Back 12 years ago when we almost killed the game, the issue of testing came up at a player representatives meeting and when I stood up and asked for better testing throughout Major League Baseball, I was shot down by many other player reps. They spoke of privacy issues and many other stupid reasons for not testing.
Well look at the sport now. People doubting the records, Fans doubting the players, and everyone making excuses.
Thank God for Jose Canseco. And no, I don't think ratting out players was right, but what if he didn't get the ball rolling, where would we be? Who the hell cares how long some #### player gets suspended when the entire sport looks bad.
Enough is enough.
Start testing everyone across the board with the most extensive program you all can find. I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to stick to my guns, but hopefully the majority of the players will stand up and take back their union and get honesty back in the game. If heads have to roll to get what you want, then stop protecting the minority of players who don't care what happens to the future of the game.
i think you are right on with that.whatever happened to "nobody is bigger than the game".if it is proven that a player and this means any player broke not only the rules but the law,than they should face the penalties that go with their actions.in the world outside of sports if you commit a felony your employer would fire you immediately.baseball has lost the right to police itself based what the last year has shown.
Finally someone got it right. Rob you should have stood your ground, but would it have done any good? That union has so much power I doubt it very seriously. Mike schmidt said Pete Rose isn't in the hall because what he did brought discredit upon the game. That is pretty funny considering what is going on now. I don't think anyone discredits what he did when he was between the lines! This whole generation of players has brought discredit upon the game and every stat that goes with it. I know betting is wrongg for a manager and I know why, but is it worse than cheating at the game. These guys should get lifetime bans for cheating.
If heads have to roll to get what you want, then stop protecting the minority of players who don't care what happens to the future of the game.
If you're too busy protecting the future of the game, you're ruining what is the present (or the recent past and the immediate future according to George Carlin) game.
It's the purists (not just related to baseball) that are ruining the game. In their effort and selfish need to return to the 1920's of baseball, they're wrongfully outlawing steroids and labeling them as performance enhancers; everything is a performance enhancer.
Is there any record of you standing up at that meeting? I have a hard time believing Rob Dibble was the one to put the game's "best interest" at heart.
Pro players of all sports are a small percentage of our population let them kill themselves. I want to see great action. If a few get hurt then it is not the problem of the fans.
A huge scale testing system would be very interesting, and could probably help. I want to touch on Ultra saying to leaglize steroids. I don't think many people would want to see a bunch of guys who look like bodybuilders controlling baseball. Realisticly, in all sports, everyone trys to get ahead. Many of the supplements that players take aren't illeagal, but they give an unfair edge. What ever happened to eating right and lots of practice and hard work? I think that these protein shakes, and vitamin supplements are just as pointless as steroids. I think, either ban them all, or ban nothing.
That's exactly it Rob, the reason knowone stood up is because they were protecting the majority! It would seem reasonable to think that if you werent taking steroids and someone at your position was, and their stats were so much more superior to yours because of it, you would either be losing alot of money or potentially pushed out of the game altogether. So if their really was a "majority" not taking steroids then why wouldnt they have stood up and stopped this nonsense? It doesn't make sense.
Another blow to America's favorite pastime. It's a shame that the owners,players and without a doubt Bud "No Clue" Selig let this get out of hand.
Is baseball the only sport with steriods problems? No, there is no way the NFL can be clean of steriods with all those massive guys playing with injuries that would sidelined any real human being.
In fact years past when Sammy Sosa was challenged by a writer to administer the steriod test Sammy's response was that he would if the Union would let him. Right there is where the problem exist since when is it that the Union bosses the players to do what they want,it's the other way around the players pay the Union therefore Donald Fehr & company should oblige to the players not the other way around.
Only way to finally get rid of cheaters is to adminstered tough drug tests like the Olympics if you get caught banned not for 50 games but for a year with stricter penalties after that.
Now all those that bashed Jose Canseco must be cringing because in Jason Grimsley a well liked guy by him getting caught and naming names no one can now say that Jose Canseco was exaggerating about the rampant use of steriods in every club.
Maybe Dibble should get back in the game and make the same stand he is making now. I agree with the points made, but it is very easy to make these comments on the outside looking in.
