A brief history of Steroids and performing enhancing drugs - Part 3: Naming names!

So, in the paper this week it was reported that the Russian Champion in the 300 meter steeple chase was suspended for testing positive for steroids.
For those who don't know, the steeple chase is a long distance run with various obstacles in the runners way. That's right, along distance runner was suspended for using drugs that most of you associate with size and strength.

So who else is using drugs? Well, as I have discussed in the previous posts, everyone. OK, not 100% but as near as you can get with considerations for economic limitations, medical uncertainty and statistical anomalies.

Lance Armstrong - of course!! This is one of the classic. Armstrong, as part of the standard recovery from chemotherapy was given EPO. This is a drug that was created in order to help chemo patients replace the red blood cells that were destroyed by chemo. It is also what is most commonly associated with bike riders and other distance athletes.

In fact a very telling story is told by Greg LeMond. He has often discussed how, in what would be his last year in the Tour, when he was one of the favorites again, the other riders just seemed to be able to do things that they hadn't in the past.

In regards to baseball, one of the fascinating aspects of the whole Jose Canseco/Mark McGwire story was how the media forget a very important fact. When Pete Rose was banned from baseball, he was associated with a ring of felons, through and including his bookies. What were these individual sent to prison for... that's right steroid distribution. One look at Rose during his playing days, and after speaks volumes.

Additionally, the hitting coach during the McGwire/Canseco heyday with Oakland was none other than Reggie Jackson. Seen Reggie lately, he has gotten bigger and bigger since his playing days.

The greatest laugh is when we here the excuses for people that get caught that it was in a supplement they took. Imagine a supplement company substituting what is essentially a cost free substance for an illegal and expensive prescription medication - huh? I don't think so.

Or when women, such as the swimmer Michelle DeBruin claims that it is in their birth control pills. Strange how an estrogen pill can make your testosterone go up.

So the easiest tact for this is, if you would like to know if your favorite star is using, assume yes, or if you would like to ask, I'd be happy to discuss it.

NEXT PART: How the testing works.