Paul Byrd, Roid Guy (Split from Rico Brogna, Good Fit)

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Paul Byrd v. Porno
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=alipour/071016&sportCat=mlb

[Guest Edgy DC]

Well done.

[MFS62]

About that Byrd article:

]Byrd: I grew up in a mildly religious background. My mom took me to Catholic church. I went to Catholic school. But I became a Christian somewhere in '91.

Pardon me for not getting this, but aren't those the same thing?
Doesn't one include the other?
Or did he mean Protestant?

Later

[Benjamin Grimm]

Maybe his new faith doesn't consider Catholics to be true Christians.

[MFS62]

Yancy Street Gang wrote: Maybe his new faith doesn't consider Catholics to be true Christians.

Yancy,
Y'think this might be a good time to spin this off to the non-baseball page?
Or have you had that discussion there before I joined the CPF?
Or, did you declare the discussion of religion (you should excuse the expression) taboo?
Your call.

Later

[Benjamin Grimm]

I don't think this has been enough of a tangent to warrant a spin off yet; we'll have to see how (and if) it develops.

And no, as far as I'm aware, discussion of religion hasn't been declared off limits. (Religion, like just about everything else, has popped up throughout the forum from time to time.)

[metirish]

All this talk of religion is for the Byrds.

[Guest Edgy DC]

The latter is supposed to include the other, when you take statistics. But in American religious circles, "Christian" can connote not just the broad family of Christian churches, but also specifically connotes evangelical Protestantism, with roots in Baptist and non-denominational churches. Not really fair, but there you have it.

[Vic Sage]

they should include "jews for jesus", too... cuz these folks have seriously missed the point.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

I interpret Byrd's remarks regarding when he became a christian to mean that point in his life when he firmly embraced his faith in such a way that it shaped and changed his life from that time forward. It doesn't mean that a Catholic is not christian, just that at the time he was attending parochial school and mass he hadn't fully accepted his faith yet into his life.


edited to insert italicised print.

[DocTee]

Byrd apparently purchased $25 worth of HGH. Hypocrite

]Religion can go over into every area, like whether I should cheat out on the field. I write about the desire to just make money at any cost. I share about my temptation to spit on the ball, put KY jelly on it or scuff it, to win more games and make more money. That's a big temptation for me, being a guy who throws 82, who relies on movement. You have a pull, because you have a certain window up here that stares you in the face. Are you willing to take steroids? Because that's available. People viewed that as me being weak. Like, "This guy doesn't want to win."

[Guest OlerudOwned]

http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2007/10/21/update-byrd-says-hgh-was-on-the-level/

Byrd very open about his use of HGH, saying it's been doctor-monitored and used to treat a lifelong hormone imbalance.

[Valadius]

Paul Byrd has a tumor on his pituitary gland. That's why he was prescribed HGH. I believe him 100%.

[metirish]

Valadius wrote: Paul Byrd has a tumor on his pituitary gland. That's why he was prescribed HGH. I believe him 100%.

I don't.

[DocTee]

Do dentists ordinarily prescribe HGH?

[Guest Edgy DC]

In a surprise turnabout, the focus has shifted from Byrd to Mitchell.

Mitchell denies leaking HGH information on Indians' Byrd before Game 7 of ALCS

By TOM WITHERS, AP Sports Writer

October 22, 2007

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Baseball investigator George Mitchell, also a director for the AL champion Boston Red Sox, denied Monday providing information for a story that Cleveland Indians pitcher Paul Byrd used human growth hormone.

Before Game 7 on Sunday, Byrd acknowledged using HGH after the San Francisco Chronicle reported he spent nearly $25,000 on the drug and syringes from 2002-05 -- before HGH was banned by Major League Baseball.

The Indians lost 12-2 to the Red Sox, who broke open a 5-2 game with six runs in the eighth inning and advanced to the World Series for the second time in four years. Boston will host Game 1 against the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday night.

Mitchell said his office was contacted by people accusing him of leaking information on Byrd to the media. The former Senate Majority Leader released a statement from his New York office to "correct that mistaken impression."

"Neither I nor any member of my investigative staff had anything whatsoever to do with the publication of the allegations about Mr. Byrd," the statement said. "We had no prior knowledge of those allegations, and we first learned of them, along with the rest of the public, through news accounts.

"Any information obtained in my investigation will not be made public until the report is released in the near future."

Mitchell has spent 1 1/2 years investigating the use of performance-enhancing drugs like HGH in baseball and is expected to issue a report on his findings in November or December.

Byrd admitted to injecting HGH in the past, but says he has only done so under a doctor's supervision. According to the paper, the 36-year-old, who won two games in the postseason, bought HGH from an anti-aging clinic in Florida currently under federal investigation for illegally selling performance-enhancing drugs.

