Heard on the radio that tomorrow’s Sports Illustrated will have an article in which Gary Sheffield (of the Yankees) has admitted to using a steroid cream; said cream was provided to him by BALCO at the suggestion to him by Barry Bonds. I haven’t seen any other reference to this in any other medium.
Saw an interview where it was explained that the cream was a post-surgery cream used by Sheffield for 2 weeks. He says had no idea that it was a steroid.
In today’s society, one where Sheffield is routinely questioned about steroids (as are most power hitters), I find it very hard to take that no one ever informed Shef that it was a steroid … or even more surprising … he never asked. That’s on par with someone in track & field blaming a positive steroid test on contaminated dental floss or tooth paste.
The cream was used over a year ago, from what I understand. It’s looking more and more like athletes went to BALCO for one reason. I don’t think athletes are as naive as they pretend to be.
plausible deniability…
The newest iteration of “Don’t ask don’t tell.”
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pardon my ignorance, how does a steroid cream help you?
Sooo, Sheffield has surgery and goes to Bonds for post op advice, then gets his cream from Balco? I’m thinking that has to be the best looking submission to his insurance carrier ever. So just out of curiosity who did the surgery? I’m thinking he wouldn’t take a chance on some hack, he would go with the best, maybe Marcus Welby, MD or Dr “Bones” McCoy.
Styrrell
That certainly makes more sense. I heard Peter Gammons on ESPN saying something about it at lunch. Peter called it “post-surgery cream”. I did not know there was a designer steroid called “The Cream”. Thanks for pointing that out.
Sheffield has been the most vocal baseball player in regards to wanting steroid testing so that “guys like him” can have their name cleared. While folks may say “why doesn’t he go get tested and clear his name?” … because he’s in the players union and they’d go nuts if he did that (like the NBA union did when Damo Stoudamire took a drug test to show the fans he wasn’t a pothead).
We’ll see how this folds out.
I don’t remember all the details, but I thought “the cream” was a testosderone based product for topical application, not injection. But then again god knows what these guys would do.
Styrrell
There’s all sorts of steroids … topicals, caps, injectables, nasals, heck there might even be “sublinguals”, but I seem to remember those products being more hype than substance.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1895380
The best part of the article is Sheffield complaining about Bonds’ character flaws. Gary Sheffield is complaining about someone else’s character flaws. Too much.
I’m not a PED expert, but I find it hard to believe that any topically applied cream will boost performance.
Sheffield basically lays into Bonds in the article a rips him a new one. I believe he brought up the steriod cream and Bonds link to illustrate how Bonds was in with the BALCO guys. Should be a good read, as everyone likes good Bonds-bashing story.
It’s looking more and more like athletes went to BALCO for one reason. I don’t think athletes are as naive as they pretend to be.<<
Please warn me next time…I spit my coffee all over my desk on this one.
Steroid and PED use is RAMPANT in professional, collegiate, and even some high school sports. Really. This has been going on for a long time. It is something that will make otherwise moral people look you in the eye and lie.
The shock and outrage of the public over things like TH is what’s naive…
I’m not a PED expert, but I find it hard to believe that any topically applied cream will boost performance.
Well a corticosteroid cream certainly wont… what a non-story.
Steroid and PED use is RAMPANT in professional, collegiate, and even some high school sports. Really. This has been going on for a long time.
True. I think I have said the same type of statement in every PED discussion that has gone on at this site. People are probably sick of hearing about it by now.
My comments regarding BALCO and athletes was basically a polite way of saying “Athletes didn’t go to BALCO and then were introduced to steroids”, but rather “Athletes went to BALCO seeking to use steroids” … and that includes Bonds and Marion Jones. In other words, I am not only saying that athletes knew of what was going on there and were okay with it, but because of what was going on there selected BALCO.
Sheffield also admitted to using a sublingual (under the tongue) steroid for 2 months to aid recovery. He says he doesn’t consider the cream or the clear to be steroids. Yeah … and I’ve got buddies that think that anavar tabs are just “super strength tylenol”.
Athletes didn’t go to BALCO and then were introduced to steroids", but rather “Athletes went to BALCO seeking to use steroids” <<
Um, yup.
Any other interpretation of what was going on is as silly as the idea that drug dealers look to “get kids hooked on drgus” to create a market. That’s just not the way it is…There is no shortage of demand for these substances.
I’m not a PED expert, but I find it hard to believe that any topically applied cream will boost performance.
Testosterone can be delivered transdermally.
Check out the testosterone patches on the market.
Exactly right. A friend of mine has done all these drugs (he is totally wacked) and he says the topical steroid creams and patches are laughable. They do almost nothing. You might as well be taking prohormones. They are like 1/20th the power of an injectible.
-Robert