Larry Brown Sports

David Ortiz is off to the best start of his career with the Boston Red Sox. A notoriously slow starter in April, Big Papi is hitting .381 with 17 RBI and four home runs through only 16 games. He missed the first 15 games of the season because of an Achilles’ injury that stemmed back to last July, but the 37-year-old returned without missing a beat.

Since Ortiz’s hot start in 2013 is unusual for a player his age who normally comes crawling out of the gate, Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe decided he would be the first one to bring up the steroid talk — despite the fact that Ortiz has only appeared in 16 games.

Hitting is not this easy. Athletes do not get better as they mature into their late 30s. Baseball has been peppered with performance-enhancing drugs for the last 20 years. The cheaters are always ahead of the testers. A number of players from the Dominican Republic have tested positive for steroids. Injuries to the Achilles’ tendon are consistent with steroid use. It is not natural for a guy to hit .426 out of the gate without the benefit of any spring training.

Of course, Shaughnessy pointed to the fact that Ortiz’s name appeared on a list of players who tested positive back in 2003. That being said, he has not failed a drug test in the last 10 years. If you think Ortiz is using performance-enhancing drugs, you must think either Major League Baseball is covering for him or he has found a way to cheat the system.

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Jon Jones accused Chael Sonnen of using steroids his entire career and only seemed to give a light-hearted apology for making the statement.

Jones and Sonnen will face each other on April 27 in New Jersey for Jones’ UFC light heavyweight championship belt. During an interview with “UFC Tonight” on Tuesday, Jones was asked why he hasn’t talked much trash leading up to the fight. He then was asked about his lone trash-talking remark about Sonnen, in which he said the challenger lacks a “champion’s soul.”

“Chael Sonnen is a guy who people know he’s done steroids throughout his whole career,” Jones told host Dominick Cruz. “It’s probably why his testosterone is low now and I don’t think that’s the heart or attitude of a champion. So that’s what I meant when I said he lacks ‘championship soul’.”

Jones tweeted a similar thought on Monday:

Take steroids in your prime testosterone levels drop then you take TRT to get in your prime again.. Maybe I should just join the team $$$

— Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) April 15, 2013

In case you’re unfamiliar, TRT stands for testosterone replacement therapy. Fighters can be granted waivers by the UFC to receive testosterone if they’re medically proven to have low levels. Sonnen is one of those fighters, and he had a controversy after his fight with Anderson Silva in 2010. Sonnen tested positive for high levels of testosterone and was later suspended by the California State Athletic Committee for not taking the steps to receive an exemption for TRT usage. Though Sonnen says he needs the TRT to treat hypogonadism, many believe that fighters end up with low testosterone levels because of past steroid abuse (as referenced in Jones’ tweet).

Jones tweeted Wednesday to say he was apologizing:

I had no right to accuse chael of being a career long steroid user I apologize. See what had happened was….

— Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) April 17, 2013

Jones never gave an explanation for what happened, leading me to believe he wasn’t really apologizing.

Below is an interview where Sonnen talks about steroids, but be prepared to get dizzy from all the circles he talks in:

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Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman won an appeal after failing a drug test last season, but many people feel that it did not prove his innocence. Sherman insisted that he was a victim of errors during the collection process and had his four-game suspension overturned. Prior to that, there was quite a bit of speculation that he had taken Adderall.

The NFL’s performance-enhancing drug testing policy makes it so that the public only knows when a player tests positive for a banned substance — not which substance they tested positive for. As a result, more and more players who fail tests are saying it was the result of Adderall use, which sounds better  than using something like steroids. According to Sherman, half the players in the NFL should be failing their drug tests.

“About half the league takes it [Adderall] and the league has to allow it,” Sherman told The Vancouver Sun earlier this week. “The league made a mistake in my case. Obviously, I didn’t do anything, but you have to go through a process to prove you didn’t do anything. There are still naysayers out there who don’t believe me. But I accept it. If everybody loves you, it probably means you’re not much of a player.”

Since Sherman insisted he was clean and his failed test was a result of a testing error, that must mean he isn’t part of that 50%. Whether or not you wish to believe that is a matter of opinion, but the NFL insists Sherman’s comments are completely off-base.

“The comments are ill-informed and inaccurate,” an NFL rep reportedly told TMZ on Wednesday. “Adderall is easily detected under current testing and will result in a suspension absent an approved therapeutic use exemption. … If his statement were true, we would be seeing many more positive tests and suspensions.”

