Every week there seems to be another drugs issue in the media. Whether it is Lance Armstrong, Frank Schlek, Hope Solo, Bradley Wiggins or LaShawn Merritt, performance enhancing drugs contaminate news pages everywhere.

Last week John Fahey, president of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), sent out a warning to all Olympic competitors.

“If you are a doping athlete and you are planning to compete in London then you must withdraw from your Olympic team,” said Fahey.

“These will be the most tested Games in Olympic history and doping athletes must know that they will be under the severe scrutiny of anti-doping officials from the moment they set foot in the Olympic Village,” he added.

But how successful will they be in the testing, and how will we ever be sure of their success?

Let’s rewind 12 years – Sydney 2000. Marion Jones was America’s sweetheart, she broke numerous records and won five medals. Wow, a superhuman effort, it seemed too good to be true. And sadly it was.

Jones later admitted (after a lot of lying) that she had taken drugs as part of the BALCO scandal, a high profile drugs scandal involving some high profile athletes such as Dwain Chambers and Barry Bonds.

With Victor Conte as her nutritionist she had been using a cocktail of drugs including THG or,”the clear”, a development from BALCO which was undetectable.

It was only when a rival trainer sent a sample of “the clear” to WADA that they managed to develop a test for it.

Jones took over 160 drug tests during her career and did not fail one.

Neither has Armstrong. Yet, there are numerous ex-team-mates that will testify, under oath, that they were with him as he was doping illegally. Moreover, three of Armstrong’s former coaches have been banned for life from the sport. Take of that what you will.

The problem is the drug testing technology is behind the drug developing technology, and while athletes are often caught years posthumously, justice never seems to be done. And the second-placed athletes never get the right recognition for their achievement. Who knows the name of the Olympic gold medal holder of the women’s 200m from 2000? (Pauline Davis-Thompson).

LaShawn Merritt, the current 400m Olympic champion, was caught doping in 2009. He was banned for two years (reduced to 21 months) and managed to overturn his lifetime Olympic ban imposed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and will defend his title in London. He claims he was using a penis enlargement product which had testosterone in it.

It is important to note that Merritt’s was a landmark case. The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled in favor of WADA over the IOC that a lifetime ban from the Olympics can effectively result in double jeopardy after an athlete has served their two year ban. This ruling has had knock on effects for athletes such as Dwain Chambers and David Millar who will now compete at the Olympics after their lifetime Olympics bans from the British Olympic Association were overturned.

The fact that Merritt did not even miss a world championship, for me, is unacceptable. But then again, he may have just wanted to improve the size of his manhood and not benefit from any stimulant contained within, so who am I to judge?

How can WADA find out if these stories and excuses are true or false? Are some athletes making innocent mistakes because the list of performance enhancing drugs is too extensive and complex? How long should they be banned for? How much of a substance is needed in order to benefit the athlete? So many questions, and the problem for WADA is that there are no clean cut answers.

Fahey is currently asking sports governing bodies around the world about what they would prefer the doping policy to be for the next Olympic cycle. It seems, and I hope that, the maximum ban will be increased to four years, so an athlete will automatically miss the next major championships in whichever sport it may be.

Two years doesn’t seem long enough, and for me a lifetime ban is too extreme. While I do not agree with doping, I think that many athletes do not use drugs intentionally, and many of them will hugely regret their decision – if you make a serious mistake in the office, you may get fired, but you won’t be banned from the industry for life.

A four year ban is severe enough to provide a deterrent, but the most dedicated athletes could still come back to prove their true talent and skill.

WADA faces many challenges in an ongoing uphill battle. Implementing a decent ban time that is uniform across all sports (including baseball and American football) will be a big step in the right direction.

WADA claims this will be the most tested games ever. But how will they test their success?

By catching more cheats, they will be showing their techniques are successful, but people will become more disillusioned with certain events. If they don’t catch many dopers, people will believe the sports are getting cleaner, but how will we ever really know? It could just be the result of some really advanced drug technology that WADA is not yet familiar with.

It seems to be a lose-lose situation.

Will there be one day where they give up and legalize all performance-enhancing drugs to create another level playing field? I hope not. It doesn’t fit in with the whole idea of sport.

However, the problem seems to be so large in sports such as sprinting, boxing, cycling, wrestling and weightlifting that it makes me think this could soon be the only viable option.

I am sure London 2012 will expose some depressing truths and churn up some bad surprises. But it will also showcase some immense talent, determination and hard work. It is just a shame that I, like many others, will question the authenticity of some of the great genuine sporting achievements that we will see in a few days time.

Image Courtesy of  Paul McKinnon / Shutterstock.com

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To the delight of all Milwaukee Brewers fans, yet simultaneously to the dismay of baseball purists, Friday brought news that Brewers left fielder and reigning National League MVP Ryan Braun had won his appeal against the 50 game suspension that Major League Baseball was poised to hand him following his failing of a performance enhancing drug test in October of 2011.

“Today is for everybody who has ever been wrongly accused,” said Braun at a news conference held at the Brewers training facility shortly after. “The simple truth is that I’m innocent. The truth is always relevant, and the truth prevailed.”

