Article: Jorge Polanco Receives 80-Game Suspension For PED

[USAFChief]

 

It's pretty easy to sit back at your computer and say that people trying to preserve their (and their family's....many from poor countries, oddly coincidentally) future should just not do everything in their power to do so....you aren't at jeopardy of losing millions of dollars. 

 

As if Tom Kelly didn't throw away syringes back in the day.....teams know. They only care when players get caught. Thinking otherwise seems naive to me. 

oh for Pete's sake.

 

Jorge Polanco illegally boosting his career is denying some other player the ability to preserve their future.

 

As if ANYone has a heaven-sent right to a MLB career to begin with.  

 

If I lie on my resume to get a good paying job that should have gone to you, to preserve my future, is that also ok with you?

[Mike Sixel]

 

oh for Pete's sake.

 

Jorge Polanco illegally boosting his career is denying some other player the ability to preserve their future.

 

As if ANYone has a heaven-sent right to a MLB career to begin with.  

 

If I lie on my resume to get a good paying job that should have gone to you, to preserve my future, is that also ok with you?

 

I actually said none of that....but nice straw man.

 

I said it was easy to sit back and pass judgement on someone, when none of us are in the same position. I never said he had the right to do this, nor did I say that he should not be punished, since these are the rules.....never once did I say anything you just typed.

 

OTOH, I do think it is a stupid rule that should go away, but that is a different discussion that has nothing to do with the post you quoted.

[Jerr]

 

Depends on what the teams offer, in that regard. Honestly, it's such a minimal expense, they should be provided during the season, and the players should be given/shipped an offseason supply at the end of the season.

 

If teams aren't doing that for million-dollar investments, they do bear some of the blame here. (Even with just a 1-2 WAR projection, the Twins are missing out on millions worth of production from Polanco's suspension.)

Doesn't mean that the players would take that given to them. And I'm sure if, a player asked he would get an answer, to what he intends to ingest. Again all on the player.

 

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

Doesn't mean that the players would take that given to them. And I'm sure if, a player asked he would get an answer, to what he intends to ingest. Again all on the player.

I won't disagree that Polanco deserves the largest share of the blame here, but it's not an all-or-nothing situation. If the Twins don't provide common offseason training supplements to their players, they are exposing themselves to additional unnecessary risk. (It will never be 100% risk-free, of course, but I think the Twins could get a heck of a lot closer to minimizing risk than saying "have fun training in the Dominican! Call us if you have any questions!")

[KirbyDome89]

 

It's pretty easy to sit back at your computer and say that people trying to preserve their (and their family's....many from poor countries, oddly coincidentally) future should just not do everything in their power to do so....you aren't at jeopardy of losing millions of dollars. 

 

As if Tom Kelly didn't throw away syringes back in the day.....teams know. They only care when players get caught. Thinking otherwise seems naive to me. 

I agree that on some level teams know. Idk if I'd go as far as saying that they know exactly which players are using PEDs but I can't imagine they're shocked if/when guys in the organization get caught. Statistically there have to be some players using. Players are going to do whatever it takes when there's significant $$ on the line. I can empathize with the situation some of these guys from poor backgrounds are in. 

 

The question is where does the burden of responsibility fall? Chief is right, ownership is hurt by a damaged on field product. For this team, Polanco vs. Adrianza/Aybar might be the difference between making a WC game or watching from home. The money "saved," by the Polanco suspension is negligible in this case but we know damn well if it was Mauer (not that it would ever happen) being suspended that money would go right back to the Pohlads and it wouldn't be spent this season. If the $$ was moved to a central fund rather than the owner, and MLB distributed it among youth camps ect. I think it everybody would be better served. IMO these suspensions are more than just a mild inconvenience and a chance to recoup $$ for owners. 

 

Honestly, what is a team supposed to do if a player chooses to spend time with a sketchy trainer during his time away from the team? If the Twins were forcing players to only use their training grounds, or not to interact with certain trainers or frequent certain facilities, how long would it be before that action was labeled a means to control minority players and by extension racist? I'm not saying it is, but we know that's how it would be portrayed. There's no winning for the Twins in this scenario. If the club decides to put a facility in the DR and staff it with trainers, dietitians, ect I'm fine with it, but they have all those amenities here in the US and the players are choosing not to use them. I understand wanting to spend time back home with family during the offseason, but the resources Polanco needed were literally a phone call away, and he choose not to make the call.  

