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Good Morning Hackers! Some of you might consider this a reach, but their are some strange coincidences. Today I will revert back to Eldrick's nickname for this article.
The sports era that we live in is constantly being tainted with steroid use and HGH. Sure, it is predominantly in baseball, but other sports are riddled with PED scandals, also: track, football, wrestling, and basically anything in the Olympics; to name a few. Why not Golf? As a traditional sports fan, I am constantly disappointed to hear that each year some of America's greatest sports icons (Roger Clemmons, Barry Bonds, and Alex Rodriguez) are constantly getting crossed of the "Fair Players List"! Even Lance Armstrong, one of the greatest ambassadors of out country, is constantly engulfed in performance enhancing drug (PEDs) speculation. But this blog is about golf...
Yesterday, Dr. Anthony Galea pleaded guilty to bringing PEDs into the United States from Canada. For those of you who don't know of Dr. Galea, he "treated" over 50 athletes in their homes from 2007 to 2009. Some of you will be surprised that his two biggest clients were Alex Rodriguez and Tiger Woods. Now, Tiger has denied any connection with PEDs through Dr. Galea. He states that he received a treatment called blood swirls to help him rehab his knee after the 2008 season, but the changes in Tiger's game and health cannot do unnoticed.
Let's take a glance at some timeline coincidences...
Tiger was at the top of his game coming into the 2008 season; winning 5 majors in 3 years. Even his appearance was one of great stature; he looked more like a starting safety in the NFL, instead of a golfer. Going into the 2008 US Open, everyone knew Tiger had a real shot at doing something special. He had dominated Torrey Pines in the past. Boy, did he do something special! He won in dramatic fashion, beating Rocco Mediate in an 18 holes playoff on Monday. (The Greatest US Open of all time) Not to mention, with a torn ACL. This brings me to my next point, the deterioration of Tiger's left leg.
Something else that happened in 2008, Tim Finchem, announced that the PGA Tour would institute drug testing effective July 3rd, 2008. (Tiger was completely for drug testing on tour... btw) What happens when a human body that has been exposed to steroids for years? It becomes dependant. If you stop the usage of PEDs then the body begins to deteriorate. There could be a direct correlation of this to Tiger's injuries, but it has not been proven. Nor will it be proven. What does this plea mean for Tiger? Probably nothing, but information doesn’t always come out overnight.
As in the case with most athletes who used steroids, most information comes out during or after the trial. For example, take Roger Clemmons, he told Congress that he did not use steroids. Now, several years later, he is in a court room fighting to stay out of jail for lying about it. However, this doctor holds the key for Tiger. He needs to doctor come out and say that he never treated him with PEDs. Until then it has to be something that ways on Tiger's shoulders. What Tiger does not need is some sort of tell all book.
Do I think Tiger has done steroids? I don't know. Do I think it is weird that he chose Dr. Anthony Galea to treat him? Beyond weird! Tiger Woods is the best golfer I have ever seen! Of all these athletes, Tiger would disappoint me the greatest. I am not a huge fan of his, but I have a great respect for him on the golf course. When he was in his "Tiger Mode", it was like magic to watch. He often played as close to perfect as any golfer there has ever been. I would be destroyed to know that it was all a mirage. Let's hope that Tiger did everything by the book and nothing comes of the events yesterday… for both Tiger and the game!
Good Morning Hackers! Some of you might consider this a reach, but their are some strange coincidences. Today I will revert back to Eldrick's nickname for this article.
The sports era that we live in is constantly being tainted with steroid use and HGH. Sure, it is predominantly in baseball, but other sports are riddled with PED scandals, also: track, football, wrestling, and basically anything in the Olympics; to name a few. Why not Golf? As a traditional sports fan, I am constantly disappointed to hear that each year some of America's greatest sports icons (Roger Clemmons, Barry Bonds, and Alex Rodriguez) are constantly getting crossed of the "Fair Players List"! Even Lance Armstrong, one of the greatest ambassadors of out country, is constantly engulfed in performance enhancing drug (PEDs) speculation. But this blog is about golf...
Yesterday, Dr. Anthony Galea pleaded guilty to bringing PEDs into the United States from Canada. For those of you who don't know of Dr. Galea, he "treated" over 50 athletes in their homes from 2007 to 2009. Some of you will be surprised that his two biggest clients were Alex Rodriguez and Tiger Woods. Now, Tiger has denied any connection with PEDs through Dr. Galea. He states that he received a treatment called blood swirls to help him rehab his knee after the 2008 season, but the changes in Tiger's game and health cannot do unnoticed.
Let's take a glance at some timeline coincidences...
Tiger was at the top of his game coming into the 2008 season; winning 5 majors in 3 years. Even his appearance was one of great stature; he looked more like a starting safety in the NFL, instead of a golfer. Going into the 2008 US Open, everyone knew Tiger had a real shot at doing something special. He had dominated Torrey Pines in the past. Boy, did he do something special! He won in dramatic fashion, beating Rocco Mediate in an 18 holes playoff on Monday. (The Greatest US Open of all time) Not to mention, with a torn ACL. This brings me to my next point, the deterioration of Tiger's left leg.
Something else that happened in 2008, Tim Finchem, announced that the PGA Tour would institute drug testing effective July 3rd, 2008. (Tiger was completely for drug testing on tour... btw) What happens when a human body that has been exposed to steroids for years? It becomes dependant. If you stop the usage of PEDs then the body begins to deteriorate. There could be a direct correlation of this to Tiger's injuries, but it has not been proven. Nor will it be proven. What does this plea mean for Tiger? Probably nothing, but information doesn’t always come out overnight.
As in the case with most athletes who used steroids, most information comes out during or after the trial. For example, take Roger Clemmons, he told Congress that he did not use steroids. Now, several years later, he is in a court room fighting to stay out of jail for lying about it. However, this doctor holds the key for Tiger. He needs to doctor come out and say that he never treated him with PEDs. Until then it has to be something that ways on Tiger's shoulders. What Tiger does not need is some sort of tell all book.
Do I think Tiger has done steroids? I don't know. Do I think it is weird that he chose Dr. Anthony Galea to treat him? Beyond weird! Tiger Woods is the best golfer I have ever seen! Of all these athletes, Tiger would disappoint me the greatest. I am not a huge fan of his, but I have a great respect for him on the golf course. When he was in his "Tiger Mode", it was like magic to watch. He often played as close to perfect as any golfer there has ever been. I would be destroyed to know that it was all a mirage. Let's hope that Tiger did everything by the book and nothing comes of the events yesterday… for both Tiger and the game!
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