It's the quietest scandal in the history of sports.
And it is a scandal. A big, fat scandal that has gone radio silent.
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| Apparently not many heard that J.C. Romero was suspended 50 games. (Getty Images) |
That qualifies as a scandal, right? That qualifies as a tainted World Series, no?
Phillies pitcher J.C. Romero, one of the best relievers in the sport, tested positive for a banned substance on Aug. 26 and then again on Sept. 19, according to baseball officials. An October test taken before the playoffs was negative.
He was allegedly on the banned substance as the Phillies were trying to hold on to a slim lead in the NL East and it might've still been in his system not so long before the World Series.
It's believed Romero didn't take any banned substances during the World Series, but it seems he was leading up to the championship and Romero was a vital component of the Phillies as they overtook the Mets.
So, now knowing all of this information, doesn't the Phillies' World Series title deserve an asterisk?
Many in the mainstream media are afraid to say this, fearing the wrath of Philadelphia sports fans, but it's definitely something to consider.
And Philadelphia baseball fans know asterisks. There's that infamous picture of Phillies fans (there were dozens in the picture and thousands in the stadium) holding up huge asterisks signs when Barry Bonds visited Philadelphia in 2006. Unlike Romero, Bonds was never suspended by baseball for using performance-enhancers.
If Bonds deserved as asterisk, Philly fans, why don't the Phillies?
It's stunning how little attention this has received. If one of the key players for the New York Giants was discovered to have used steroids late last season, wouldn't people claim the Giants' title was tainted? Wouldn't there be Congressional inquiries? Wouldn't there be massive outrage?
Following the 2004 Super Bowl, it was reported that two starting offensive linemen for the Panthers, as well as other players, had prescriptions for a banned steroid filled by a South Carolina pharmacist. Once the news hit the media, it was like a bomb went off. The news magazine 60 Minutes did a story on the allegations and there were some in the media saying the Panthers' NFC title was tainted.
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| Phillies fans had no problem pulling out the asterisks when Barry Bonds' visited. (Getty Images) |
So why is it quiet in the case of Romero?
Romero went 2-0 in the World Series, was practically un-hittable, and became known as one of the best relievers in the sport. Then came the disturbing revelation from Major League Baseball that it was suspending Romero 50 games for violating its performance-enhancing drugs policy.
And before Phillies fans flame the message boards, and before my two good friends Gargano and Macnow on WIP radio in Philadelphia send a tactical nuke to me in the mail, let me post a hypothetical and then ask a question:
The New York Mets go to the World Series. One of their pitchers wins two games in the series and before that is a key reason why the Mets passed the Phillies and earned a postseason spot. Then it's later discovered that the Mets pitcher was allegedly on performance enhancers.
What would you say, Phillies fans, if Romero was a Met?
That's what I thought.
If a Mets player had tested positive for performance enhancers and the Mets won the World Series -- beating the Phillies en route -- Phillies fans would burn Bud Selig in effigy.
There'd be demands for a Congressional inquiry. Eagles fans loved it when Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter gave the New England Patriots -- the team that beat the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX -- a not-so-gentle prostate massage over the Spygate issue.
The problem also is Romero. He has given the usual mealy-mouthed excuse. He claims to not have known the supplement he ingested contained a banned substance. That song has become the PED equivalent of, "Sorry officer I didn’t know how fast I was going." It's such garbage, it has become laughable.
"Basically, I'm being punished for not having a chemistry lab in my house to test everything I put in my body because reading the ingredients on a label is no longer good enough," Romero said in a statement according to the Courier-Post newspaper.
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Sircheeks: Just a theory: perhaps since Romero is such a small part of the Philadelphia Phillies, he gets somewhat of a free pass.
J.C. Romero is not a starting pitcher, position player, or even a closer. Relief pitchers are important, but not absolutely vital to a championship run. That said, it would be difficult or even laughable to claim the entire Phillies' title was tainted by the equivalent of an NBA 7th man. |
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| Mike Freeman: Sorry Sircheeks but a pitcher that was 2-0 in the entire postseason with a 0.00 ERA played a large role in the Philadelphia title run. He was a big reason the Phillies were able to overtake the Mets. That's not insignificant. |
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"The guy tested positive for a steroid banned under the program," Rob Manfred, baseball's executive vice president for labor and human resources, told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "The player is responsible for what goes in his body. As far as intent -- 'I didn't mean it,' is not a defense. If that was the case, every player would be saying, 'I didn't mean it.'"
Finally, some sense.
Besides, the substance Romero purchased, 6-OXO Extreme, has a label on it that clearly states, "Use of this product may be banned by some athletic or government associations (including military)."
It doesn't get clearer than that.
The man who created 6-OXO Extreme also helped to create THG, the designer steroid created by BALCO, according to published reports.
It doesn't get clearer than that, either.
Neither does an asterisk.