Edited March 19, 2018 by KirbyDome89

[gunnarthor]

 

Poor multi-million dollar players, if only they could stop poking themselves in the butt with steriods.. Oh wait....  You need  a new calendar, it's not 2007 anymore.

I'm not even sure what that means unless you're suggesting players aren't roiding as much as 10 years ago which of course you have no evidence for.

[Mr. Brooks]

I actually said none of that....but nice straw man.

 

I said it was easy to sit back and pass judgement on someone, when none of us are in the same position. I never said he had the right to do this, nor did I say that he should not be punished, since these are the rules.....never once did I say anything you just typed.

 

OTOH, I do think it is a stupid rule that should go away, but that is a different discussion that has nothing to do with the post you quoted.

I would guess that most of us have had the opportunity to cheat or lie to gain an advantage over another employee or student at some point in our lives. So, I disagree that none of us have been in the same position.

[Mr. Brooks]

I can't believe some people think these grown adults need to be babysat by teams, and that the teams should be jointly liable for not babysitting them 24/7.

These are grown adults, not little kids.

Seems patronizing to all players to suggest they aren't capable of the responsibility of their own behavior.

 

Do you feel the same way about all jobs, or just athletes?

[Squirrel]

https://twitter.com/MikeBerardino/status/975756891635712001

 

So, it makes sense now why the Twins signed Aybar. With Polanco and Sano potentially being suspended for the beginning of the season they needed someone as a backup plan.

This makes sense. Why I wondered several pages ago when they found out. And I think it has affected Polanco on the field, too. The number of errors is so high I wonder if some of that could be attributed to things on his mind.

[Squirrel]

It's pretty easy to sit back at your computer and say that people trying to preserve their (and their family's....many from poor countries, oddly coincidentally) future should just not do everything in their power to do so....you aren't at jeopardy of losing millions of dollars.

 

I made this point pages back. It’s legal in the DR and almost encouraged and I’d bet agents are involved in this as well. Enticing and luring, actually preying on the impoverished. Why I don’t believe it’s a race issue when a very high percentage of those caught are from the DR. That is not coincidental to me.

[gunnarthor]

 

I can't believe some people think these grown adults need to be babysat by teams, and that the teams should be jointly liable for not babysitting them 24/7.
These are grown adults, not little kids.
Seems patronizing to all players to suggest they aren't capable of the responsibility of their own behavior.

Do you feel the same way about all jobs, or just athletes?

You're missing the point. The player and the team both want the same thing. They want the player to use PEDs. If teams didn't want this, there are concrete actions they could take to stop it. This isn't "babysitting." It's an investment.

[yarnivek1972]

http://www.mlb.com/pa/pdf/jda.pdf

According to the policy, the team, the players association, and the league knows 72 hours before the player does.

 

My guess is this has been a week or less. My employees were non-union, but i suspended my reports as soon as I found out or at the beginning of their next shift if they were off. I’d literally find them in the plant or at the beginning of the shift wait at the time clock.

 

Everyone knew someone got popped if I greeted everyone at the door, which was once or twice a month.

According to Polanco’s press conference, he has known he failed a test for about a month, but only told Molitor and Falvey yesterday.

[Mike Sixel]

I would guess that most of us have had the opportunity to cheat or lie to gain an advantage over another employee or student at some point in our lives. So, I disagree that none of us have been in the same position.

Fair. And I would not do it. But I also am not from a poor nation, with an entire family to support, maybe for generations. But fair.

[adorduan]

 

I made this point pages back. It’s legal in the DR and almost encouraged and I’d bet agents are involved in this as well. Enticing and luring, actually preying on the impoverished. Why I don’t believe it’s a race issue when a very high percentage of those caught are from the DR. That is not coincidental to me.

So what if it's legal in the DR? Is he playing in the DR?  He's 24, not 16. the  players know it's not legal in the US and not allowed by their employer.  It's up to them if they want to risk it, but shouldn't bitch ( or make up BS excuses) when they get caught.

[adorduan]

 

You're missing the point. The player and the team both want the same thing. They want the player to use PEDs. If teams didn't want this, there are concrete actions they could take to stop it. This isn't "babysitting." It's an investment.

such as?

[Doubles]

 

IMO there is zero possibility he didn't know what he was taking.

None.