I would have thought you might have been one of the users of performance enhancing stuff. A hard throwing reliever with a nasty temper? Steroids speed recovery and it is why they are used...A guy who pitches everyday and hard...might be a candidate for su####ion! A guy who had a FIGHT with manager is also a candidate for su####ion! You know the steroid/temper thing! Anyway if you were not I give you credit. If you are just following other users lead with denials and are actually talking smack about the guys who got caught...Shame on you and I hope you get nailed! Theres no choice but to give you a benifit of the doubt, but be careful if you used...The storys kind of opening up now and you never know who is going to talk do you? You seem to have a nice career going here and you do not want to blow it by getting nabbed being a fool now do you? Anyway, til otherwise proven, you are innocent, but If so much as a whisper or a rumor comes out about you...I convict you, much like you do to everyone else that has had stories told about them! Have a great day and keep up the good work!
can't blame yourself for all of this dibs. maybe you should have stood up more and not been shouted down, but how much of a difference would it have made? you didn't make palmiero take the 'roids, nor did you force anyone to put anything into their system. this is about personal accountability. btw, as a lifelong cincinnati resident, you absolutely kick arse
Mr Dibble, heres some links about you! Qouting you, It seems earlier you did not think Steroids were so bad huh?
http://firejoemorgan.blogspot.c om/2005/08/dibs-for
-us-senate.html
http://blogs.foxsports.com/Dibb le/2006/02/27/Stop_
the_hating
Have you now decided congress was right to fix Baseball? Are you now saying that steroid use is a problem after dismissing it as less then important in earlier columns? I think thats hypocritical. I would NOT be surprised if you did use as a player now! You have shown yourself to be hypocritical. Maybe it was your fault,,,maybe you used them too!
I am a true fan of the gane. I played baseball through college and know that steroids are being used. I never used myself but felt the pressure. You can say what you want now because your not playing.Why is it with all your talent that you are not involved in MLB somehow? scared? I can see you as a "roid" user in the day.
You consistantly were a poor sport through your career and in my opinion were no "role model" for anyone with your antics. You should just do BDSSP and be happy you have a job.
Right on Rob. The "system" needs to be cleaned up so the sport is clean for our kids and grandkids; so they can look up to something that isn't drug or sex related.
I can't say that I'm surprized at the Grimsley situation. Without any real comprehensive testing (including blood testing) ongoing, some players are going to seek the "competative edge" however they can. While management and players are at fault, the union needs to get their collective head out of their #### and finally agree that the if the game is to survive and thrive a total testing program needs to finally be implemented.
It amazes me that the players who are clean don't back Fehr against a wall and put a choke hold on him to "do the right thing" to salvage some semblance of integrity.
Sure I know that it's a business and it's all about money but as each of these revelations surfaces, the "golden goose" is exposed to more "chemical poisoning' and sooner or later will expire.
Hey baseball (all affected parties) instead of playing with a ball, get some balls and cleanup your mess once and for all.
Well Rob, i'm sorry you have to be the first one to accept responsibility for the many failures of others. Baseball is no different than the rest of our society. The few have always affected the many in our recent history. Maybe the few who caused this should be the ones saying SORRY. At least you have the class to say something, and that goes a long way with me. Thanks Rob, for being a Man, and not a coward like those that hide behind privledge and the 5th amendment.
Taking a stand for what you believed in was important. It showed that not all people associated with baseball condoned this type of behavior. Beseball has lost focus on who they should be protecting in the game. Players like: Maddux, Ichiro, Jeter, ect... should be the ones that are protected from the users. Protect the guys that are gaining an edge on others through hard work on and off the feild. Taking HGH or other performance enhancement drugs is a sign of laziness. Lets stop protecting these players that are lazy and look towards the players that are pure and hard working. The argument is that it cannot help you hit a ball any better. True, but think about how an increase in bat speed could help a player that can drive to the warning track consistantly with very few home runs into someone that can now mash the ball 10 to 20 rows deep. MLB needs help before all of the Bond's of baseball ruin it.
Look at the Olympics, World Cup soccer or the Tour de France. Massive doping---we even have new blood doping and steroid scandal out of Spain this week. Hundreds of atheltes in multiple sports. The US media is really on top of that story.
