Griffin: The Spin reminds us we need to ask questions

Damien Cox: When it comes to Jose Bautista, how is it exactly that at the age of 29 he's suddenly become the most dangerous power hitter in baseball?

Today's The Spin entry by Damien Cox on this Star website regarding Jose Bautista got me thinking. Why is it just baseball, a sport that has mandatory PED testing at least twice a year, that falls under suspicion?

For the following unpopular question blame Don Cherry and all the nonsense he has been spewing over the last decade about no, absolutely zero, problem in the NHL with performance-enhancing drugs.

Don't blame me.

When it comes to hockey hall-of-famer, forward Dave Andreychuk how is it exactly that at the age of 30, back in 1993-94, he suddenly joined the illustrious ranks of 50-goal scorers? 

Chance? Healthy living? Diet? New contact lenses? Composite stick? 

Hey, prior to 1993-94, Andreychuk, one of the nicest guys in the game, had never potted more than 41 goals in a season, then BAM. What's up with that? The Hamilton, Ontario native (hmm!) had 25 goals the year before, then out of the blue, Bobby Hull and Boom-Boom Geoffrion-esque numbers. 

Things happen in hockey, I guess.

The next year, Andreychuk scored 22 goals, then eight the year after that. But was he done? No sirree. All of a sudden, Andreychuk seemed to find a mysterious Fountain of Youth that carried him for another 10 productive seasons until retiring at age 43. How so? Are these questions that should have been asked at the time by Hockey Hall-of-Fame voters or are they just too trusting and star-struck?

And by the way, when Andreychuk was drafted, he was listed at 6-4, 200 lbs., yet when he retired he was listed at a strapping 225, gaining 25 pounds of mysterious muscle. Hmm, again.  

Now, granted, I have never spoken to Andreychuk and may have met him only once while covering a Tampa Bay game late in his career. But that shouldn't matter. 

Hockey fans won't like it, but you've got to at least ask the question when it comes to Dave Andreychuk. As to what the question is, I'm not sure, but you can only guess.

For the fact that we do wonder, blame hockey....and Damien.

    

Comments

[LW]

I never read anything Cox has to say. I detest those who would always seek the negative in life. If he wants to continue playing that game, then its the Star's responsibility to censure his negativity, because I sure wouldn't buy the paper because of him. I buy the star because its the best paper in the city, and have been for years. I believe that there are certain reporters who really wish they were Americans, but as for me it will always be, GO CANADA GO!!. I love sports and competition, but when publishers list Toronto's teams after others, even when we have exactly the same records, shows me that they have a bias for anything American. As a Jamaican, who Canada allowed to be here and to become a citizen, I'll defend Canada with all I have even if its just talking about sports.

[Conn Smythe]

Great article, Griffin - maybe you can start writing about the Leafs and hockey in general.

[david s]

Sigh. He's being sarcastic. Tongue firmly in cheek. Geez, lighten up, people.

[John Eh MacDonald]

That the Andreychuk reference is flimsy is perfectly fitting - this is about baseless speculation and casual smears.

If Damien had actually cared to do a "story" he would have spoken to Rich, to Perkins etc but that was not his intent. He wanted to spend 15 minutes to get people talking and writing and whatever garbage he lay down was immaterial.

Well done Damien, you do the tabloids proud ...

[Diablo]

I am 6'2" and have varied over the years in my weight from 200-225 pounds most of that being fluctuations in my body fat although my muscle mass changed with working out as well (played CIAU football). It seems many people posting here think that gaining 25 lbs of muscle is no big deal. You are incorrect. That is an enormous amount of weight to put on (even over years), as is the 15 lbs or so you so commonly hear of NBA athletes putting on in an off-season of working out. Perhaps baseball has not done itself any favours but the NBA and NHL will be in a world of trouble if/when they pull their heads out of the sand and toughen their in season testing and actually begin an off-season testing program. How can they claim clean when they don't properly test?

[Craig Miller]

A pretty week argument Griff. It's obvious you don't know much about hockey. Andreychuk's jump had more to do with teamates and better training.

As a suggestion, why don't you team up with someone who knows a bit about hockey (maybe you can even patch things up with Damien) and investigate this topic further as it applies to hockey. I am sure there are hockey players who have taken PEDs to enhance their training and performance. Dig deeper and find us the evidence, rather than just giving this powder puff article. Don't be surprised if Mr Andreychuk takes action against you for your accusations.

[Eric]

on the side of Griff. GO JOSE! KEEP SWATTING THE DINGERS!

[Jason]

Good on ya Grif - Cox has lost any respect he may have had as a sports journalist.......a hockey guy at that!!!! Shame on Cox - stick to the ice, you sound better there, even if you don't think hockey players juice it.....

BTW - Go Jays Go!!!! Keep it up Bautista, we do love ya!!!

[Bleed Blue and White]

Dear Mr. Griffin,

I recommend that you read my newest blog, which speaks to a few of your points in this article. I encourage everyone commenting to read it too. There is a serious lack of journalistic integrity in Mr. Griffin's blog posting.

http://leafsblog1967.blogspot.com/

[The J]

Wow, I'd like to attend the next Star office picnic after this one!