Braun, whose test results uncovered elevated levels of testosterone in his system that were made public in a December episode of ESPN’s “Outside the Lines,” became the first player in baseball history to successfully appeal a drug-related sentencing. Braun vehemently denied ever taking any sort of performance enhancer from the beginning of this entire process and continued to echo that same sentiment on Friday.

“If I had done this intentionally or unintentionally, I’d be the first one to step up and say I did it,” Braun said. “I would bet my life this substance never entered my body.”

MLB officials were livid with the arbitrator’s ruling, considering that Braun’s winning case argued against the fashion in which the procedure was handled, as opposed to claiming wrongful tampering took place or that the test was simply incorrect. Two unnamed sources vouched for Braun, stating that the urine sample that he provided on October 1was not delivered by the collector to FedEx until two days later.

MLB’s drug testing policy requires that all samples make their way to FedEx the very same day. The sources identified the collector as Dino Laurenzi, Jr. and testified that he left Miller Park with the sample at 5 P.M. on Saturday, October 1. It was said to be in a triple-seal container.

Laurenzi, Jr. then allegedly decided to take the sample home and not deliver it to Fed Ex until 1:30 P.M. on October 3, feeling that it would not be sent out to the lab in Montreal until Monday anyway. He supposedly placed it in a cool, dry area during that time period, and the lab chief told ESPN’s Lester Munson that the sample had not been tainted in any way and that the positive test result was indeed valid.

However, Braun still focused on the delay of the process, referring to it as “fatally flawed,” and questioned what could have happened to the sample during the 44-hour window between pickup and delivery.

“Our program is not fatally flawed,” said MLB Executive Vice President Rob Manfred in a statement. “Changes will be made promptly to clarify the instructions provided to collectors regarding when samples should be delivered to FedEx based on the arbitrator’s decision.

Neither Mr. Braun nor the MLBPA contended in the grievance that his sample had been tampered with or produced any evidence of tampering.” Because MLB did not follow protocol the way that they should have, there was not enough sufficient evidence to rule Braun guilty.

“I’ve lived this nightmare every day for the last four months,” Braun said. “At the end of the day, the truth prevailed. I’m the victim of a process that completely broke down.”

Sources are now saying that MLB may look to appeal the ruling in federal court.

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The recent news, of Dr. Anthony Galea pleading guilty to “bringing unapproved drugs, including human growth hormone, into the United States”, begs the question: did Tiger Woods take steroids? What makes this question even more interesting is the fact that Dr. Galea “is not licensed to practice medicine in the U.S.”

The question then becomes a two part one: why would Woods need to see an unlicensed doctor, when he could just as easily see a licensed doctor? Did he go to Dr. Galea because he wanted something that a licensed doctor couldn’t offer (such as steroids)?

Galea and his lawyers claim, that he legally, “administered what’s known as platelet-rich plasma therapy to some athletes, including golf star Tiger Woods.” The treatment is legal in sports; However, Galea himself might have sealed his own fate, by admitting that he occasionally, “injected a cocktail of drugs to help injured athletes recover faster.

This mixture included, at times, human growth hormone — a drug banned in sport — as well as Acotovegin – a derivative of calf’s blood not approved for use in humans in the U.S. or Canada.”

Further information also might hint to the possibility of Tiger Woods taking steroids, including the fact that “In the plea agreement, Galea says he injected human growth hormone into the knees of some athletes to treat joint inflammation”. Tiger Woods is known to have had knee surgery and has admitted to having ties with Dr, Galea.

Another fact that could be telling is Dr. Galea’s ties to other athletes besides Woods. Galea is known to have treated other star athletes, one of which is known to be third baseman Alex Rodriguez (of the Yankees), who admitted to taking steroids before the start of the 2009 baseball season.

The ultimate question is: Was Tiger Woods one of the patients who Dr. Galea injected with this “cocktail of drugs”, that included the illegal substances, human growth hormone (HGH) and Acotovegin? Despite the question being far from answered, all the known knowledge so far, might pointedly lead one to believe that it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that Tiger Woods took steroids.

The question is: did Tiger Woods take steroids?

Brad Thompson / Shutterstock.com

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Judge Reggie Walton declared a mistrial in Roger Clemens federal perjury case on Thursday afternoon. A hearing will be held on September 2^nd to determine whether or not the case should be restarted or dropped altogether. For now, Roger Clemens is a free man, but should this case ever have gotten this far?

Perjury is indeed a punishable offense and shouldn’t be overlooked at all, however this case is about steroids. The topic of steroids in baseball is one that has caused a giant rift among fans of the sport. What do we do with the records from the “steroid era?” Should players that have used performance enhancing drugs be allowed into Cooperstown?

Questions like these certainly are ones that need to be answered, but is it really necessary to spend so much effort, time, and taxpayers money in order to bring these men up on charges? Will that really give us the answers we’re looking for? Do Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds really deserve to face jail time for breaking the rules? Maybe this whole situation has gone down the wrong road.

For arguments sake let’s assume Clemens will not be brought back into the courtroom. His legacy remains somewhat in tact, but these questions certainly remain.