The Tour de France is in deep commercial trouble if all the top ponies are embarassed by the Spanish National Guard. (a real possiblity)
Most drugs remain wholly undectable (hGH, eGH, EPO, blood transfusions, asthma meds with TUE, cortisone with TUE, Interlukins, IGF-1, Insulin/glucose IV feeds, gamed testosterone/clomid/hCG T/E ratios, research drugs, designer drugs and other Polypharma protocols)
Your advocacy for testing is pure public relations.
MLB is full of cheaters, the players, owners, coaches, managers and advertisers/underwriters.
You are keenly aware of this.
Your column is self serving. Your career income goes the way of all pro sport---via deception and clever marketing.
Don Fehr is absolutely the wrong thing that has happened to baseball since the 1919 scandals.There is a village near here that lost their ####, and Fehr would be a perfect person to fill this vacant position, that is, if he could pass the IQ test. We must have testing for HGH and have it now
Your right Rob, there are fans out there who are doubting the record books. I don't care how far Barry Bonds moves up the list, he will never be the true HR King. We can go ahead and get rid of Raffy's 569 and Sosa's 588 and as much as it pains me because I was always a fan but go ahead and 86 McGwire's 583 with these hr totals out of the way maybe some honor can be restored to the all time list. What people love about baseball is not only the competition and the passion or even the stupid bonehead bloopers shows are stats, and when you cheat the stats what do you have ? Alot of fans who turn there back on the game and never look back.
STOP THE INSANITY!!Another pitcher caught with performance enhancing drugs. Big deal!!If juiced(wheater roids or HGH)pitchers are facing juiced batters,; DOES ANYONE REALLY HAVE AN ADVANTAGE?
Look at the list of the 100 players or so caught in baseball so far. How many names besides Rafael Palmeiro do you recognize?Most of them hardly would be confused for bodybuilders.
I don't want to hear well they did work for B.Bonds.Did they work for Ozzie Canseco who is just as built as Jose Canseco or B. Bonds?It is just not a simple matter of juiced players automatically having an edge.
I don't want to hear about the dangers of this drugs. As a physician who(besides using instead of abusing them)has read all scientific and underground literature the evidence is really dubious at best.
I don't want to hear about criminal investigations,politician opinions and words like wire tapping when watching sports news. STOP THE INSANITY!!
Dibs....While I appreciate your take on the current disaster with performance enhancing drug testing in MLB, I can only wonder why you are making these statements now. In past columns you have written, your stance seemed to be a bit different. It seemed you wanted to forget about the steroid issue and celebrate the accomplishments of the players in question. I agree with the immediate testing statement, but how would you administer the tests? To date there is no way to detect HGH through a urine specimen, and the players union will undoubtedly drag it's feet in relenting to blood tests. As I'm writing this, somewhere...in some little lab...some coke bottle glasses wearing, pencil necked geek, is designing another substance to get around detection.
The recent Jason Grimsley revelation will probably uncover even more players involved in the use of performance enhancers. Other than another tidbit of sports media gossip, it will serve no purpose. The truth is that the baseball fans are seperated by the purists who would crucify the cheaters, and the modern era fan who want to see their favorite players and teams excel at any cost. When you get down to the nuts and bolts of it all....If we've established that the use of any substance that enhances performance is against the rules then there has to be a way of testing, and there has to be consequences for the abuse of the rule. The criminal matter of it is obvious. Steroids are illegal....end of story. The fact that MLB has shown extreme neglect in successfully adopting a no tollerance administration makes them look jus
AMERICAS FAVORITE PASTTIME! NOT SINCE 20'S,30'S,40'S 50'S,60'S,70'S. BASEBALL IS A JOKE JUST LIKE THE @SSCLOWN IN OFFICE(MLB OFFICE TOO) AND THE PLAYERS UNION. WHEN WILL THE FANS GET IT STOP GOING AND THEN THE MESSAGE WILL BE HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR !UNTILL THAT HAPPENS YOU WILL HAVE X-PLAYERS SAYING STEROIDS BAD.
