He's left-handed, which is a big plus for a batter. He doesn't have the control that a pitcher needs, but as long as he can throw it into the infield, he can play in the outfield. And he's always been able to hit, for both power and percentage.
Posted on 09/08/2007 7:57:44 AM PDT by Roberts
PHOENIX (AP) -- Rick Ankiel says any drugs he received in 2004 were prescribed by a licensed physician to help him recover from reconstructive elbow surgery.
Ankiel, whose comeback is one of the great stories of this season, initially acknowledged human growth hormone was among those medications during a brief session with reporters Friday, then refused to list his various prescriptions.
"I'm not going to go into the list of what my doctors have prescribed for me," the St. Louis Cardinals outfielder said when asked specifically whether he had taken HGH as part of his recovery. "I've been through a lot emotionally and physically. There are doctor and patient privileges, and I hope you guys respect those privileges."
The New York Daily News reported in Friday's editions that Ankiel received eight shipments of HGH from January to December 2004 from Signature Pharmacy, under investigation for illegally distributing prescription medications. The performance-enhancing drug was banned by Major League Baseball in 2005, but the league still does not test for it.
Friday afternoon, Ankiel sat beside Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty in the visitors' dugout at Chase Field to answer questions about the newspaper's findings before the series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
"I respect the integrity of the game," Ankiel said, "and I'm on the same playing level that everybody else is on."
After talking to Ankiel, Jocketty said he was satisfied that nothing improper had occurred.
"Everything was legal," he said. "There was no violation of major league rules. There was no violation of any laws. At this point, if there's anything more to decide, major league baseball will look at it and let us know."
Citing records the newspaper obtained, the Daily News said Ankiel got HGH shipments that included Saizen and Genotropin, two injectable drugs. Florida physician Dr. William Gogan signed Ankiel's prescriptions, providing them through a Palm Beach Gardens clinic called The Health and Rejuvenation Center (THARC), the newspaper reported.
The drugs were shipped to Ankiel at the clinic's address, the paper said.
Ankiel said he was aware of the clinic but not Signature Pharmacy.
"I don't know anything about the pharmacy," Ankiel said, "and I don't know anyone there. I've never purchased or ordered anything from that pharmacy."
MLB officials already have said they would like to talk with Ankiel, and he said he would cooperate with any investigation.
"I'll be happy to help and conduct anything that Major League Baseball wants to talk about it," Ankiel said.
The outfielder has been the talk of the league after hitting nine home runs and 29 RBIs since being called up from the minors Aug. 9. He returned to the majors in style, just three seasons after his promising pitching career was in ruins after he inexplicably lost all control on the mound.
"I'm just disappointed," said Ankiel, who homered twice and drove in seven runs in the Cardinals' 16-4 home victory over Pittsburgh on Thursday. "I just don't want it to become a bigger distraction that it already has become. We're in the middle of a pennant race. I just want to be able to go out there and compete at the highest level I can."
In 10-20 years, looking back, everyone will know that the majority of pro athletes in the 1990s and beyond were taking performance enhancing drugs.
No, I suppose not. Basic privacy, politeness, respect, and human decency is what prevents most people from demanding to know what medications other people may have taken. Of course Ankiel has the "right to tell the truth voluntarily" (about anything). What you seem to miss is that he also has the right not to reveal such things if he doesn't want to.
Because for some reason, baseball players are different now. The rest of us seem to think we have some sort of "right" to know everything they have ingested/taken in their lifetimes. I can only assume baseball players have an obligation to report their bowel-movements to the public, as well. They better not "hide behind" bathroom-privilege!
In 10-20 years, looking back, everyone will know that the majority of pro athletes in the 1990s and beyond were taking performance enhancing drugs.
Probably. And hopefully, everyone will have grown up and stopped obsessing on the fact, and will look back and marvel at what a big deal was made of the whole thing.
So, three years ago he took a legal drug, prescribed by a physician, to improve his recovery from injury. He broke no rules of Major League Baseball. If he is confident of those facts, he should tell the reporters and the busybodies to get stuffed.
“In 10-20 years, looking back, everyone will know that the majority of pro athletes in the 1990s and beyond were taking performance enhancing drugs.”
Try the 1970’s and beyond. The East Germans and Romanians showed us the way, and I’m betting every athlete in the world was using just as fast as they could get the stuff. It gave us a generation of female athletes that were either more of a man than I’ll ever be, or those permanently locked in a pre-pubescent growth stage.
I know that by the late 1970’s, performance-enhancing drug use was common in high schools around the country.
This was a crooked, quack doctor who was prescribing human growth hormone improperly for a healthy, young man. Ankiel was wrong to do what he did. The FDA has come out and responded that recovery from elbow surgery is not an acceptable reason for HGH to be prescribed.
But what he's shown since returning is not a complete shock. After all he had been the top rated player in the country coming out of high school. He can been a very good hitting pitcher in his original big league stint, including hitting a couple HR.. Cardinal fans know the club has been hoping for several years he would come back as something special and has been frustrated that injuries delayed his return. IIRC he was kept in the minors so long this season because they wouldn't have been able to send him back down without risking some other club could take him away. They weren't willing to risk that. They'd used up all their other options over the years. Batting in front of Puhols also helps. He's going to get decent pitches to hit, at least on his first swing through the league
Some more good points, including the excerpt below, can be found in what overall is a fairly balanced article from the St. Louis press:
Ankiel's power is nothing new. As a 17-year-old in 1997, he hit a 450-foot homer in his final high school game, then was one of the top hitters for the U.S. Junior National team that summer. He played left field when not pitching and batted .387 with three homers, four doubles and 16 RBIs in a dozen games. Ankiel hit a three-run homer into the upper deck of the Toronto SkyDome.Let MLB and the reporters do their investigation but suspend judgment until they are done. If Ankiel hasn't done anything more than is known today he doesn't deserve scorn, he deserves praise. Praise for sticking it out and succeeding in one of the least probable riches to rags to riches stories in the history of the game. The games one time status as the "national passtime" was built on great stories like this. Don't compound the damage done by the past bad examples of other athletes by using it to keep the good in the game from providing good examples.
2) Mr. Ankiel did not play baseball, major or minor league, in 2004. In that year, he had, and rehabbed from, ''Tommy John'' surgery.
Question: what's the problem here?
You are soooo wrong. I live in St. Louis. This guy is the real deal. Do some homework and you will find that he is no Berry Bonds. It was prescibed to him while in re-hab injury.
The overly-zealous press can really be such Ankiel-biters....
Oops. “Puhols” = Pujols
He's left-handed, which is a big plus for a batter. He doesn't have the control that a pitcher needs, but as long as he can throw it into the infield, he can play in the outfield. And he's always been able to hit, for both power and percentage.
Doctor Nick is still alive?
From today’s Post:
“While Ankiel said the drugs were prescribed to him as he recovered from Tommy John ligament-replacement surgery in 2003, numerous experts - and the Food and Drug Administration - have said there is no medical justification to prescribe HGH to help a healthy young man recover from elbow surgery.
According to the FDA, prescriptions of HGH are limited to adults with serious hormone deficiencies caused by pituitary tumors and conditions such as AIDS “wasting” disease. Doctors have latitude with how they prescribe some drugs, but not with HGH, said Gary Wadler, an associate professor of medicine at NYU and a committee member with the World Anti-Doping Agency.”
Re: No. 13, should read “From today’s Daily News”.
Bryan, his arm reminds me of childhood hero: Clementa. Rick throws it on a rope from the corner to the plate.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.