HGH Testing
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by Niteowl049
Baseball Notebook
HGH Testing in 2008?
Baseball players in 2008 may be tested for human growth hormone if the tests prove to be effective in detecting HGH use. So far have not heard any comment from Don Fehr the head of the player's union but Gene Upshaw the leader of the NFL player's union has already said he doesn't want players tested every time they enter the locker room.
Don Fehr will probably make a similar comment as players do not want drug testing of any kind since they lose their edge over the players who abide by the rules and play the game the way it was meant to be played. Have a feeling if this testing was instituted today there would be several players found to be using HGH including Barry Bonds. Bonds has already shown he is not opposed to using drugs if it enhances his performance. If he used amphetamines last year knowing he could be caught once before being suspended there is no reason he wouldn't take HGH which is not even detectable.
Troy Glaus, Rick Ankiel and Jay Gibbons may be just three of many players using the human growth hormone. I am not saying they knew what they were taking if it was prescribed for them but you would think they would be cautious enough to know what drugs they were ingesting into their bodies.
Around the Bases
The Chicago Cubs took a half game lead over the idle Milwaukee Brewers yesterday in the NL Central. The St. Louis Cardinals lost again losing their seventh game in a row and only a miracle will give them back to back NL Central championships with them five games behind the Cubs. The New York Yankees fall to five and a half games back of Boston Red Sox and need to play 12-4 baseball in their last 16 games to win 95 games while the Red Sox only need to play 6-9 baseball in their last 15 games. If the Red Sox win today over the Yankees the worst they could finish the series would be 4 1/2 games ahead of Yankees but a Yankee sweep would close the gap to two and a half games.
The Los Angeles Angels are the surest thing to win their division having an eight and a half game lead over the Mariners with only 16 games left in the season in the AL West....If Philadelphia Phillies can sweep the New York Mets they could be in position to gain even more ground since ten of their final thirteen games are against the Cardinals and Washington Nationals plus the Phillies are only a game and a half behind in the wildcard race behind the San Diego Padres. The Arizona Diamondbackshave a four game lead in NL East while winning seven of their last ten games while Padres won only three of their last ten games.
Aaron Harang (15-4) continues to have a banner season with little publicity. He needs only one more win to match his 16 win season of last year. John Lackey (16-9) is not likely to win 20 games this season after his loss yesterday. The Yankees wish they had called up Ian Kennedy earlier this season after he pitched well yesterday giving up only one hit in seven innings and has a 1.89 ERA. It makes you wonder where the Yankees would be in the AL East race now if they had called Kennedy up instead of Jeff Karstens, Tyler Clippard and other ineffective pitchers from the minor leagues, not to mention Kei Igawa starting eleven games and winning only two of those starts.
Steve Trachsel (7-10) won his first game as a Cub since 1999 in their win over the Houston Astros that broke a first place tie with the Brewers. Albert Pujols needs nine RBI's to reach 30 home runs and 100 RBI's for his first seven seasons and has 18 games to reach that goal. Manny Ramirez has 86 RBI's with 15 games left and may not reach 100 RBI's for the first time since 1997.
