Comments on: Floyd Landis and the future of baseball drug testing http://www.cheatersguidetobaseball.com/2007/09/20/floyd-landis-and-the-future-of-baseball-drug-testing/ Baseball, Cheating, and Rules discussion at the author's blog for the Cheater's Guide to Baseball Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:40:44 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Evan http://www.cheatersguidetobaseball.com/2007/09/20/floyd-landis-and-the-future-of-baseball-drug-testing/#comment-1048 Evan Mon, 01 Oct 2007 22:26:04 +0000 http://www.cheatersguidetobaseball.com/2007/09/20/floyd-landis-and-the-future-of-baseball-drug-testing/#comment-1048 I figure a casual cycling fan watches the Tour de France once a year and doesn't follow the sport beyond that. Sort of like how I'm a casual rally racing fan. Ever since SPEED stopped showing weekly WRC highlights, all I get is the annual Paris-Dakar coverage, and outside of those 16 days I don't follow the sport at all. I figure a casual cycling fan watches the Tour de France once a year and doesn’t follow the sport beyond that.

Sort of like how I’m a casual rally racing fan. Ever since SPEED stopped showing weekly WRC highlights, all I get is the annual Paris-Dakar coverage, and outside of those 16 days I don’t follow the sport at all.

]]> By: zzyzx http://www.cheatersguidetobaseball.com/2007/09/20/floyd-landis-and-the-future-of-baseball-drug-testing/#comment-1042 zzyzx Fri, 28 Sep 2007 11:39:11 +0000 http://www.cheatersguidetobaseball.com/2007/09/20/floyd-landis-and-the-future-of-baseball-drug-testing/#comment-1042 I think even a casual baseball fan would know if a World Series championship were suddenly awarded to the other team due to cheating. This has been in the news enough that I assume it's known to pretty much anyone who cares about cycling as a sport. I think even a casual baseball fan would know if a World Series championship were suddenly awarded to the other team due to cheating. This has been in the news enough that I assume it’s known to pretty much anyone who cares about cycling as a sport.

]]> By: DMZ http://www.cheatersguidetobaseball.com/2007/09/20/floyd-landis-and-the-future-of-baseball-drug-testing/#comment-1038 DMZ Thu, 27 Sep 2007 21:40:18 +0000 http://www.cheatersguidetobaseball.com/2007/09/20/floyd-landis-and-the-future-of-baseball-drug-testing/#comment-1038 I would have to find some casual cycling fans to survey them and find out. I'm betting, though, that there aren't any: being a cycling fan at all requires you to seek out information and ensures a certain level of interest and dedication. You can't really be a casual cycling fan in the way you can watch ESPN and be a casual baseball fan (and even then, you would have seen the Landis decision) -- the casual baseball fan here gets scores, standings, big news, while a casual cycling fan wouldn't ever see anything from the Tour of Switzerland, or Tour of Flanders, or whatnot. I would have to find some casual cycling fans to survey them and find out. I’m betting, though, that there aren’t any: being a cycling fan at all requires you to seek out information and ensures a certain level of interest and dedication. You can’t really be a casual cycling fan in the way you can watch ESPN and be a casual baseball fan (and even then, you would have seen the Landis decision) — the casual baseball fan here gets scores, standings, big news, while a casual cycling fan wouldn’t ever see anything from the Tour of Switzerland, or Tour of Flanders, or whatnot.

]]> By: Evan http://www.cheatersguidetobaseball.com/2007/09/20/floyd-landis-and-the-future-of-baseball-drug-testing/#comment-1037 Evan Thu, 27 Sep 2007 21:26:35 +0000 http://www.cheatersguidetobaseball.com/2007/09/20/floyd-landis-and-the-future-of-baseball-drug-testing/#comment-1037 I don't know about that. Does the casual cycling fan even know that Landis lost his title? But the casual baseball fan does think the game has been tainted with steroids. Baseball may view the perception of wrong-doing as more important than the integrity of contest outcomes themselves. I don’t know about that. Does the casual cycling fan even know that Landis lost his title?

But the casual baseball fan does think the game has been tainted with steroids. Baseball may view the perception of wrong-doing as more important than the integrity of contest outcomes themselves.

]]> By: Mat http://www.cheatersguidetobaseball.com/2007/09/20/floyd-landis-and-the-future-of-baseball-drug-testing/#comment-1028 Mat Tue, 25 Sep 2007 05:52:35 +0000 http://www.cheatersguidetobaseball.com/2007/09/20/floyd-landis-and-the-future-of-baseball-drug-testing/#comment-1028 I think the "extremely aggressive" testing in cycling goes hand-in-hand with making it easier to wind up in court when compared to baseball's more conservative testing. If baseball sticks to tests that are extremely reliable, it should be pretty easy for them to stay out of extended legal battles. (As long as they take the proper precautions making sure the samples are processed by reputable lab techs.) Baseball might have some trouble on the "you're not testing for this or that" PR front, but that's probably a more acceptable PR hit than having to worry about a post-season result being debated in court for over a year because they used a fishy drug test that may or may not have been accurate. I think the “extremely aggressive” testing in cycling goes hand-in-hand with making it easier to wind up in court when compared to baseball’s more conservative testing. If baseball sticks to tests that are extremely reliable, it should be pretty easy for them to stay out of extended legal battles. (As long as they take the proper precautions making sure the samples are processed by reputable lab techs.)

Baseball might have some trouble on the “you’re not testing for this or that” PR front, but that’s probably a more acceptable PR hit than having to worry about a post-season result being debated in court for over a year because they used a fishy drug test that may or may not have been accurate.

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