WHEN ALL THE SO CALLED PURIST OF THE GAME GROW SOME BALLS (and that includs the Hall of Famers that already made it there)AND SAY HEY I WORK HARD TO MAKE BASEBALL AMERICAS PASTTIME. THEN JUST MAYBE JUST MAYBE IT WOULD GET SOME DIGNITY BACK.
AMERICAS FAVORITE PASTTIME. I THINK NOT!!
I couldn't agree with you more Ron. Hind Sight is 20/20 so who would have known. But what did you know then that would help now. I didn't see any mention of that in your article. Hmm. Oversight? Or just good talking. Please! You complimented Jose Canseco but can you come up to the plate and risk it all like Jose. That is your character building question from me.
I am Tired of hearing about "not ratting out" other people. That is an organized crime mentality that the general public and sports figures have taken on. The youth of today think that way, which is so damaging to their own success. " I'll give up everything i have, but I'm not a RATT!!!". What happened to honesty and integrity. We as a society have become so fearful of repocussion that we lose sight of those virtues. But we are talking about people whose sole interests are Money and being the best. The "I'll do what ever it takes" mentality. What happened to peolpe playing sports for the enjoyment or true nature of competition?
Track and Field was once a great stage for such competition. Look at it now. No one wants to watch because they are all trying to cheat and beat the system.
Today the thinking is, " I got my #### kicked by billy ray over there but next year I'll get 'em because I'm gonna juice up..." No one wants to lose and now we will never have the pure, once in a lifetime atheletes that dominated a sport...people such as Jesse Owens, Sugar Ray Robinson, Bart Star, Sandy Koufax and especially bigger than life characters such as Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Maybe even a Pete Rose. Their accomplishments mean nothing because its all about the "here and now".
Personally I really don't care,most people cheat in someway shape or form anyway and not just in baseball. People don't care till someone gets caught,then the world coming to an end! At the rate people are getting caught in a few years no one will care and the media will stop hyping it up too defcon 5.
Really the only players that matter to me
are the original greats, Honus Wagner,Babe Ruth,Ty Cobb etc. Hell Ty Cobb was the first player ever inducted into the Hall of Fame and he is rarely even mentioned,ever! I find it pathetic that we hear about the use of steroid and HGH daily, but we hardly ever hear of the players that made the game great. Just of the ones ruining it. And by the way,Ty Cobb was the greatest baseball player ever,so Barry Bonds can retire today!
Yo Dibbs? Where do all these dumb #### people come from talking about seeing allot of action and allowing guys to be juiced up? Do they think its fair for one guy to be roided and not another? How about the records that were set when guys were clean? I feel that a guy like Barry Bonds is a great athlete and an awesome hitter like the game has never seen but he screwed himself. Not only is he selfishly destroying the game,but himself and any records he achieves. Test everyone and get the MLB reputation back on track or I wont spend a dime on anything to do with baseball ............oh.....except maybe a REDS hat! Thanx for the memorys..........................
Right on Mr. Dibble! Could not agree with ya more.
Don't mind socialists like Ultra and these other "anything should go policy" people. People like this think Nike MaxSight, Advil, Cortizone, and Anabolic Steroids are all on the same playing field and that they are all the same thing, hence the term Socialistic. They want all drugs no matter what legalized, no matter how hard or soft that drug is. What they lack is the foresight to say where such thoughts lead down the road. They don't see that by looking ahead they will change today forever. They have the now, now, now at any cost mentality. It will lead them nowhere in the end, socialism fails 99% of the time, but still people want it around for some reason.
It amazes me when I see people state that they don't care if the athletes are "juiced". My guess is that they rarely if ever played the game or were "juicers" themselves. I believe that most men watch the game and compare their own abilities to those of the athletes playing the game. It is a measure of where they stand in the pecking order. Steroids make it impossible to do that.
I'm not saying that the average guy can play professional sports but they have an idea of where they stand. Steroids throw the standards so far out of whack the the average fan can no longer relate to today's athletic accomplishments and as such lose interest. If you have nothing to hide..get tested!!!
