MVN - Most Valuable Network

The Un-Natural?

Barely hours after he cleared the fence twice and drove home seven in a 16-4 pasting of the Pittsburgh Pirates, resurrected St. Louis Cardinals star Rick Ankiel turned up on the wrong side of a published report saying he received twelve month’s worth of human growth hormone (HGH) from a Florida source that was tied to a nationwide operation trucking in illegal prescription drugs.

Ankiel, who flamed out mentally and physically as a pitcher earlier this decade, only to return to the majors as a slugging outfielder last month, has evoked comparisons this season to Roy Hobbs and Babe Ruth. He hit two home runs, a double and had seven RBI yesterday against the Pirates at Busch Stadium, giving him nine home runs in 81 at-bats since his remarkable major league comeback began on Aug. 10.

According to records obtained by The News and sources close to the controversy surrounding anti-aging clinics that dispense illegal prescription drugs, Ankiel received eight shipments of HGH from Signature Pharmacy in Orlando from January to December 2004, including the brand-name injectable drugs Saizen and Genotropin. Signature is the pharmacy at the forefront of Albany District Attorney David Soares’ two-year investigation into illegal Internet prescription drug sales, which has brought 22 indictments and nine convictions.

Ankiel’s prescriptions were signed by Florida physician William Gogan, who provided them through a Palm Beach Gardens clinic called “The Health and Rejuvenation Center,” or “THARC.” The drugs were shipped to Ankiel at the clinic’s address.

THARC also provided a shipment of steroids and growth hormone to former major league pitcher Steve Woodard, who pitched for Milwaukee, Cleveland, Texas and Boston during a seven-year career that ended in 2003, according to records. Woodard and Ankiel were teammates with the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds in 2004.

Ankiel lives in nearby Jupiter, Fla.

His agent, Scott Boras, would not comment yesterday, and Woodard did not return messages left on his cell phone. “This is the first I’ve heard of this,” Cardinals GM Walt Jocketty told The News yesterday. “If it’s true, obviously it would be very tragic, along with everything else we’ve had happen to us this year.”

—T.J. Quinn, Christian Red, Michael O’Keefe, Bill Madden, New York Daily News.

The newspaper quoted World Anti-Doping Agency committee member and physician Gary Wadler as saying there are limited reasons why “a healthy man in his 20s” would need HGH medically. (Important distinction: “limited reasons” is not synonymous with “no reasons.”) Doctors can distribute HGH for disease treatment or other medical conditions the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services authorises, the News added.

THARC owners Kevin Johnson and Donald Montano—whose clinic wasn’t busted—told the paper they had no visit by the Albany probers but had been questioned by a Food and Drug Administration agent after Signature’s February raid.

Yeah, I know who [Ankiel] is. He’s having a hell of a year.

—Montano, to the News, though he and Johnson referred the paper to their attorney when asked if Ankiel was a THARC client.

HIPAA rules strictly prohibit me from giving out any patient names without violating the physician/patient relationship. Secondly, under the current policies in effect, no employee at this center is permitted or authorized to give medication, like HGH, to bodybuilders or professional athletes. That’s an absolute no-no.

—Bruce Udoff, Johnson and Montano’s attorney.

Three football figures—Rodney Harrison (New England Patriots safety, suspended for four by the NFL, who also claims he used HGH for healing), Wade Wilson (Dallas Cowboys coach, suspended five and fined $100,000), and Dr. Richard Ryzde (a now-former Pittsburgh Steelers team doctor)—and fourteen wrestlers among other athletes have turned up in the Signature investigation, but Ankiel and Woodard are baseball’s first, the News said.

The foregoing is conveyed bearing in mind we really don’t know what HGH or other actual or alleged performance-enhancing substances will or won’t do beyond enhancing one’s musculature and/or healing times.

Baseball government banned HGH in 2005, the year after Ankiel’s said to have stopped receiving HGH, though it doesn’t yet test for it. (It requires blood testing, which steroids don’t.) A player having or using HGH after the ban can be suspended fifty games.

A player having or using HGH before the ban can still have his image compromised. Fairly or unfairly. Reality or perception. Even (and especially) if he looked like the warm fuzzy story of the season.

MEANWHILE, BACK IN THE STATES . . .

THE HOT SEAT LEAGUE—Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com identifies the following managers potentially on Death Row:

* Joe Torre—unless the Empire Emeritus gets into and past the first two rounds of the postseason.

* Ned Yost—if the Brew Crew blows the postseason following that surprising 24-10 season opening.

* John McLaren—if the Mariners fade right out of the postseason picture while going 29-31 under him compared to 45-33 under Mike Hargrove through 1 July.

* Pete MacKanin—despite his Reds being 32-26 in fewer games than managed by Jerry Narron before the latter’s execution.

* Jim Tracy—who could have company in the guillotine if the new Pirate commanders decide there needs to be a front-office-wide beheading.

The site’s poll thus far indicates Tracy is thought the manager least likely to survive the executioner, with Torre, Ozzie Guillen, McLaren, and Yost finishing behind him in the voting.

And the plots thicken, at least when it comes to the Blizzard of @#$%&@# Ozz: White Sox general manager Ken Williams is saying “double no comment” when asked about an extension but reiterating that Guillen isn’t exactly facing the death penalty just yet.

Let me just say this: There has not been one thought in my mind through all of this that maybe Ozzie Guillen isn’t the guy to bring another championship in Chicago. I’ll just leave it at that.

—Williams, to the Daily Southtown.

THE NONE-TOO-GREAT STAT OF THE WEEK—Courtesy of the irrepressible Jim Rome: Major league teams were 517-0 for holding six-run eighth-inning leads . . . until the Phillies made it 517-1 with that eighth and ninth inning the Atlanta Braves mostly blooped, walked, and infield hit against them Wednesday night.

 

This entry was posted on Friday, September 7th, 2007 at 3:30 am and is filed under human growth hormone, Performance Enhancing Substances (Actual, Alleged), Rick Ankiel, St. Louis Cardinals. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.