Bartolo Colon: The Latest PED User

What a Handsome Guy

Bartolo Colon of the Oakland Athletics is the latest Major League Baseball player to be caught using a performance enhancing drug. This is the second player to be caught using a PED this week. Colon and San Francisco Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera, both tested positive for the banned substance, testosterone. (See more about Cabrera here.)

This is not good for the league and it also is a big blow to another contending team. The Oakland Athletics are currently tied for first in the wild card hunt with the Orioles and Rays. They are all battling for just two extra spots. Colon was also just hitting his stride to with a 3-1 record and 1.88 ERA in August, so the Athletics now have a huge void to fill in their rotation down the stretch.

You have to feel for Colon. He has had a successful Major League career, and in fact he won the AL Cy Young Award in 2005 with the Angels. Either way, cheating is cheating, and his whole career will be questioned. Colon has already been under investigation by the MLB once during his career in 2010. This was when he received a stem cell transplant that had never been performed on a professional baseball player before. The treatment did however allow Colon's bum shoulder to perform as a 38 and 39 year old over the past two seasons. I'm not sure if the transplant is related at all to the new accusations, but it would be strange if Colon would mess with MLB more than once.

One Last Thing: The two most recent suspensions of Cabrera and Colon may be hinting at a crackdown by the MLB on steroid users. If so, don't be surprised if more guys on contending teams get suspended. Also, I guess I'm the steroid reporter on this blog?