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NEWSMAKER: RAFAEL PALMEIROSteroids
cast spectre on Palmeiro's career
CBC Sports Online | Aug. 2, 2005
Rafael Palmeiro tested positive for stanozolol,
according to a report. (AP Photo) |
Quietly, Rafael Palmeiro built himself a hall-of-fame calibre baseball career. But with him now mired in drug-related controversy, who knows if he'll ever reach Cooperstown?
For the better part of two decades, managers have penciled Palmeiro's
name into their lineups and been confident, more often than not, the
slugger would deliver.
Palmeiro's smooth, graceful swing has produced blistering line drives
and towering home runs. His quick reflexes and soft hands at first
base have been a comfort to his pitchers.
It wasn't uncommon to see Palmeiro's name among baseball's leaders in homers, batting average and runs batted in. During the 1990s, he put together MVP-quality campaigns for both the Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers.
Still, no one seemed to notice.
RELATED
MLB suspends Palmeiro for 10 days
Baseball under the microscope
The only real mark Palmeiro made beyond the realm of hardcore baseball fans came in the form of a Viagra commercial. The then thirty-something Cuban slugger – known for his durability and staying power – raised eyebrows when he became one of the first athletes to publicly proclaim he used the impotency drug.
"He's kinda kept a very stealth profile," said the game's best player, Alex Rodriguez, who played with Palmeiro on the Rangers.
"[His teammates and opponents] all know how great he is. I do think the media and fans have overlooked him."
Finally last month, Palmeiro was accorded the praise Rodriguez feels he is rightly owed. Fans, media and peers all applauded when Palmeiro earned himself a spot in baseball's record book, stroking his 3,000th hit, a plateau reached by only a handful of the game's most consistent hitters. He already had hit more than 500 homers, putting him in the hyper-exclusive company of Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Eddie Murray.
But no sooner had Palmeiro emerged from the shadows into the spotlight that the spectre of drugs and steroids cast a pall on his impressive career.
On Aug 1, baseball banned Palmeiro for 10 days for failing a drug test. Palmeiro says he doesn't know how the drugs got into his system, suggesting he accidentally ingested it.
But according to reports, Palmeiro tested positive for stanozolol,
a powerful anabolic steroid not available in dietary supplements.
Stanozolol is the same drug disgraced Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson
tested positive for.
It isn't the first time Palmeiro has faced suspicions of drug use.
Former slugger Jose Canseco claimed that he injected Palmeiro with steroids when the two were teammates with the Rangers in 1992.
Palmeiro denied that allegation, and then went before a testy U.S. Congress - then in the midst of a massive drugs-in-sport investigation - to proclaim he "never used steroids. Period."
Five months later, Palmeiro denied lying to Congress.
"Why would I do this in a year when I went in front of Congress and I testified and I told the truth?" he said Monday.
"Why would I do this during a season where I was going to get to 3,000 hits?"
Only Palmeiro can answer that one. But there's another outstanding question whose answer is out of the slugger's hands: will the drug scandal derail Palmeiro's chances of making baseball's Hall of Fame?
Days after the drug revelations, many of the sport's writers –
the people who vote players in to the Hall – scolded Palmeiro.
Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Jim Salisbury said Palmeiro's achievements aren't "worth a puddle of tobacco spit."
The Baltimore Sun's John Eisenberg believes the failed drug test could knock Palmeiro out of the running for the Hall.
"Now voters will remember him for being the game's most accomplished certifiable juicer," he wrote.
Tom Verducci, a writer for Sports Illustrated, also says he'd have reservations about voting Palmeiro into the baseball shrine.
"I'm not sure yet if I'd ever vote for him," he said in CNNSI.com.
"I am troubled by the idea of giving him a free pass when he is a
confirmed steroid user."
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Born:
September 24, 1964 in Havana, Cuba
Coming to America:
Fled from Cuba to the United States as a child with his parents Jose and Maria.
Grew up in a working-class neighbourhood in Miami. Learned to play baseball at Roberto Clemente Park.
School before ball:
Was an eighth-round draft pick of the Mets in 1982, but at his father's insistence he turned down New York's offer and went to Mississippi State University.
Going to the bigs:
The Cubs took Palmeiro 22nd overall in 1985. He spent three seasons in Chicago before being shipped to the Texas Rangers.
Making it big in Texas:
He spent five years in Texas, emerging as one of the game's most accomplished hitters. He spent 10 of the next 17 years with the Rangers. He also had some very productive seasons as a member of the Baltimore Orioles.
Ticket to Cooperstown?:
On May 11, 2003, Palmeiro became the 19th player in the history of baseball hit his 500th home runs.
On July 15, Palmeiro hit the 3,000th hit of his major-league career. Only Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Eddie Murray have amassed both 3,000 hits and 500 homers in a career.
Caught:
Palmeiro tests positive steroids, reportedly for stanozolol. It's the same drug
disgraced Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson was caught using at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
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