Drug testing is proving to be an inexact science

By Jayson D. Henry

Manny Ramirez failed a drug test and was suspended for 50 games by Major League Baseball, or did he?

A report published by the Los Angeles Times now says that the supposed drug, HCG, was not actually found in the slugger’s system. Instead, it was a prescription for that drug which landed the somewhat eccentric outfielder on the MLB bad list.

Now one thing that has to be pointed out is that even though Manny’s system did not show any HCG, his synthetic testosterone levels where far higher than those of an average man. The experts who have looked over the report say that even though the initially reported HCG was not present, the Dodgers’ star was still in violation of the league’s drug testing policy.

The problem is that apparently Ramirez did not actually have the drug in his system that he was originally suspended for. While he was in violation, the initial report was still in error prescription or no prescription.

What if the next guy to get suspended is not actually taking anything on the banned substance list? If a mistake was made in first place who’s to say there won’t be a mistake made the next time? And the next time that guy may not conveniently be guilty of something else.

Speaking of banned substance lists, that brings up the case of an organization that bans its competitors with no list at all, or at least not a public list anyway.

NASCAR recently sent driver Jeremy Mayfield to the garage of shame for failing its drug test. Trouble with this case is, NASCAR won’t tell what he tested positive for. For that matter, they won’t even say what it is a driver can take that will cause him to be banned.

Ryan Newman, among others, has said he’d like to see a list. Greg Biffle says he didn’t take some prescribed medications after a boating accident because he was afraid of a positive test.

Because of NASCAR’s secrecy, all sorts of rumors have been flying around as to Mayfield’s plight. Many out there in internet land seem to be convinced the drug Claritin-D was at the heart of Mayfiled’s positive test.

The conspiracy theorists are convinced that NASCAR won’t release the name of the drug because Claritin is a NASCAR sponsor and they don’t want to bring embarrassment to one of their partners.

Well, it’s not like NASCAR has any sort of history of playing favorites or anything(sarcasm alert).

The bottom line in the Ramirez case and the Mayfield case is that the testers are behind the drug creators. It will always be that way because the tests are often created as a reaction to a drug that is already out there. In other words, it is impossible to create a test for something that has not yet been invented.

This is not meant as some sort apology or defense of those using banned substances in sports. Anyone who believes that the sports world is pure and clean is living in a fantasy world. However, it would be nice if the testers would at least get the tests right or not attempt some sort of Watergate style cover-up.

At best, drug testing is an inexact science. At worst, it could all be a bunch of guesswork and cover ups.

This is why you should be rooting for Kyle Busch

By Jayson D. Henry

There are plenty of racing fans out there who hate Kyle Busch. That is pretty apparent every time his name is announced over the loud speaker at any track. That was certainly apparent in Martinsville on Sunday. Although the loudness of the boobirds and the number of obscene gestures seems to be declining since he had his infamous run-in with the ever popular Dale Earnhardt, Jr. last year in Richmond.

Busch actually is the representation of the things so many fans say they want to see in their favorite NASCAR drivers. He is not afraid to show his feelings.

When his Nationwide Series crew cost him the race in Bristol he did not get out of his car and say it was a good points day because he finished in the Top 10. He got out of his car visibly upset.

The next day during a pit stop for the Sprint Cup race in Bristol he challenged his crew by saying, “OK, ladies. It’s time to man up now.” There was no politically correct there.

Also, Busch is not afraid to say what he thinks. If he wants to take a dig at Earnhardt, he does not veil it in some twisted language in the hopes that Junior Nation might not boo him the next weekend like so many other drivers do. He goes ahead and calls it like he sees it.

And the biggest reason of all to like him, he drives like a man possessed. He will go three wide to get through traffic where other drivers will sit back and wait a lap or two for everything to sort out. Those same drivers seem to never make the pass but instead get out of the car at the end of the day and blame their inability on the car and its being aero-tight in traffic.

Some may claim they don’t like him because he drives a Toyota. He drives a CoT like every other driver out there. That thing is no more a Toyota than it is an army tank.

Some say his ears are too big or some other silly remark about his looks. Most of those old guys everyone likes to remember so fondly from the good ole days weren’t exactly Brad Pitt either.

Busch is a winner. Now, I’m not sure why the collapse of last year’s Chase took place, but I’m betting it does not happen again.

NASCAR's Chase will never match NCAA Tournament

By Jayson D. Henry

Here we are in the midst of the NCAA Tournament to decide the college basketball national champion. This tournament is one of the most exciting events in all of sports. It creates water cooler talk, is the cause of numerous office pools and just generally stirs interest.

In 2004, NASCAR introduced its own playoff system in the hopes of creating the same kind of interest. Of course, that playoff system is called the Chase for the Championship. It was hoped the Chase would help NASCAR maintain a solid television audience after the college and NFL football seasons began in the fall.

With the NCAA Tournament getting so much attention here in the month of March it would seem like a good time to compare NASCAR's version of a playoff against the college basketball championship.

The NCAA Tournament generates so much interest for a variety of reasons. For one, not just the big and powerful have a chance to get into the playoff. Since the winners of conference tournaments are given automatic bids even teams like George Mason from smaller conferences are given a chance to compete.

Another reason why the NCAA Tournament is better than the NASCAR Chase is that there is always the chance of the big upset. A #16 seed has never beaten a #1 seed in a first round game but there have been many other major upsets. Everyone wants to see the little guy knock out the big guy, provided it's not your team getting knocked out that is.

In NASCAR, that type of thing will never happen. For one thing, the little guy will never even qualify for the Chase for the Championship. Take last year as an example. The 12 drivers who made the Chase only came from 4 power teams. Someone like Robby Gordon will never make the Chase, much less pull off the monumental upset of winning the thing.

The NCAA Tournament is a made for television event that stirs all sorts of interest and boosts ratings. The Chase has not managed to do the same thing for NASCAR. As a matter of fact, TV ratings for NASCAR have been in a steady decline over the last few years.

Maybe part of the problem is that many NASCAR fans have never accepted the Chase winner as a legitimate champion. Some would argue that Jeff Gordon has been robbed of two championships because of the new system.

The old, season long points standings system was in place for so long that the new system has been seen as repulsive by more than a few. On the other hand, post season tournaments have long been a fixture in basketball and other sports.

The bottom line is, the NCAA Tournament is an awesome event that has done great things for college basketball. The Chase for the Championship has not had such an impact in NASCAR.

Please contact me with your thoughts by e-mailing me at NeverEnoughSports@yahoo.com.