Dirty Sanchez?

Forgive the title. I couldn't resist. I bet I won't be the only one who uses it. A few others may have already beaten me. (And if you don't know what a "dirty Sanchez" is, ask someone else. Trust me, it's a great icebreaker.)


He's the first - but will he be the last?

Former Detroit Tigers outfielder Alex Sanchez (now with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays) became the first player suspended under Major League Baseball's new steroid policy yesterday. Sanchez's penalty as a first-time offender is a 10-day suspension. He plans to fight the ban, however, insisting that he only takes "multivitamins, protein shakes, muscle relaxants," "something to give me energy, put a little muscle on my body."

I can't find the exact quote or article (which is driving me nuts at the moment), but over the weekend, Mike Mussina of the New York Yankees said the first player caught using steroids would likely find his major league career over. So we'll see what happens to Sanchez now that he's wearing the scarlet "S." He'll have the stink of embarrassment on him, but since he's not a big home run hitter and doesn't have numbers you can call into question, I have a feeling we'll see him playing again.

Is it possible that the Tigers dismissed Sanchez because of steroid use, perhaps anticipating his suspension? (I have no idea if such a move would be allowed under baseball's labor agreement.) The timing of his release three weeks ago seemed curious, though the Tigers had made no secret of the fact they wanted to replace him in centerfield because of his impatience as a hitter, ineptness in the field, and his salary. Hopefully, that question will come up in the Detroit (and national) press over the next few days.

So does this kill the idea that taking steroids makes a player an automatic superstar? Hell, as a Tigers fan, I would've liked to see Sanchez take more of the juice.

Here's Buster Olney's take at ESPN.com. As you might imagine, plenty of blogs also have something to say on the subject. Two that caught my eye: Chris Blanchard's conspiratorial angle was interesting, while listerplus has doubts, based on Sanchez's smaller physique and lack of power numbers.