“More importantly, his comments are irresponsible, as they ignore the serious medical risks and documented public health crisis associated with the improper use of Adderall and similar drugs.”

If Sherman is right, the NFL has a major issue with detecting Adderall. If he’s simply fabricating the story, that would make it even harder to believe that he truly never used the drug himself.

H/T Pro Football Talk

Nick Diaz is getting reckless with his accusations against Georges St-Pierre.

The two will meet Saturday at UFC 158 in Montreal, and now there is something fresh on everyone’s minds — accusations from Diaz (pictured) that his opponent is using “plenty of steroids.”

Diaz hinted during the pre-UFC 158 press conference Thursday that GSP is on steroids. That caused an angry St-Pierre to respond.

“I’m not on steroids, man,” said St-Pierre. “I never cheated once in my life.”

“We’ll see if they test who for steroids or what,” Diaz responded.

“I hope they do. I hope they do,” GSP shot back.

“You hope they do? What, for me to test positive for steroids?” asked Diaz. “Ain’t gonna happen.”

Later in the day, Diaz did a radio interview with “Tim and Sid” on 590 The Fan in Toronto and continued his accusations.

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When the NFL tells players they will be randomly drug tested at any time in any place, they are not exaggerating. Part of life in the NFL means having to wonder if a collector is going to show up while you’re out having a slice of pizza and demand that you take a pee in front of them. Heck, they might even show up when you’re visiting your grandma. Just ask Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins.

NFL’s off-season drug testing at my grandma’s town-home! I’m all for a clean game but weird having a stranger watch u in your own bathroom

— Kirk Cousins (@KirkCousins8) March 13, 2013

Random means random. If you really want to encourage players from thinking twice before taking any banned substances, sometimes you have to show up at nana’s house. There may be people who print pictures of him but don’t even know his name (as this photo evidence suggests), but the NFL is fully aware of Kirk’s whereabouts at all times. Looks like he got a reminder of that on Wednesday.

H/T Game On!

Manny Pacquiao may be considered one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters in boxing history, but there is a large collection of people who feel his accomplishments are illegitimate. Former boxing champ Jorge Arce is apparently among that group.

Earlier this week, Arce told Boxing Scene that he believes Pacquiao has been using some sort of substance that cannot be detected by the current drug testing system.

“Pacquiao is getting something, that’s for sure,” Arce said, via. “He never [comes up] positive [during drug tests], so it is logical that he is using something that is legal or not detectable in his urine. Because I remember when Pacquiao did not want to fight [Floyd] Mayweather, because [Mayweather] said that he wanted to have doping tests [involved in their fight] and Manny refused to have them.

“Pacman is coming from [the] flyweight [division] and walks around at welterweight. I am convinced that Manny is getting something, but it is not detectable. I’ve seen him overwhelm [fighters] who are much bigger than him.”

If he’s using something legal, then it’s legal. If Pac Man is using something that is illegal and not detectable, well, we’ll never know and there’s really nothing that can be done about it. Technology isn’t perfect.

This is not the first time Pacquiao has been accused of using performance-enhancing substances by another fighter. As we know, it has been an ongoing theme in his saga with Floyd Mayweather. While there is no proof that Pacquiao has ever used a banned substance, the speculation remains rampant.

Glove tap to Opposing Views

Ryan Braun said in a statement that his name appeared in Anthony Bosch’s Biogenesis records because his legal team used Bosch as a consultant for its suspension appeal case. ESPN appears to have found evidence suggesting Braun’s name also appeared on a list of players who received performance-enhancing drugs from the company.

ESPN’s T.J. Quinn and Mike Fish report that Braun’s name appears on a list written by Bosch that has the figure 1500 next to the name. A source told them that the list is for players who received PEDs from Bosch’s Biogenesis clinic.

Francisco Cervelli’s name appears below Braun’s, while Melky Cabrera and Alex Rodriguez appear above it. Cabrera was suspended 50 games after tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone last season. Rodriguez admitted in 2008 to using PEDs earlier in his career, though he denies involvement with Biogenesis.

Braun tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone during his MVP season in 2011. He avoided suspension because the urine sample collector did not follow proper protocol when sending the sample back to the lab for testing.

Previous Bosch records published by Yahoo! Sports had “RB 20-30k” listed. Braun’s statement said that was because there was a dispute over how much he owed Bosch for his services as a consultant. The new document would put a hole in that explanation.

Photo credit: Mark J. Rebilas, US Presswire