Performance-Enhancers

The story of the day in sports: Performance-enhancing drugs.

In Scotland, Gary Player claimed that at least one player has told him that he uses performance-enhancers, and that Player estimates 10% of the PGA Tour uses them. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson both said, in response to Player's comments, that they doubted that any players were using.

Meanwhile, across the Channel at the Tour de France, a cyclist (Team T-Mobile support rider Patrik Sinkewitz) tested positive for testosterone in his "A" sample (the "B" sample will now be tested as well, to confirm the earlier finding). In response, German TV stations ARD and ZDF ceased their coverage of the Tour; the Tour then leased the remaining coverage to German stations Sat 1 and Pro Sieben.

Baseball, of course, is facing a continuing steroid story as Barry Bonds grinds towards home run #756, which would pass Henry Aaron on the all-time list. Sports Illustrated this week has a cover portrait of Aaron, and a lengthy story by Tom Verducci, including the following quote from Atlanta Journal-Constitution writer Terence Moore:

[Moore] then cited a quote from a conversation he had on that subject with Harry Edwards, the noted sports psychologist and sociologist. "You'll have the standard and the standard bearer. Then you'll have the record and the record holder. For the first time ever, they broadly will be acknowledged to be totally different people."

The story also has the definitive quote from Bonds:

Said Bonds, in a self-styled epitaph worthy of his tombstone, "I take care of me."

Of course, as Buck O'Neil says near the end of The Soul of Baseball (more about which later):

The only reason players in my time didn't use steroids, is because we didn't have them.

Tiger's Charge Falls Short...Again

For the second straight Major, Tiger Woods chased the leader into the clubhouse, but came up short. In April, it was Zach Johnson who recovered from a difficult Saturday (76); at the US Open at Oakmont, Angel Cabrera also shot 76 on Saturday, but bounced back with a 69 on Sunday to win.

Tiger has been chasing Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 majors for years; but incredibly, Tiger won his first 12 majors with only 2 second-place finishes (2002 PGA, where Rich Beem won his only major, and 2005 US Open, won by Michael Campbell (his only major title)). But with losses to two-more first-timers this year, Tiger is starting to advance against Nicklaus' (also-record) 19 second-place finishes in major championships. His reputation as a relentless finisher also seems in jeopardy, as he did little to put pressure on Cabrera in the last nine holes, finishing them in +1 (he shot 72, or +2, for the round). Of course, the course and Cabrera's own history (he blew a lead a few weeks ago on the European Tour, which Johnny Miller pointed out repeatedly on the telecast.)

Perhaps what we are learning is that the "real" record is Jack's 37 first- or second-place finishes.