18 replies to this topic

[soxhop411]

Jon Morosi ‏ @jonmorosi
BREAKING: Guillermo Mota of #SFGiants receives 100-game suspension after testing positive for Clenbuterol, a performance-enhancing substance

So unlike Braun's This one must have already gone through the appeal's and it is now official....

Edited by soxhop411, 07 May 2012 - 03:29 PM.

[gaelgirl]

Sorry, soxhop, there wasn't a thread when I started writing mine. You were quicker to post, though, so I'll move my commentary over here:

Giants reliever (and old man of the team) Guillermo Mota has been suspended for 100 games. His first suspension was back in 2006.

Here you go: http://mlb.mlb.com/n...pr_mlb&c_id=mlb

Here's what we know: The drug was Clenbuterol, which according to the oh-so-trustworthy-looking Internet site isteroids.com, is used as a fat reducer. As a Giants fan, I can state with authority that he was clearly not taking enough of that one.

[MakMan44]

How bad is this going to hurt them considering Wilson is out for the season?

[Frank, Fenway]

How bad is this going to hurt them considering Wilson is out for the season?

He's been average or worse for years and looked terrible so far this season.

[gaelgirl]

Wilson is out for the season and Jeremy Affeldt is on the DL after his ginormous four-year-old caused him to get a knee injury (the kid is apparently, no pun intended, a giant at 60+ pounds and 4.5-feet tall; this after Affeldt stabbed himself separating frozen hamburger patties last season. Affeldt should never go home.).

However, Mota is a nice addition but not a key element of the bullpen. He's an innings-eater and generally pretty reliable. However, he had an ERA over 5 this season and hasn't been as sharp. Regardless,they already have a few guys in the bullpen who can pick up the slack in Clay Hensley and Steve Edlefson. It's not great because he was a veteran presence and had a lot of value (especially because he was good for long relief), but it's not a huge blow, either.

They have a young closer in AAA who is having a great season -- I'd be curious to see if he could translate that success to the majors. But they might bring up a more seasoned player instead. We will see!

[MakMan44]

He's been average or worse for years and looked terrible so far this season.

Ah ok. Guess the PEDs have been pretty useless then huh?

Edited by MakMan44, 07 May 2012 - 04:54 PM.

[gaelgirl]

According to the Giants beat writers on Twitter, Mota is appealing. However, because this is a second offense, he cannot play through the appeal, he has to begin serving it immediately. So, to answer soxhop's initial question, no, this has not gone through the appeal process yet.

Also, it appears the Giants opted to activate Aubrey Huff off the DL rather than bring another pitcher up from the minors.

Andrew Baggarly ‏ @CSNBaggs
Mota is appealing his suspension, MLB's Pat Courtney confirms. As second-time offender, he must begin serving it immediately, though.

[gaelgirl]

Mota is blaming his positive test on kiddie cough medicine, which is the basis for his appeal.

"Players are responsible for what they put in their bodies. Guillermo understands that," agent Adam Katz said. "A 100-game suspension for taking a children's cough medicine that contains trace amounts of a prohibited substance, which is what happened here, is severe and unfair and does not reflect the intention of the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. We will appeal it."

http://www.csnbayare..._medium=twitter

[MakMan44]

Mota is blaming his positive test on kiddie cough medicine, which is the basis for his appeal.

"Players are responsible for what they put in their bodies. Guillermo understands that," agent Adam Katz said. "A 100-game suspension for taking a children's cough medicine that contains trace amounts of a prohibited substance, which is what happened here, is severe and unfair and does not reflect the intention of the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. We will appeal it."

http://www.csnbayare..._medium=twitter

Are they seeking a full overturn of the suspension or just a shorter one?

[gaelgirl]

I haven't heard either way. The speculation is that they are going to use the Braun case as precedent.

Honestly, if Mota gets any part of the suspension overturned, it just makes the MLB drug policy look ridiculous and impotent. Mota's not even arguing that he didn't have the clenbuterol in his system, just that it was "accidental."

