Hard to understand how a guy who had everything to lose by taking steroids would do so. Rafael Palmeiro has had a great career and a great reputation. He's been mentioned in steroid rumors before, but his testimony in front of Congress convinced many people that he was on the up and up. Not now.
Palmeiro tested positive in a recent test for stanozolol, according to today's NY Times. This is a drug that is not available in any dietary supplement or whatever, so if true Palmeiro was lying in his conference call on Monday when he said he "had never intentionally used steroids". I'm pretty sure he was lying when he testified before Congress last March too, but prosecuting him for perjury is unlikely.
Palmeiro got a 10 game suspension, which is a joke. Fifty should be the minimum. And, a lifetime bar from the Hall of Fame should be part of the penalty. It's time the union realized that its members have a stake in getting this out of the game and stopped pussy-footing around the issue. Baseball is not automatically "forever". Sports can be ruined by this and it's time the players union recognized that fact.