Is the all time postseason wins leader, Andy Pettitte really not going to get into the hall of fame either? When Alex Rodriguez closes his iconic career, will he not be immortalized with a plaque in upstate New York? Is it feasible to have the all time home run king not in the hall? Maybe it is, seeing as how the all-time hits leader isn’t there either.

It’s a sad time for hall of fame nominations. Voters will constantly have to wrestle with the idea that some of the players did it “the wrong way.” Any good player from the 90′s through the 2000′s will have a giant question mark above their heads.

There is one day in the near future that will summarize everything that is hated about this era, the darkest example. Every fan should dread this day for what they will have to hear.

In a couple of years Ken Griffey Jr. will be put on his first ballot. It had been thought that “the kid” could be the first ever unanimous hall of fame choice in the games history. Everyone knew he had the talent and the charisma. He brought new meaning to fan favorite. Nobody hated Griffey the way they did Bonds. Everyone knew he did it the right way. Unfortunately the media will undoubtedly grab hold of the ugly question “did he do it too?”

Bud Selig has done a fine job in fixing the problem on the field. Regular tests are given, heavy suspensions and fines have struck fear into players that think about using PED’s these days, and yet fans are still forced to worry about how the past will effect the future.

A proposition for Cooperstown: treat this time as just another era. The “dead ball” era, the “live ball” era, the integration era, the free-agent era, the steroid era. Why should one of these be singled out?

There are countless players from all different times that are in the hall, and these players should not be victims of a calendar, punished merely for the time they played in and what happened during that time.

If fans are really so up in arms about it, put a little sign under Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds name that says “steroid era” on it. Heck, create a whole wing in Cooperstown just for these guys. What’s the difference?

The hall of fame is a place for fans of the game to go and relive times past. Learn about what happened in the game before their time. The greatest players can be enshrined forever in glory. It is of course a sacred place, but it is silly and naive to think that great players of the past weren’t using drugs or putting pine tar on their bats, yet they are not persecuted.

The point is, there is time to fix this flaw, the powers that be just need to admit that there is something wrong and that it should be addressed.

Nobody is forcing anyone else to like these players. If someone has a personal vendetta against Roger Clemens and the countless others for not playing the way they would have hoped, then so be it. That certainly does not mean that they were not fantastic baseball players.

The time is over, we can all move on, but we don’t have to forget. In 50 years, this will merely be a notch on the timeline of America’s greatest past time. Don’t let it be ruined by a silly needle.

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Barry Bonds is the all-time home run champion with 762 long balls, seven more than long time leader Hank Aaron. Though any recent baseball fan knows this to be true, Aaron still holds the title in everybody’s hearts.

As Bonds’ perjury trial regarding steroid use throughout his professional career continues, fans are doing anything they can to forget he overtook hammerin’ Hank in his last few games of 2007.

Though many players have tested positive for performance enhancing drugs in the past decade or so, including many prominent players in the infamous Mitchell Report, Bonds takes the brunt of the resentment.

Unfair? Maybe, but when you hold the most prestigious of records in America’s past-time, you better have earned it.

Unfortunately for Bonds the outcome of his trial probably doesn’t mean all that much for how he will be viewed. He will never be respected like Aaron was, no matter what the numbers say.

Moving forward, Alex Rodriguez, barring serious injury (or Barry Sanders like retirement), has an incredible opportunity to put Bonds in the rear-view mirror and take the crown for himself before his career is said and done.

A-Rod is currently sitting at 626 homers, putting him at sixth all time. In all probability in this year alone he will pass Ken Griffey Jr. (630), leaving only Mays, Ruth, Aaron, and Bonds to beat for the record.

Rodriguez is only 35 years old, and considering that he plays in the American League where he can play DH later in his career, he probably will be playing into his 40s.

For arguments sake, let’s say that he will play 5 more seasons after this one. As of right now he is 136 homers shy of Bonds. If he can cut that to 120 by the end of this season, that leaves only 24 home runs a year over those last five seasons to tie the record.

Let me amend my previous words a bit. Barring serious injury, the record stands no chance. However, the question remains, is this really an upgrade of character in fans eyes?

A-Rod, though not hated quite as much as Bonds, is easily the least liked player in the MLB outside of the New York area. He too has had steroid rumors swirling around him for years now, rumors which realistically can never been proven wrong nor shaken.

The point here is, one of the best records in sports is going through a tough time. The respect that Henry Aaron had from fans was immense, and will not be matched until a new savior comes along that can dispel any negativity that surrounds his mammoth blasts.

Everyone thought Griffey would be the one to take the crown, and legitimately at that. We missed the boat on him thanks to tragic injuries, but who else do we have to look forward to? Maybe if Albert Pujols can make a surge late in his career; maybe if young budding stars like Mike Stanton or Prince Fielder can get the job done in a new era where steroid testing is done regularly, then maybe we will see a change in the attitude towards the record.

Until then we are left wanting more. Wishing that these questionable blasts weren’t quite so questionable. No fan wants it to be this way, but it’s too late.

If only Griffey could have stayed healthy.

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