Baseball ahead of other leagues in fighting PEDs - Philly.com

The conundrum that MLB finds itself in unfortunately is that by being in the lead in the PED fight, they are in the trail position as far as PR and public perception.

Right now, the international problem is looming over this sport like no other.

The different enforcement standards vis-a-vis Amercian players and their Latino counterparts allows for exactly the kind of un-level playing field that the fight AGAINST steroids and PED's was meant to prevent.

When this thing moves to the forefront, and it will again with the Biogenis names set to be released, it is going to reignite the debate. This time it will be a whole lot more virulent.

from Philly.com:
Baseball ahead of other leagues in fighting PEDs - Philly.com:

The science of getting away with doping always seems to stay a half-step ahead of the science of catching dopers, and the financial gains that hang in the balance for the players involved encourage them to test the system.

"As an ex-athlete, I understand what it takes to compete, and if you feel you are competing with less of an arsenal than others, they can be tempted to want to enhance their position one way or the other," Amaro said. "We hope we're getting it out of the game, but that's the nature of competition, that's human nature, that's the nature of capitalism, or whatever you want to call it."

Of the players reportedly under investigation, almost all are of Latin descent. Eleven of the 12 major leaguers suspended for violating the drug policy since 2009 are Latin. Just looking at the Phillies, four of the five organization players suspended since the program began - Pablo Ozuna, J.C. Romero, Freddy Galvis, and Carlos Ruiz - are Latin. (Kevin Frandsen was suspended in 2012 for a test result that contained the stimulant found in Ritalin.)

Are Latin players more likely to cheat, more likely to get caught, or the victims of a system that offers less protection for players who are often trying to navigate their profession in a second language?

"I don't know. Maybe they see other Latin players getting to the big leagues and having success, or were selected for the baseball academies, and they feel they have to keep up," said Amaro, who is of Cuban and Mexican descent. "It might be there are different standards in some Latin countries. You don't even need prescriptions to get some of the things that are banned here. It could be a lack of education on the real issues. But I can tell you that in our organization, a lack of being educated about the issues is not an excuse."

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