Let's not be hypocrites. Owners pay players to preform, fans love to see home runs hit out of stadiums. Personally I think Barry Bonds is the greatest hitter ever, heel people do not even pitch to him because he has that good of command on the strike zone. Records are meant to be broken, if anything is wrong with baseball its the money these guys are being paid and the peditals they are placed on. If they are dumb enough to use a drug to hwlp there job at the risk of their health then so be it. Its only a game people. Let use money that is wasted on this debate for things such as health care for every american. Creating better jobs, I didn't vote my congressman in to wpend time worrying about how many frickin home runs Barry Bonds hits, get real. Another thing take the pro atheletes out of the olympics they get enough attention.
Should we strike the records from Doc Gooden who cannot get off Cocaine? How about Mike Schmidt who used "greenies" by his own admission? What about Perry who used vaseline? The problem I have is that all of these things are illegal, and yet Big Mac used a legal product, "andro", which is now banned. If you are going to be consistent, then fine. WIpe out all records including the amphetamine records of the 60-70's. Amphetamines were always illegal and give you energy to hit those HR's. Was Ripken's ironman string helped with "greenies"?
Even NASCAR does a better job of dealing with its drug users, just ask shane hmeil. He bascially got a lifetime ban. All this just makes you appriciate what the Hank Arrons, Mike Schimdts, and other power hitters of the past really did, bigger parks, better pitchers and naturally.
The sooner they realize that Selig iz no different than Ken Lay in this deal, the sooner the focus of guilt will shift from Bonds, Mcguire, Grimsley, etc....These guys merely did what the system allowed and, azza matter of fact, were forced into doing 'roids in order to compete..
This iz no different than Enron..The powers-that-be merely "looked the other way" in order to fatten their own coffers...It's about GREED...period.
"Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of the Game..." wuz traded for the dollar...I'll argue that with any sum#### on the Earth...Selig iz dead-#### guilty of "power abuse" by neglect and fattened his wallet in the process without any regard for the history of the game...I submit to you that he's a criminal and the fact that he's still runnin' the Show is laughable and actually it is insane to have allowed him to continue without any serious investigation into his part in this play...The Buck stops at the top...ask Lay..
You can't go ahead and wipe people like McGuire, Bonds, Palmeiro and others names from the books as baseball had no rules at the time banning steroids. The most you can do is wipe the portions after the rule was in place, and even then only if they test positive. Also Go Barry Bonds, he has never tested postive, so stop the hatin.
I agree with Rob Dibble, Baseball players thought that were above the law back in the 1990s. They figured if Steriods were not illegal in baseball even though it was against the law in America it must be alright. Follow the money thats all you have to do. The players simply wanted to become filty rich. Has anyone heard from Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, or Rafeal Palmiero lately?
I brought my niece to a Red-Tigers spring training game in 1994 and hollered at you when you came off the field. I got a great smile and a nod. My niece was very impressed with my knowledge of baseball and the Red at that time. Thanks for making me look so good. I really did enjoy your years in Cincinnati. We are all so straight laced that we didn't enjoy some of the nasty boys antics. flojo
Rob, though I agree with you in theory, there are some points that I would like to make. Yes, there should be testing of some sort, but it should come from negotiations between MLB and the Players Union. I've been a member of organized labor for over 30 years, and while it looks like the Union is solely protecting the bad apples, it is there to protect all the players, on all the issues.(Ex.guaranteed contracts, pensions, etc.)
Next, I can't believe you could support a RAT like Jose Conseco. The only reason that he came forward, was because his career was washed up, and all he was looking for was a big payday. That is the only reason that he came forward. It wasn't out of the kindness of his heart.
Lastly, the Players Union is based on solidarity amongst its members, and if it rolls over on every issue that comes out publicly, the next thing you know it will look like the NFLPA, which is one of the weakest unions I have ever seen. The NFL makes Billions of dollars, while its players are the least paid of all professional sports, with no guaranteed contracts, which the owners can reopen any time they want to, and there pension system for their retiree's stinks.
So, in conclusion, I agree something needs to be done, but the Players Union should have a voice in what course of action is taken. Thanks for your time.
I am just curious if all of this testing is because steroids are bad for you, or if it is just the image issue. Many other athletes in other sports use them without it being a real issue. It seems track and field is the only area that takes it seriously, and even they can't catch most users. It seems now that Barry Bonds who is percieved as a jerk broke a record that we need tougher rules and tests. How come no one thought of it when Mark McGuire was blasting balls to infinity?