Completely agree.  Furthermore, if he didn't know, he's just as, if not more culpable.

[caninatl04]

I know this is a family-friendly site, so let me paraphrase my reaction to the news as "F-bomb x 3" followed by a few "Gosh darned it."

 

By the way, I looked up the drug on Wikipedia and found:

 

"stanozolol has been used in US horse racing".

 

'Nuf said?

[nicksaviking]

 

I actually said none of that....but nice straw man.

 

I said it was easy to sit back and pass judgement on someone, when none of us are in the same position. I never said he had the right to do this, nor did I say that he should not be punished, since these are the rules.....never once did I say anything you just typed.

 

OTOH, I do think it is a stupid rule that should go away, but that is a different discussion that has nothing to do with the post you quoted.

 

At my job there are plenty of things I could do, illegal or immoral, which would help inflate my productivity and secure a bigger piece of my company's bonus and a raise. 

 

If I were to get caught doing something prohibited, I'd surely be fired, not simply suspended.

[Craig Arko]

 

At my job there are plenty of things I could do, illegal or immoral, which would help inflate my productivity and secure a bigger piece of my company's bonus and a  raise. 

 

If I were to get caught doing something prohibited, I'd surely be fired, not simply suspended.

But then you could get a Cabinet position.

[USAFChief]

 

You're missing the point. The player and the team both want the same thing. They want the player to use PEDs. If teams didn't want this, there are concrete actions they could take to stop it. This isn't "babysitting." It's an investment.

Right.  That's why MLB and the union set up an elaborate and reasonably rigorous drug testing program, with penalties you've already said are too stiff.

 

Because both the players and the teams want the players using PEDs.

 

 

[prouster]

 

I made this point pages back. It’s legal in the DR and almost encouraged and I’d bet agents are involved in this as well. Enticing and luring, actually preying on the impoverished. Why I don’t believe it’s a race issue when a very high percentage of those caught are from the DR. That is not coincidental to me.

 

I mostly agree. Imagine being offered a lot of money to perform your dream job in another country, only the industry has a zero tolerance policy banning the consumption of caffeine. It would be easy to understand such a ban intellectually, but a person who's culturally used to drinking coffee may not see what the big deal is if they have a cup every morning. I don't think MLB's drug policy is meant to target Dominicans, but if they face the majority of suspensions (a claim that needs to be cited), then the policy is racist inasmuch as it punishes one ethnic group more than others. So, it would be more accurate to say that any racism is systemic—probably the result of personal blind spots in MLBPA and the league office, rather than intentional malice because Rob Manfred dislikes Dominicans.

 

And for those posters correlating this to their own experiences: No one is trying to discredit your work ethic. No one is taking anything from you. Polanco's suspension isn't actually about you.

[Squirrel]

So what if it's legal in the DR? Is he playing in the DR? He's 24, not 16. the players know it's not legal in the US and not allowed by their employer. It's up to them if they want to risk it, but shouldn't bitch ( or make up BS excuses) when they get caught.

My point is I’m talking about poverty and what one does to escape it, in a country where there is no way out. Yes, he broke the rules and needs to pay the consequences for that. I’m not disagreeing. But if we really want to solve the issue of PED use, especially among Dominicans, I think we need to look at more than just a MLB rule. There are many who prey on these kids and I have no idea how strong or easy the lure is to go down that road as I have never experienced that level of poverty. It just seems to me that if it’s (still) an issue, we aren’t looking at the right things in order to truly address it.

[gunnarthor]

 

Right.  That's why MLB and the union set up an elaborate and reasonably rigorous drug testing program, with penalties you've already said are too stiff.

 

Because both the players and the teams want the players using PEDs.

The penalties are unfair and the testing is a joke.

 

MLB has set up a system that will catch a handful of players a year while letting most get through so fans can pretend that PED use isn't still part of the game. According to wikipedia's list, only 19 ML players have been caught since the renegotiated system in 2014. I'm not sure if 19 is the exact number but it feels right. I'm pretty confident a lot more than 19 ML have been using PEDs in that time frame.

 

Masking agents have improved greatly which is allowing athletes to use more and better drugs. We've seen that in the Olympics (where Russia essentially put all their athletes on something), we've seen it in chess, football, horse racing. But, yeah, baseball is super duper clean. Baseball teams are investing millions to figure out how to have players perform better are completely ignoring drug use b/c AJ Preller and Thad Levine are virtuous guys.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

According to Polanco’s press conference, he has known he failed a test for about a month, but only told Molitor and Falvey yesterday.

according to the mlb document the league notifies the GM and the MLBPA 72 hours before notifying the player.

