If there was ever a sport that does not need another positive test for banned substances by one of its high-profile athletes, it is track and field. Sadly enough, they got just that.
America’s premier sprinter Tyson Gay tested positive for doping recently. Gay has been clipped before and should know better than anyone else how stringent the drug testing procedures are. Instead he, like many athletes who get caught, wanted to lay blame on “someone he trusted.”
Sorry, I am out of handkerchiefs to cry on here. Track and field has battled drug use since someone said, “On your mark, get set, go!” Just when you want to embrace the sport or its athletes, the “B” bottle urine sample comes back positive. When some of your best come up dirty, it makes you wonder about everyone else.
This for some is hard to fathom as track and field has THE toughest drug testing policy in the world. As an athlete, you have to be available to give a urine sample 24 hours a day. Your whereabouts have to be tracked as well, not to mention the other elements that are put in place to insure that no one is cheating. And then comes Tyson Gay who knows all of this.
With the World Championships coming up, why do I think that Tyson Gay will not be the only well-known track and field star who will have to sit this one out?
Cardinals set for second half
Now that the All-Star game is behind us and the second portion of the MLB season is set to begin tomorrow for the Cardinals, one has to wonder what is next for the team that finished the first portion of the season with the best record in all of baseball, not to mention the best in the history of the team.
The Cardinals lead or are near the top in virtually every positive category, and it is truly a team effort. They have been very workmanlike from day one in spring training and as professional a team as I have ever been around. They police themselves with few closed-door clubhouse meetings.
As for the roster and the trade deadline, the Cardinals may look for a veteran out of the bull pen and perhaps another starter, as some in the current crop will be challenged later in the summer because of age or inexperience. There is a lot of youth on this team. While some have had their baptism of fire, there is nothing like experience down the stretch.
It is said by some that the Cardinals have a wealth of talent in the minor leagues, but really they have a lot a good young pitchers. There may be two or three position players that could contribute to a limited extent.
So what about all that pitching? Not all of it will play in St. Louis, that is just a fact. If they are all that good, at some point the team would not be able to afford to pay them all at the same time. We are talking about helping this team now. You may have to give up something to get something here.
Just what does this team need? Pitching is always a need for virtually any team, but what about other positions? The shortstop position comes to mind.
While Pete Kozma has struggled with the bat recently, his glove has been solid and he was one of the main reasons why this team found itself in post-season play last year. You need more from the position offensively, but who do you want that is really available and at what cost? Many of the good shortstops in the game are playing on contending teams, and the price might be too steep.
As for the bench, the Ty Wigginton experiment did not have favorable results, hence his release. There is a real need for a professional bat coming off the bench in the late innings. That player may be easier to find later in the season.
The other areas are solid. While there may be some subtle tweaking done to this team, a major deal may not be in the offing and that is fine with me. This team has what it takes to get there and then some. There is nothing wrong with a little luck sprinkled in as well. While teams will be hunting the Cardinals, they appear to be ready for the challenge.
MLB and PED
The rumors continue to swirl about Major League Baseball suspending a few of its better known players for using Performance Enhancing Drugs. Word is that some of these players have lawyered up and have given very little to MLB investigators or are trying to cut a deal. Something has to give here. As Bud Selig is in his final years as commissioner, it is my hope that he spares no mercy on these cheaters. They have skirted the issue long enough, as they have found technicalities and loopholes to avoid punishment. May the ax fall and fall hard.
Not another stadium issue
In case you have not heard, the Oakland Raiders want to build a new stadium and they claim they do not have the money to build it by themselves. OK, we have heard that before by every guy who wants a stadium.
In this case the Raiders are proposing that they kick in $300 million, the NFL $200 million and the rest of the $300 million needed for the 50,000-seat stadium come from tax payers. At 50,000 seats, it would be smaller than some of the behemoth facilities that teams are now finding hard to fill. In this case, there would always be a premium for seats to the game.
I think this deal may have a chance. Governor Nixon and Stan Kroenke may want to pay attention.
