Last week as we all know Manny Ramirez tested positive for a banned substance on the MLB drug list. The substance was deemed to be a testosterone booster which could easily be linked back to a performance enhancer as it would most commonly be used by a male coming off a cycle. For this clear breaking of MLB policy, Manny Ramirez has been suspended for 50 games or roughly 1/3 of the season.The man in the image to the right is Richard Gasquet. He's a french tennis player who recently tested positive for Cocaine use. Gasquet is appealing these charges and states that he's an innocent man. If the appeal fails Gasquet could be suspended from the tour for 2 YEARS. 2 full years. See the discrepency there?
I'm far from advocating Cocaine use, but we can certainly categorize it as a drug not used as a performance enhancer, correct? I doubt Gasquet was in the locker room blowing lines before his match at the Australian Open. Yet, his positive test could cost him 2 years of his life, in a sport where the shelf life of an athlete is almost complete at the age of 25. Meanwhile, a player in the MLB can get caught injecting steroids in their ass and miss two months.
If Major League Baseball really wants to have their players stop taking steroids, its time to put forth a penalty which matches the crime. Missing out on two months of the season, coupled with the slap in the face from public perception isn't nearly harsh enough for the crime committed. Now if your throw the suspension up to two full seasons, let's see what potential Hall of Famer risks the entire tail end of his career for the extra boost. I'm willing to bet it would be far fewer than those who are likely currently on the juice.
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