MLB begins testing for HGH in minor leagues

[joeybee12]

NEW YORK — Major League Baseball has started random blood testing for human growth hormone in the minor leagues, the first professional sports league in the United States to take the aggressive step against doping.

Commissioner Bud Selig said Thursday that blood testing will immediately become part of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, which has been in place since 2001.

The blood testing is limited to minor league players because they are not members of the players' association, which means the testing is not subject to collective bargaining.

Selig called the decision "a significant step in the detection of the illegal use of human growth hormone" and an "example for all of our drug policies in the future."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38367507/ns/health/


I know where they should start trying to find HGH in the major leagues...A-Hole's locker.

[Ter]

1. Is random blood testing evel legal?

Should it be? It's like like a piss test. You get poked and cut.

[TZ]

2. Random blood draws are legal.

I happen to work in an environment where they are done from time to time (I work in a lab). And giving a tube of blood every now and then isn't that difficult..Time was when I had two or three tubes a week done. And I'm no athelete....

[joeybee12]

4. So, how accurate is a blood test compared to a urine test...tennis

only does urine and it seems like any substance would stay in the blood longer than in urine.

[JonLP24]

5. A blood test would be more effective

I don't know of any sure fire way to beat piss test but based on the fact that you can means that it would be less effective than a blood test which I think would be really hard to cheat. On edit-It is not that uncommon to get a false positive on a urine test. Other than that it depends on how long a drug (depending on light or heavy use) stays in your system. I don't remember the chart by chart but some forms of testing can detect a substance longer than another form. IIRC hair testing can detect alcohol for life if you ever used.

Either way, you're much more likely to catch cannabis users because THC is fat soluble rather than water soluble like salt-like substances.

[joeybee12]

6. Interesting...thanks.

:toast:

[TZ]

7. As Jon said for the most part blood tests are more accurate

and can tell you more....But some things are picked up better in urine than blood (because of the way the diagnostic tests themselves are designed)- which is why comphrehensive screens usually include both.

[joeybee12]

8. I just wonder because there are so many out there trying to mask what they're

taking and just doing urine seems kind of lame.

[joeybee12]

3. Yeah, gotta be legal since they've been doing them for so long...and

it's really the only way to find something...I don't think doing only urine tests stuff will show up.

[Drale]

9. About time

This is the way the MLB got players and managers to stop using chewing tabaco by banning it in the minors. It is also the way they are introducing those new giant helmets that are supposed to be safer, so hopefully this will finally run the cheaters out of our national pass time

[madinmaryland]

10. A yet, A-roid is one homerun from 600.

:wtf:

[joeybee12]

11. Because Selig won't allow testing for HGH in the majors until A-Fraud retires...n/t

[Unsane]

12. hopefully happens in majors soon. Notice how HR totals are WAY down?