[MikeM]

Here's what we know: The drug was Clenbuterol, which according to the oh-so-trustworthy-looking Internet site isteroids.com, is used as a fat reducer. As a Giants fan, I can state with authority that he was clearly not taking enough of that one.

It's worth noting that Clen is a stimulant based substance, which shouldn't be confused with much more offensive stuff found on MLB's banned list. Think a more intense version of ephedrine, which was found in the original versions Stacker 2/Hydroxycut back when those products were sold over the counter.

If it wasn't for the fact Clen was so commonly used hand-in-hand with various steroidal cutting cycles, and well...illegal to possess outside prescription and "research purposes", i'd actually argue on it's inclusion. As i've always felt the whole "this guy has a competitive edge in baseball because he's extra jittery and probably finds experiencing a straight night's sleep next to impossible" rather silly, but to each their own i guess.

Good freaking luck with that child's cough syrup story though lol. See ya in 100.

[The_Powa_of_Seiji_Ozawa]

I wonder if any of the NY papers will refer to him as a "former Red Sox reliever"

[MakMan44]

Honestly, if Mota gets any part of the suspension overturned, it just makes the MLB drug policy look ridiculous and impotent. Mota's not even arguing that he didn't have the clenbuterol in his system, just that it was "accidental."

I thought it reached that point when Braun was able to get his suspension overturned on a technicality

[gaelgirl]

Well, yes. But at least one could argue that the collections process needs to be above reproach so the players can't squirm out of a positive test on these technicalities. So, it was a bad result for baseball in the short-term, but now a loophole has been closed for the future.

If "my kiddie cough syrup did it" works, then there's no point to even doing a test because every player will argue it was an accident and most cases will overturned with even flimsy evidence. Even if it's true, btw, he needs to be responsible for what he's taking. If they are going to do drug testing, they've got to do it right.

The union should distribute lists of approved medications and supplements, btw, to prevent these sorts of accidents.

[Average Reds]

The union should distribute lists of approved medications and supplements, btw, to prevent these sorts of accidents.

I believe that the union distributes these sorts of updates on a regular basis. Which is one reason why I woudn't buy Mota's word that this was "an accident."

Another reason I wouldn't buy it is that anyone who has already been found guilty once needs to be absolutely aware of everything they are putting in their body. For Mota to say that this was an accident is tantamount to him identifying himself as a fool or to indicate that he thinks that we are.

[gaelgirl]

Oh, I am not claiming Mota's really was an accident. I'm not sure I really buy that excuse. And even if it's true, he's still responsible for what he takes. So, for players who really are concerned about accidental ingestion, I thought there should be lists of approved medications/supplements. It's good the union does it, because, really, that's part of their job. Now, if this particular kiddie cough medicine is on that list, then Mota has a legitimate argument. I don't foresee that as being an issue, though.

[MakMan44]

Do you mean if it's NOT on the list?

[gaelgirl]

No, I mean if it IS on the list.

If the Union handed out a list of medications that are okay, and he used a medication on that list and it actually was not okay, then Mota has a legitimate argument for having his suspension overturned. I do not believe this will be an issue.

If the Union handed out a list, and he used a medication that was not on that list in good faith (like maybe he was home in the Dominican and didn't have access to medications that were definitely approved) and tested positive, that's an unfortunate accident and Mota is still out for 100 games. They have to be responsible for what they take.

If the Union handed out a list, and he didn't use a kiddie cough syrup at all and was actually using PEDs and is using this lame kiddie cough syrup story as a coverup, well Mota is screwed and is out 100 games.

[NDame616]

As someone who uses ephedrine, and other weight loss supplements, I can say that clen is typically taken after someone doesn't get fast/good enough results after taking ephedra. Many people, myself included, see pretty significant weight loss while on an "EC stack" which is ephrdra taken with 200 mg of caffeine. However, when people don't get the result, they typically go to clen.

Any athlete or fitness enthusiast with an internet connection above the age of 12 knows what clen is, as did Moto. He took clen to lose weight and not lose muscle, as does everyone else who's taken it.

As for the cough syrup excuse, that's insane. It's kind of like saying if you get busted with cocaine in your system, it's from the liter of coca cola you drank last night.