Helton On The Juice?
My friend Dave in San Diego left me a comment on an entry I wrote about Anna Benson. In his comments, he mentions Todd Helton's current stomach ailment. He draws comparison to the intestinal parasite that plagued Jason Giambi a few years ago, and questions if possibly it's related to the use of steroids or HGH, as many people thought Giambi's problem was related to steroid use. Interesting. Dave wanted to go on record as suggesting Helton could have used something. Now, there's no merit to this, it's pure speculation. So, if it comes out that Helton once used 'roids or HGH, you heard it here first, through my buddy Dave. Personally, I don't think Helton is guilty of anything.
Now, I have always thought of Helton as one of baseball's good guys, and I still do. Do I think he's used performance-enhancing drugs? No, absolutely not. Taking into account the current state of MLB, I can't rule it out. MLB doesn't test for HGH so who really knows? It's possible that HGH is being used by everyone. Who knows? MLB needs to find a way to test for it. If a blood test is the only way, they need to find a way to get it done. Until they do, everyone could be considered a suspected user. There's no way to prove they're not.
Helton has always put up great numbers. But now, since my friend Dave mentioned the possibility, I can't help but wonder if he had "help." Arielle over at Dispatches From Red Sox Teen Nation recently blogged about the subject and raised some good points. Anytime a guy does something great or plays better than he did in the past, Chris Shelton for example, questions of 'roid use begin to pop up. It's obvious that people are still using. Maybe not at the major league level, but 10 guys have already been nabbed in the minors. It's still out there. We all know it.
I really hope that the "steroid era" dies soon. I'm kind of sick of the subject. Someone is calling out Todd Helton for crying out loud. He's one of the good guys, right? Who's next? Pujols? Jeter? When Bonds retires, it'll be interesting to see if the media and the public lose focus of steroid use in MLB, or if it'll be something that still lingers around until we see the likes of Giambi and Sheffield leave the game. Thankfully, we've already seen McGwire, Sosa, and Palmeiro leave. Bonds doesn't appear to be too far behind. Are we turing a corner? I hope so.
And as far as I'm concerned, and I know many of you share this opinion, 61 is still the record.
J
Just so everyone knows, what Helton has been diagnosed with (acute terminal ileitis) is Crohn's disease, an iflammtion in the small intestine that can be exacerbated by stressors, food, and many other stimuli. As a 16 year veteran of GI tract inflammation, I feel Helton's pain. (No pun intended).
Crohn's is not caused by steroids. At all. So you can shoot down that buddy of yours.
And I feel slightly famous. Yes, 61 still is the record.
http://catchingredsox.mlblogs.com/
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I'm a Red Sox fan and even I think 61 is still the record.
And if they ever prove Jeter was on steroids, I would cry. And it wouldn't be from happiness.
There are very few players who I would say "no way, never", but Jeter is on that list.
Arielle, I hadn't heard that about Helton. I know a few people with Crohn's...it's quite painful and has all different kinds of physical ramifications. Poor guy.
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Thanks Arielle for debunking his theory. I hadn't had the chance to dig into what acute terminal ileitis is or what causes it.
I'm glad to know that because I've always like Helton. Hopefully, he bounces back from it and can ahve a long career b/c he has a lot to offer the game.
I think a lot of people would cry if it were ever proven that Jeter used steroids. Myself included. I'd be crushed.
Thanks guys for the contributions.
J
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Crohn's or not- His power numbers were down last year(first year of testing) and now he gets a stomach disease which will afflict him for a time. (second year of testing)
Is this a disease that stays with you?
Maybe it's all a self fullfilling prophesy..
Can HGH or steroids actually help in the treatment of Crohn's?
I'm going to guess yes.... But I am not sure.. I'm no doctor. Anybody willing to research that?
And if so, and he tests positive for steroids, he now has a nice tidy excuse....
I don't trust any of these players in this era... Too much money to spend to cheat...
You really do have to be dumb to get caught, though. Especially if you're in the big leagues making the bucks.
That's why all the bozos getting caught (minus Palmiero) were minor league nobodys with little money to invest in the state of the art juices.
No player gets the benfit of my doubt
Dave....
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Well MLB won't be testing for HGH anytime soon. HGH can only be tested for in a blood test, and the MLBPA believes this is an unreasonable invasion of privacy. They have a lot of allies in this belief as well. However, if MLB really wanted to they could easily test for HGH without invading privacy. For example, a player submits to a blood test. The blood is shipped to a third party lab with no identifying information on the sample besides a number and the knowledge that it does come from MLB. The blood test for HGH - and HGH alone - is run. If it comes back positive, the lab alerts MLB that they have a positive HGH test from #xxxxx. Selig, (who would have to be the only one with the number list,) tells #xxxxx, confidentally, that he had to submit another blood sample by the end of the day. It comes back positive, #xxxxx is suspended for 50 games. End of story.
PS - Helton was getting help, from Coors field. And lest we forget that if someone works hard in the weight room and genetically has the ability, they can be a strong hitter. So his body was helping him as well.
-Reid
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Here in Denver, among Rockies fans, Helton is THE man when it comes to baseball. It's not quite a John Elway level cult, but if the Rockies were to actually have a winning record or (god forbid) make the postseason, it might get there. In the talk I've heard about his condition steroids or HGH has never been mentioned as a possibile cause. Also, they have moved his return date up 10 days to May 5 which sounds like it's not very serious.
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Reid-
I agree with you 100% on testing for HGH. It needs to be done. What you've described works for me but we'll never see it.
Like I said about Helton, I doubt he ever touched the stuff, but you never know. Like Dave said, there's a lot of financial incentive to cheat.
I'm glad that Helton's prognosis isn't that bad.
And yes Dave, you can treat Crohn's with steroids. According to some web page I saw.
J
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