Let’s hope Gordon tells true PED story
MIAMI— Dee Gordon is thoughtful, personable and already rich. So he has all the necessary ingredients for a pro athlete to finally tell the truth about taking performance-enhancing drugs.
No more lies. No flimsy excuses. And please not another side-stepping statement when he returns tonight toMarlins Park, like the silliness Gordon put out 80 suspended games ago.
“Though I did not do so knowingly,” that statement began, “I have been informed that test results showed I ingested something that contained prohibited substances ...”
Just this once, can Gordon be the athlete who doesn’t feign goodgolly ignorance about the lure of PEDs or drop a carpet-bomb of apologies in hopes of appeasing any anger. It’s South Florida. It’s theMarlins. Howmuch residual anger is there?
So, here’s the truthGordon can say before the game:
“As you know, I tested positive for PEDs this spring. But Iwant to be totally transparent on this. Iwas taking PEDs long before that. Look at me. I’m a skinny160 pounds. A lot of youwould have picked me as the last guy in the clubhouse taking PEDs.
“But I’m the one who needs all the help I can get. I got that help, too, frommy two good friends, clostebol and exogenous testosterone. They helpedme win theNL batting title and a stolen-base title last year — the first time theywerewon together since 1949.
“Throwin the Gold Glove Iwon last season, and who had a better year than me? Anyone? All thatwas just the rampup to the best part of last year, too. Iwas given a $50 million contract fromtheMarlins because of those achievements.
“Did you hear theHeat’s Tyler Johnson say lastweek he ‘wanted to throwup’ a couple of times after getting his $50million deal? Imagine howI felt! And imagine— a little humor here— howmany timesMar-
lins owner Jeffrey Loria actually threw up after hearing aboutmy drug test!
“I know, I know. A lot of people want me to apologize. But for what? For getting caught? Thiswas a risk-versus-reward business decision by me. How many of you would take something that isn’t against the lawand you rarely get caught for— I’d been tested 20 times previously— if a $50 million pot of gold was waiting for you?
“Was $50millionworth those 80 games? I’ll let you decide. But, no I’m not apologizing for taking PEDs. I do apologize for one thing, however. I’m sorry about that weak statement I delivered immediately after getting the positive drug test. I know no one believed it.
“Will Carroll, a sports medical writer, was right saying it wasn’t ‘plausible’ for these two substances to be taken unknowingly. And he’s right. Just like it wasn’t plausible anyone would believemy initial statement. I didn’t believe it myself.
“Finally, Iwant to say one more thing that will hopefully get people off my back. I’m off the PEDs now. I’ll play it by the rules. I’ll take tests whenever they want. You’ll never see me suspended for PEDs again.
“And nowy ou’ll see whether a 160-pound player will last in a grueling game, much less whether he can play up to his shiny, new $50million contract without a little help from his pharmaceutical friends. You get the organic Dee Gordon now.
“Thank you, and go Marlins.”
Wouldn’t that be best? Don’t you just want the full truth?
Sure, there are other, actual baseball questions starting today, like whether the Marlins are appreciably better with a non-PED Gordon. He had a careerhigh .359 on-base percentage last year. His replacement, Derek Dietrich, has a .363 OBP this season. Gordon adds better speed and defense. Dietrich has more power.
“He asked the players to hang in while hewas away,” Marlins President David Samson said of Gordon during an easy win Wednesday against Philadelphia. “They’ve more than done that.”
They’re sitting on the edge of a wild-card playoff berth. The idea is Gordon will help them grab it. The answers start coming today, right with his firstwords.
Let’s hope he tells the truth. He took PEDs. He signed a big contract. And he got caught. It’s the question of our times, the one Gordon can answer today: Is $50millionworth an 80-game suspension?