During a news conference outside Cleveland's clubhouse two hours before Game 7, Byrd said he has a pituitary tumor but would not confirm when he began using HGH or if he is still taking it.

Baseball banned the performance-enhancing drug in 2005, but does not test for it.

Byrd claims he has been working with major league baseball, a fact he said "shows I haven't tried to do anything behind anybody's back." He did not elaborate on how he is working with MLB.

Baseball officials said they were unaware of Byrd's use of HGH and planned to meet with the right-hander. If the Indians had advanced, the meeting likely would have taken place before the start of the World Series.

"Obviously, it's less pressing. He will be done in the very near future," said Rob Manfred, MLB's executive vice president for labor relations.

Byrd would need a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) to use any drug on baseball's banned list. However, MLB spokesman Pat Courtney said Sunday night in Boston that no player has ever been granted an exemption for HGH.

Byrd said he was disappointed by the timing of the Chronicle's report. He was concerned about it being a distraction for the Indians, who held a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven ALCS before losing three straight.

Byrd apologized to his teammates and met with them individually before Game 7.

"Byrdman told us," starter Jake Westbrook said. "I didn't think it was a distraction. We know Paul and we know what the situation was and we know everything's going to be fine with that."

Byrd was not at Jacobs Field on Monday as Indians players cleaned out their lockers for the offseason.

His agent, Bo McKinnis, did not immediately return a phone message or e-mail.

[metsmarathon]

Baseball investigator George Mitchell wrote: Neither I nor any member of my investigative staff had anything whatsoever to do with the publication of the allegations about Mr. Byrd... We had no prior knowledge of those allegations, and we first learned of them, along with the rest of the public, through news accounts.

this doesn't inspire confidence in that they have done a thorough job in their invesitgation, does it.

[nymr83]

my confidence level in any investigation led by George Mitchell wasn't very high to begin with.

[Valadius]

]Report: Guillen bought steroids, HGH from Florida clinic November 6, 2007 SAN FRANCISCO (TICKER) -- Seattle Mariners outfielder Jose Guillen was one of three players who bought steroids and human growth hormone from the Palm Beach Rejuvenation Center in Florida, according to a report Tuesday on the San Francisco Chronicle's web site. According to the newspaper, Guillen bought thousands of dollars worth of steroids and HGH while playing for the Oakland Athletics in 2003, having the drugs shipped to the Oakland Coliseum. The report also named a pair of retired players, third baseman Matt Williams and pitcher Ismael Valdez, as having purchased drugs from the clinic. According to the newspaper, Guillen, an 11-year veteran in the majors, bought more than $19,000 worth of drugs between May 2002 and June 2005. Neither Guillen nor his agent responded to the claim. Williams, who played 10 years for the San Francisco Giants, reportedly bought $11,600 worth of HGH while playing for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2002. Williams told the Chronicle he used HGH on the advice of a doctor following an ankle injury. Valdez, a journeyman pitcher, bought $11,300 worth of drugs in 2002 following his trade from Texas to Seattle, according to the report. The newspaper also reported that some of the prescriptions used by the players were written by the same disgraced dentist who wrote prescriptions for Cleveland Indians pitcher Paul Byrd, who bought almost $25,000 worth of drugs from the clinic. Byrd has admitted using the substances, which he says were to treat a hormone deficiency. Guillen, 31, is a career .267 hitter with 166 home runs. He batted .290 with 23 home runs and 99 RBI this past season. The Palm Beach Rejuvenation Center was one of a number of clinics targeted by the Albany District Attorney's office as part of an investigation into the illegal sales of drugs.

[smg58]

I wonder how this will affect his market value.

[MFS62]

I've hated that fat bald fucker Williams for about 20 years.
He was originally drafted by the Mets, but chose to go back to school because he said he didn't want to play in New York.
And no matter where he played after that, he always had New York on his list of "no trade to" cities.

I hope those steroids have made his gonads shrivel and fall off by now.

Later

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

]He was originally drafted by the Mets, but chose to go back to school because he said he didn't want to play in New York.

This is such hogwash.

He didn't go back to school, he enrolled in college. And by doing so he got a free education and turned himself from a 27th round pick to a 1st round pick, with all that implies financially. I promise you his alleged dislike of New York had absolutely nothing to do with why he neglected to sign with the Mets.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I'll also add that anybody who claims that he took any more than a passing note of a 27th-round draft choice in 1983 not signing, but took an active animus toward him, isn't being altogether honest. You're not saying this, are you?

[Guest Edgy DC]

Here's a new excuse I saw today on the wire:

DRUGS

Brazilian soccer star Romario attributed his failed drug test to a substance found in anti-balding medication. The 41-year-old striker for Vasco da Gama said he tested positive for the banned substance finasteride in October. He said he had been using the drug to prevent hair loss. The drug is banned by the World Anti-Doping Code because it can mask the use of anabolic steroids.

This may be Matt Williams' loophole.