 

I was way off on my timing, but Falvey must have known.

 

Now maybe the results of the test were announced 4 days ago but Polanco knew he’d failed it before the ink was dry on the cup label...

Edited March 19, 2018 by Sconnie

[Riverbrian]

I'm simply not going to judge him. 

 

It's easy to sit back and say the rules are the rules but there is way too much money involved. 

 

Just making a 40 man roster is going from below poverty level to $600,000. Earning a starting job after 3 years will take them from $600,000 to 6 Million. Being a superstar will take them from 6 million to 60 million. 

 

I'm not going to judge Polanco... I'm not going to judge the college basketball coaches either and I'm not going to judge the politicians taking money from special interest and I'm not going to judge the simple folks who deal with comparable situations at a much smaller scale like the guy who fudges on his taxes just trying to keep the lights on at home. 

 

We are all swimming in this type of ****. I don't like any of it but I won't judge. 

 

 

[USAFChief]

My point is I’m talking about poverty and what one does to escape it, in a country where there is no way out. Yes, he broke the rules and needs to pay the consequences for that. I’m not disagreeing. But if we really want to solve the issue of PED use, especially among Dominicans, I think we need to look at more than just a MLB rule. There are many who prey on these kids and I have no idea how strong or easy the lure is to go down that road as I have never experienced that level of poverty. It just seems to me that if it’s (still) an issue, we aren’t looking at the right things in order to truly address it.

is it just Dominicans who are too weak to resist? All Latinos? All poor people?

 

The solution is for players to stop taking the shortcut of PED use. Not in making excuses because some players don't have the ability to do so.

[Vanimal46]

The penalties are unfair and the testing is a joke.

 

MLB has set up a system that will catch a handful of players a year while letting most get through so fans can pretend that PED use isn't still part of the game. According to wikipedia's list, only 19 ML players have been caught since the renegotiated system in 2014. I'm not sure if 19 is the exact number but it feels right. I'm pretty confident a lot more than 19 ML have been using PEDs in that time frame.

 

Masking agents have improved greatly which is allowing athletes to use more and better drugs. We've seen that in the Olympics (where Russia essentially put all their athletes on something), we've seen it in chess, football, horse racing. But, yeah, baseball is super duper clean. Baseball teams are investing millions to figure out how to have players perform better are completely ignoring drug use b/c AJ Preller and Thad Levine are virtuous guys.

I guess it's possible that an Icarus situation is going on in baseball.

 

But it's preposterous to think they let some players slide and only targeting Dominicans with the suspensions. Otherwise we have something much, much worse on our hands.

[Vanimal46]

is it just Dominicans who are too weak to resist? All Latinos? All poor people?

 

The solution is for players to stop taking the shortcut of PED use. Not in making excuses because some players don't have the ability to do so.

Right. So we're supposed to feel bad for Dominicans not knowing any better because they're in poverty. What about Billy Johnson (hypothetical name) that grew up dirt poor in Taylor, Mississippi? He didn't know any better right?

 

What about Tommy Johnson that grew up in Edina, MN and had everything handed to him on a silver platter. He definitely should know better than to take PEDs to get ahead in life.

[gunnarthor]

 

I guess it's possible that an Icarus situation is going on in baseball.

But it's preposterous to think they let some players slide and only targeting Dominicans with the suspensions. Otherwise we have something much, much worse on our hands.

I think the masking agents in DR aren't as good as the agents the players in the US are using. 

 

 

[nicksaviking]

 

My point is I’m talking about poverty and what one does to escape it, in a country where there is no way out. Yes, he broke the rules and needs to pay the consequences for that. I’m not disagreeing. But if we really want to solve the issue of PED use, especially among Dominicans, I think we need to look at more than just a MLB rule. There are many who prey on these kids and I have no idea how strong or easy the lure is to go down that road as I have never experienced that level of poverty. It just seems to me that if it’s (still) an issue, we aren’t looking at the right things in order to truly address it.

 

I would understand it more if he were a 16-year-old getting busted.

 

As it were he's 24 and had already secured a 750K signing bonus as a teenager. He may have been impoverished back in the day, he wasn't when he took the PEDs.