The Fightins » MLB to Romero: “You Got F’d In The A”

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Jan

2009

MLB to Romero: “You Got F’d In The A”

Posted by Chamomiles Davis at 10:38 pm ET 27 Comments

[UPDATE: Well, the suspension is official, and Romero does not plan to appeal. Fuck me sideways.]

Using tactics employed by shady, imperious organizations past and present, the powers that be in Major League Baseball (”Taking Substance Abuse 33% More Seriously!”) have decided to suspend Phillies reliever J.C. Romero for fifty games next season.

Romero’s crime? Not admitting that he knowingly took a banned supplement.

According to Peter Gammons at ESPN.com, Romero tested positive in September for an undisclosed substance which he’d purchased at a local GNC. In Romero’s words:

“The season is a grind. When you’re a middle reliever, you have to be ready to get up and down and pitch every day. Everyone takes something. Some guys drink coffee, others supplements. We try to make sure they’re all legal. I certainly did.”

At his arbitration hearing in October, Romero testified that he had brought the supplement, which came in a bottle with no warning label, first to his personal nutritionist and then Phillies trainer Dong Lien. According to Lien’s testimony he recommended getting a second nutritionist’s opinion. The second nutritionist cleared the supplement for Romero’s use. (Lien also said that he suggested Romero not take the supplement.)

After being informed that he had tested positive for a banned substance late in September and that this supplement was the source of the positive result, Romero stopped taking all supplements and later tested negative before the start of the postseason (October 1).

Now begins the part of the story where Romero gets screwed…

A Players Association official, Michael Weiner, told Romero he would not face a suspension since he purchased the supplement over the counter in the U.S. However, the league told Romero that he would face an immediate 25-game suspension… provided he admitted his guilt.

Rather than admit to something he did not do willingly knowingly, and miss out on playing in the World Series, Romero chose to take the matter to arbitration. Unfortunately the arbitrator had a “change of heart” and reversed his original decision. The full suspension will be announced Tuesday.

Gammons concludes his story with the following:

There seems to be little question that the Players Association unwittingly misled Romero — and other players — about over-the-counter supplements purchased in the United States. Somehow, after MLB was warned in early July, their concerns did not reach the Players Association about three supplements available at every GNC store.

Romero now pays the price. Fifty games, $1.25M.

“I told them that if I ever tested positive again I would accept a 100 day suspension,” Romero said. “They know I didn’t cheat. And yet the rest of my career people are going to say, ‘he cheated,’ even though I tested negative at the start of the playoffs. I did what I was told to do, what I thought was legal and right.”

Lack of proper information? Check.
Bad counsel from the union? Check.
Unnecessarily harsh punishment? Check. J.C. Romero, you just got F’d in the A!

Romero Questions Suspension [ESPN.com]

Read More: BANNED SUBSTANCES, BULLSHIT, JC Romero, MLB

27 Comments on “MLB to Romero: “You Got F’d In The A””

Hummer Says:
January 5th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
thats…yeah. fuck man, fuck.
Jose Mesa Says:
January 5th, 2009 at 10:58 pm
Ridiculous. Romero gets 50 for some GNC vitamins and all those players from the Mitchell Report don’t even get a slap on the wrist. Can’t my man get some muscle milk.
Joey Wade Says:
January 5th, 2009 at 11:25 pm
bull. fucking. shit.
How do you spell retard? Says:
January 5th, 2009 at 11:36 pm
Boooooo!!! Boooo drug testing. Let him play! Legalize everything.

Matt Stairs was also tested positive … for trans fats!
Jayson Werth his weight in gold Says:
January 5th, 2009 at 11:40 pm
I speak for all Phillies fans, nay baseball fans, when I say “Bud Selig, choke on a bag of dicks with your phony drug policy.”
Chamomiles Davis Says:
January 5th, 2009 at 11:42 pm
Way to crack down where it matters, Bud!

[makes wanking motion with hand]
Wilson Says:
January 6th, 2009 at 12:04 am
Wow….that’s all I can say….they really dropped the ball here….from an MLB standpoint they either knowingly let a cheater play in the World Series or are punishing an innocent man.

Let’s get some FREE J.C. tshirts going
Phils Phan Says:
January 6th, 2009 at 12:06 am
I prefer “Kill Selig”.
Beth Says:
January 6th, 2009 at 8:10 am
Bud strikes again! Bastardos!
Beth Says:
January 6th, 2009 at 8:25 am
Classy of Amaro to decline comment too. Double bastardo!
GM-Carson Says:
January 6th, 2009 at 11:19 am
He’s being pegged as the scapegoat and it’s totally unfair. Total bullshit that his penalty is so harsh. In fact, based on the case at hand, he should get away with a warning.
Chamomiles Davis Says:
January 6th, 2009 at 11:25 am
@GM-Carson: To the new “zero-tolerance” MLB, a 25-game suspension IS a warning. Those assholes.
Mpomy Says:
January 6th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
Barry Bonds is going to the Hall of Fame and a working stiff like JC has his entire career ruined for doing something he was told was OK. Are you kidding me???
Reverend Paul Revere Says:
January 6th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
The MLB sure is doing all they can to make sure the Mets make the playoffs huh?
Get Me outta Cleveland and back to Philly Says:
January 6th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
You know that arbitrator was a Rays fan and is paying Romero back for kickin ass in the World Series. MLB can lick my balls for this atrocity.
Section 147 - Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!!! Says:
January 6th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
This is absolutly ridiculous! Can we PLEASE get some “Free Romero” T-shirts designed? I will purchase a box of them…
Chan Heyyy Hoooo Heyy Hooo Says:
January 6th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
FREE JC!!!!! FREE JC!!!!!
Chamomiles Davis Says:
January 6th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
@Section147: http://www.the700level.com/2009/01/free-jc—-the.html
millertime Says:
January 6th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
if this warrants 50 games, shouldn’t roger clemens be executed by firing squad?
Jose Mesa Says:
January 6th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
He’s not appealing:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3813666

It seemed, according to the Gammons story and the one in today’s Inquirer, that JC was prepared to fight this, as he strongly denied wrongdoing. Not sure why he’d give in…
Eminencegirl Says:
January 6th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
Good point Millertime. Bud Selig can lick me where I pee.
Leid Says:
January 6th, 2009 at 10:21 pm
@ Get Me outta Cleveland and back to Philly:

The Rays don’t have any fans.
Lazarus Says:
January 7th, 2009 at 12:10 am
CD.. you mean NOT “knowingly took a banned substance”, I think..
el jefe Says:
January 7th, 2009 at 12:41 am
I am a friend of JC. I live in Boston and met him when he played here. He is awesome, and told me never to cheat. Now MLB ****s up and my friend gets punished? total bs.
Chamomiles Davis Says:
January 7th, 2009 at 10:22 am
@Lazarus: Consider it corrected. That wording had bugged me for a while.
Gigi Says:
January 7th, 2009 at 10:32 am
a trainer named Dong, a player’s official named Weiner…is this whole league one big dick joke?
Chamomiles Davis Says:
January 7th, 2009 at 11:13 am
…is this whole league one big dick joke?

“Not so,” says league spokesman Peter Cockenballs.