Steroid testing flaws

[JTWood]

And I was violated."

[Red Stripe]

I don't think steroids stay in your system for 2 whole years if you've only taken them once.

[Sultans of Squat]

18 months according to this random internet site (we all believe those don't we? )

http://www.steroidtips.com/detection.htm

Well, that site provides plenty of hints to your previous questions then. And 18 months for the exact steroid mentioned seems to fit Morse's story -- he took Deca circa 11-12/03 and was tested positive for very low level in 5/05.

I believe Morse too although I'm not sure about feeling too sorry for him since this counts only as a 1st offense in the MLB for a measly 10-game suspension. The fact that his story is getting heard and believed should be enough to offset the injustice of getting penalized 3x. It's not like the Mariners are looking to dump him now either.

But yeah, the system definitely needs some work. But seems to me that until they can perfect the testing and make it fairly bullet-proof, it's better to err on the side of caution me thinks. Perhaps, this is part of the reason for the relatively light 10-game suspension on 1st offense as well as keeping things undisclosed until after the appeal is heard and ruled.

RE: the issue w/ the lag between test and suspension, this was probably specific to this case. From what I recall, not all cases get their appeals heard -- some just get rejected immediately probably depending on the claims being made by the player. In Morse's case, they probably felt it warranted more careful consideration and maybe also needed to come up w/ a solid statement on where the MLB stands on such cases. Afterall, cases like this can easily set precedents for the future besides whatever other issues involved. Yeah, it's all annoying/frustrating, but what can you do when things are so complicated and flawed? The busines of lawmaking (and enforcement) is no simple task afterall, and that's basically what this stuff boils down to.

[SuptownSpartans34]

I like his honesty, but don't know whether to believe him or not.

I think that he is so straight forward and not B.S.ing because he still has his entire career in head of him. Raffy and the other guys are probably lying and trying to talk there way out. Morse still has to prove he can hit with out steroids. It could be another Giambi-like case, where he comes back and really helps his team the next year and beyond.

[RC]

I have a few problems with this story.
First off, it is my understanding that steroids do not stay in your system for 2 years, but that is beside the point ..

Nandralone (Deca Durabolin) stays in your system for up to two years. It has a high half life, so it's elimination from the blood is extremely slow.

Because it's Nor-Testosterone, it's easily detected. But a lot of atheletes have known to either stay away from it or make sure you're using a reliable masking agent (which I have no idea if one exists) so anytime an athlete has tested positive for it in the past, you need to consider how much is there and whether or not it's actually an amount that will enhance performance.

It's actually a very common situation to be in, so there's really no reason to think he's lying. In fact, I've said before that this is the major flaw in most drug testing policies, especially MLB's.

Knowing exactly what the player tested for and the level of the agent in their blood would go a long way to understanding whether or not they were actually on steroids or not.[/img]

[Apollo]

wrveres: I believe it took so long for all this tom come out (May till now) because they sent it to an arbitrator due to the unusual circumstances around it. It's my understanding that this isn't typical procedure.