Bartolo Colon became the latest major leaguer to test positive for PEDs this season, joining Melky Cabrera among the big names having big years who have been caught and suspended.
On top of Ryan Braun‘s tainted-but-then-not-tainted MVP award last season, this latest black mark on the league’s resume means that baseball’s PED controversy remains.
While many fans likely hoped that the game had left its dark days behind since instituting stricter testing in 2004, that hasn’t been the case. While it’s always possible that Colon, Cabrera, Manny Ramirez and the like are just a couple of bad apples spoiling the bunch, it could be just as likely that the league continues to deal with a serious issue that isn’t going away any time soon.
BALCO founder and renowned steroid expert Victor Conte claims that as much as half of all MLB players could be using performance-enhancing drugs despite the league’s rules. According to him, players are only staying ahead of the testing, not curtailing their cheating any. While there’s no evidence to support Conte’s claims — and that’s sort of his point — the swirling rumors and the dark clouds hanging over the Bay Area these days do not bode well for the sport’s health.