[Chris]

Ladies and gentleman (mostly gentleman I'm guessing),

Mr. Griffin is using a writing style called satire (from dictionary.com: the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc. ). Basically, he's making fun of Damien Cox for focusing on one of many possible reasons to explain Bautista's power surge this year. Mr. Griffin intentionally used poor Dave Andreychuk arguments to mirror the poor arguments Mr. Cox presented in his article. I suspect that Mr. Griffin meant no disrespect to Andreychuk's fantastic career.

Richard, great to see someone calling out shoddy journalism, especially from a coworker.

[Tcobb]

I agree with most people here. Andreychuk may not have been the best example, but the point is clear. What is the point of raising any suspicion and potentially clouding Jose's accomplishment with no concrete evidence? The Jays have been more exciting this year than any of the previous 10 years, there is hope for the future and fans are starting to come back. Thanks for the rebuttle Rich. Damian - I won't waste my time on your articles in the future.

[Angus]

Your logic is interesting using Dave Andreychuk. I don't know about you, but I weighed in at 160 at the same age that Dave was when drafted and when I was 42 weighed in at 225. This was not from steroids, but from continuing to live normally. As for Dave's increase in scoring, the fact that he had Pat Lafontaine on the line, played all of the power-play among other things should make you understand a great deal of the how's and why's as to his goal increase.
Maybe you doth protest too much. I thought that Damien was throwing out a question that has been in the back of a number of people's minds for a while this season.
Players in the NFL are tested regularly and there are fools caught in that league. They have a well deserved reputation for taking steroids too but have had a lot of the spotlight taken off of them because of the shear numbers in baseball. Baseball brought this on themselves. Get off of your high horse!

[Geoff Read]

I'm a hockey and a baseball fan... I don't really see the problem with Cox's piece. All he's saying is that given baseball and baseball players' track record, unfortunately, when someone like Bautista comes along it raises red flags.

He's right. It's sad but true. Which is not to say that Bautista is a user.

And Dave Andreychuk on 'roids? Anything's possible: but it sure didn't make him any faster.

[CM]

I don't know what is more amusing, your article or the fact that people are puzzled and offended by your remarks as if you are actually accusing Andreychuk. "If i only had a brain"

Great blog sir

[Bear32]

Griffin's sneering and preachy response doesn't address the issue. There is very little in Bautista's career that would indicate that this power surge was in the cards. Baseball has only itself to blame for this. For Cox to suggest it in print only confirms what many baseball fans had cross their minds. Where did this come from at 29 years of age?

[Jesse Vandenbroek]

As long as there are MILLIONS of dollars at stake (as there are in football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, golf, mma, etc.) players will use drugs to gain a competitive advantage. Until the end of time!

[forskis]

People need to relax..Cox did not accuse Bautista of taking PEDs...he said that for someone who has never hit 20 HRs in the Majors to all of a sudden hit 40+ after almost 10 years in the Majors is a bit odd and that it is a fair question to ask/think. To credit his change in stance for his vastly increased production is just overlooking the possibilities because he plays for the hometown team. A half-dozen HRs from a new stance, fine, I can believe, also a career year, I can believe as well, but not at this level of production.

So all of you in the media and commenting world, get off Damien's back...it is a fair question to ask after all the other PEDs stuff that has gone on.

[Mike]

Ahh, Ricky Palin made it over to the baseball blog. Everyone say high to little Ricky Palin.
Do some baseball players cheat? Yes.
Do some hockey players cheat? Yes.
Why is it ok to make up rumours about one and not the other? Well thats because the lesser ones find it easier to just unsubstantially pile on.

[John Bastedo]

GOLD!

Not that I think Andreychuk is guilty of anything, but for Damien to pretend that 'it's the media's job to ask these questions' is ridiculous. Dig up some proof and you have a story, instead of making baseless conjecture the story.

[mark]

what about chelios playing until he is 80 years old and looking like he is in the best shape of his life?

[Newter]

why is the local media taking shots at our own teams....doesn't toronto have a bad enough rep when trying to get marquee athletes to come to this city? i'm glad mr. griffin bite back. what is it a slow news week? leaving the bashing of our city's athletes to the americans....

[Bondon]

Way to go Griff, way to put him in his place. Hockey reporters in this city have become too cocky and need to learn that they're one of the reasons why the Leafs have been terrible for the longest time. Nobody wants to put up with their nonsense

[Bondon]

I think people are missing the point of this article, its not to insinuate that Andreychuk was a steroid injecting gym monkey...it's to point out that if you're going comment on a person's character and integrity, you better have some damn good evidence to back it up. People who don't know the sport hear that a guy is hitting 40 homeruns and automatically they say "He's on roids". Do people really think that MLB hasn't already tested Bautista? I'm almost sure that no matter who the MLB leader in homeruns is, they'll always test them. The sad thing is that reporters like Cox almost never get their comeuppance because if it turns out they're right they look like a genius, and if they're wrong its just the norm. Have the stones to ask J Baumb face to face and don't hide behind your blog.

[John]

I love it. The only thing you could have done differently, Richard, is to take the gloves off first . . . oops, Cox is down and bleeding!