dara Torres, to most recognizable in Tiger Woods. Tiger apparently likes his doctors the same way he likes his women, dirty and willing to make a home visit.
Galea first became widely known to the general public after performing four special blood-spinning techniques on Tiger in his Orlando home. Tiger responded well to the treatment, in his latest “regain my image tour”; Tiger adamantly denied any PED use.
HGH (Human Growth Hormone) has also been linked with Dr. Galea.
Any athlete of any major sport who is connected to Dr. Galea cannot be happy about the current federal investigation taking place. I don’t anticipate things going well for his career as a sports doctor, but he could fit nicely in the new “Twilight” movie.
Avoid A-List Attachment
Joes Reyes sounds like every other major leaguer that has been caught or accused of using a PED. Reyes said “I don’t worry about anything because I didn’t do anything wrong.” That sounds familiar!
All of the players caught up in the PED web seem like the guy who tells his wife that he is not cheating, and simultaneously disposes of the condom rapper.
Major League Baseball can’t suffer anymore damage to what is left of the face of baseball. Reyes represents the body of baseball, although the body has suffered a lot of blows, a few more won’t kill them.
As long as guys like Tim Lincecum and Albert Pujols are not attached to this Canadian character then they should be alright.
Use of PED(s) is like having a mullet; almost everyone has had one at one point or another in their life.
Can’t Suspend What You Can’t Test
Actovegin isn’t new to athletes, the cycling community has known about this since 2000. There doesn’t seem to be a solid way to test for this specific drug.
If they do a blood test then it may produce results with high iron counts, which isn’t illegal. However iron is a masking agent for hiding other illegal drugs. So it’s like the fat kid who has chocolate all over his face and tries to tell you that he didn’t eat the candy bar.
This drug allows players muscles to heal from workouts or games at incredible rates. So what is the problem? If everyone has access to these substances and consumes them under a doctors supervision, then who is being cheated? It’s almost as if these leagues don’t want their players to be healthy.
Who are these leagues trying to protect? It’s not the fans, because is it were then they would try to deliver the best product and that means the best players play more. They are trying to protect records and history, which is why the NFL seems to be the most relaxed about PED(s).
It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if this becomes the new enhancement of choice and athletes start injecting and snorting calf blood right now. As a matter of fact I bet that major league ball clubs are buying up cattle farms as you read this.
No matter what happens with Actovegin, there will be something else created that will give players advantages over the players who played before them. I say, “Embrace it”!