In November of 2005 Major League Baseball released the third version of its supposedly revolutionary drug-ban.  It was noteworthy for two reasons: first it increased penalties for steroid use (a first offense meant 50 games, something we are all too familiar with around these parts) and second it announced that MLB would begin testing for amphetamines.

To outside observers this didn’t mean much – why wouldn’t they test for a performance-enhancing stimulant? – but within MLB it caused quite a stir. Amphetamines, most commonly referred to as “greenies,” had been around the game longer nearly every current major leaguer has been alive. The beans would often sit out in the clubhouse and players would casually pop them as a way to focus in after a night out. They were to ballplayers what a cup of coffee is to office workers. Playing without their high had a name: players called it “playing naked.”

When they were banned there was widespread concern about what it would mean for baseball. Players had become so dependent on the stuff that veteran coaches began seriously pleading for an increase in roster size to help counter the effects of taking away the players’ crutch. Well, roster sizes remained the same but it appears that players have found another loophole: prescription greenies. According to the Daily News Wire Service Reports nearly 8 percent of Major League Players were granted ADHD exceptions last year, legally allowing greenie-like substances.

Naturally, this has raised some eyebrows.

“This is incredible. This is quite spectacular. There seems to be an epidemic of ADD in major league baseball,” said Dr. Gary Wadler, chairman of the committee that determines the banned-substances list for the World Anti-Doping Agency.

He recommended an independent panel be established – WADA recommends at least three doctors – to review TUE requests in what he termed “a sport that grew up on greenies.”

“I’ve been in private practice for a lot of years. I can count on one hand the number of individuals that have ADD,” he said. “To say that [7.86 percent] of major league baseball players have attention deficit disorder is crying out of an explanation. It is to me as an internist so off the map of my own experience.”

Baseball has responses – their players are young, male, and have fantastic medical coverage – three things that all would skew the percentages away from the general population – but none the excuses sound terribly true.

I know there should be an outrage, but truth be told I’m not terribly offended. I remember back in school I knew dozens of
people who would pull the same trick in order to cram in more intense
study sessions. I didn’t touch the stuff, and despite being in several competitive courses I never felt like I was at a strategic disadvantage. Maybe they would have a slight edge the hour before an exam, but I knew how to budget my time and could work without them. I could be being naive, but I kinda think of baseball like that too. Steroids change your body and should be illegal or universally accepted, but uppers just change your focus. They seem to be a decision as opposed to a means of cheating. Some guys use light bats and some guys prefer heavier ones and both have their advantages. Same thing with uppers. There are plenty of pressure situations where I’d rather be calm than hyper-attentive, especially if I’m good.

That said, in practice, the argument I’m making is for a change is kind, not scale.  If greenies are illegal, the loophole should be fixed. I expect it will be, and that players will quickly find another one.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 12th, 2009 at 11:55 am and is filed under baseball, cheaters. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.