A-men Rob. MLB might as well have two record books now. One for honest, hard working players. Another for the drug-assisted. A clean Barry Bond couldn't even carry Hank's nor Babe's bat.
I think there is a bigger problem than dishonest baseball players and tainted records. It's the same in all sports. What makes them better than any average "joe"? Why are they "above the law"? A professional athlete can take steriods, drugs, fight in the workplace, and do about anything they please (just short of killing anyone, except for one certain person) and their punishment is a fine, lost wages, or a "don't do it again" policy. While the rest of society are judged as criminals. All these things are breaking laws, remember?! Rob, I applaud you about stricter testing, but what about the crime! Most of these athletes (by our law's standards) should be behind bars. Our prisons are filled with those who have been put there by the same reasons these professional athlete's get fines for. Is this the new justice, truth and the American way?!
Here's how I see it. In the case of Barry Bonds, I think he's taking something. However, steroids will not help you hit the ball, just hit it further. I do believe that had he stayed "clean" we wouldn't be talking about him like we are now. Also, I think he stopped using because he is falling apart now. Look at him, he can barely run, but is staying in the game, I think, just to have a shot at the record.
I honestly believe that testing should include everyone, even if some of my favorite players have to be included. I just want everyone to play the way they did when they were 12, for the love of the game.
Rob, I agree with you that the testing should be strict. Don't worry about not standing up. Sometimes we are unable to stand up before the situation gets untenable. Go St. Thomas Tigers.
I have to add, I don't agree with the argument that since Steroids was not banned from baseball, that we should accept this. The use of Steroids without a prescripton is illegal. I am sure not all the players using steroids has prescriptions for them. I have one thing to ask you all who have this ridiculous argument. Is murder banned from baseball, and if it is I would like to see the rule.
Nick
Last edited by SirNikofNowhere on June 12th at 1:04 PM.
DIBS,
ONLY ONE PERSON TO BLAME. BUD SELIG. IN ANY OTHER BUSINESS, AND MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT, THIS IS A BUSINESS; THE CEO GETS HUNG..HE HAS LOST CONTROL OF THE LEAGUE. ACTUALLY HE LOST CONTROL OF IT YEARS AGO BUT THIS PROVES HE IS COMPLETELY INEPT. AS IF THE "ALL STAR GAME TIE" DIDN'T. HE NEEDS TO STEP DOWN, UNTIL HE DOES THE GAME WILL CONTINUE TO SWIRL DOWN THE TOILET..
My 8 year old plays in Mount Propect. He is learning the values of team. Playing th his abilities, AND the cheating is unacceptable...
Using Steroids is cheating RON!!!
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Dibs for U.S. Senate
This is a true story: I saw that Rob Dibble had written a new column for FoxSports.com, and I literally jammed my fingers trying to cut and paste it into this blog as fast as I could. I type this with my left index finger soaking in a plastic cup full of ice water:
When Congress wanted to hold hearings on steroids I was amazed. Don't we have bigger problems in this country? I had just been to Iraq six months earlier and found out there is a giant war going on. And when I was a player with the Cincinnati Reds, my teammates and I helped raise money for the homeless.
>>You didn't know there was a war in Iraq...until you went to Iraq? Were you headed there on a vacation? And what in the world does the second sentence have to do with the first?
Just examples of the far more pressing questions in this country than why does Rafael Palmeiro use steroids, or why did any of the eight out of the 1,200 major-league roster players get caught using a banned substance?
>>I used a computer to decipher the grammatical structure of this sentence, and can officially report: it is dumb. At the time Congress intervened, Palmeiro hadn't tested positive, nor had most of the eight players he references. (I'm kind of making his point for him, but oh well.)
Rob Dibble was named a full-time co-host of BEST DAMN SPORTS SHOW PERIOD in April 2005. The outspoken, all-star reliever is a perfect fit for the most irreverent sports show on television.
Dibble, who is best known as one of the Reds' hard throwing "Nasty Boys," along with Norm Charlton and Randy Myers, won a World Series with the Reds in 1990.
