Rick Ankiel recieved HGH in 2004

meatball sub · Post #21 » by **meatball sub** » Fri Sep 7, 2007 4:27 pm

Also adding to what I posted earlier...I personally believe the group that says HGH helps athletes, especially those that play baseball and football. There are many benefits according to various things I've read about it since HGH became a popular topic and they include a few that would specifically help athletes:

1. create new muscle cells that would help increase muscle mass.

2. make their bones stronger

3. help muscle recovery which would help while training in the offseason and alsoduring a grueling season in which their muscles become fatigued.

4. reduce body fat

All of those things can help an athlete become faster and stronger, but HGH in alot of cases has been taken by athletes as an aid to recover from an injury because of the said benefits. I know the Cardinal fans are probably bringing the point up that HGH may not help at all to defend Ankiel, but if somebody looks at it objectively they'll realize this shouldn't diminish what he's done this season. I don't see how this tarnishes ANYTHING he's done in the minors or in the show since the headline doesn't say "Ankiel tests positive for banned substance, suspended 50 games."

Ankiel, from what the report says, stopped recieving/taking it as MLB banned the substance so to me that says Ankiel stopped recieving/taking it because it was deemed illegal. That says to me he wasn't trying to cheat. Obviously nobody knows the whole story, but it appears once HGH was banned he stopped using it which IMO makes it fine with me.

Post #22 » by **mizzoupacers** » Fri Sep 7, 2007 4:27 pm

34Celtic wrote:Well this is part of a bigger story. I guess his doctor placed phony prescribtions to a number of athletes. Rodney Harrison is also involved, as is the Steelers trainer and Cowboys QB coach. I could be wrong but from what I've heard they are all part of the same sting.

The Daily News story doesn't say this. It says only that other doctors and other clinics accused of illegal activities have ordered drugs through the same pharmacy that sent Ankiel his HGH shipment. And that this pharmacy (Signature) is involved in the football stuff with Harrison et al.

Ankiel received a prescription from a Dr. William Gogan through the THARC clinic. The story does not say that Gogan or THARC are connected to Harrison, or even that they have been accused of anything illegal. Granted, though, that it would be helpful to find out more about THARC and Gogan.

Here's the relevant passage from the Daily News story:

THARC was not one of the anti-aging clinics busted by Albany, but Signature's owners are under indictment. Prosecutors have said clinics similar to THARC paid physicians to sign prescriptions for clients they never saw--a violation of New York and Florida law--which were then filled at Signature and other pharmacies and shipped to clients.

Post #23 » by **mizzoupacers** » Fri Sep 7, 2007 4:39 pm

bove310 wrote:Also adding to what I posted earlier...I personally believe the group that says HGH helps athletes, especially those that play baseball and football. There are many benefits according to various things I've read about it since HGH became a popular topic and they include a few that would specifically help athletes:

1. create new muscle cells that would help increase muscle mass.

2. make their bones stronger

3. help muscle recovery which would help while training in the offseason and alsoduring a grueling season in which their muscles become fatigued.

4. reduce body fat

All of those things can help an athlete become faster and stronger, but HGH in alot of cases has been taken by athletes as an aid to recover from an injury because of the said benefits. I know the Cardinal fans are probably bringing the point up that HGH may not help at all to defend Ankiel, but if somebody looks at it objectively they'll realize this shouldn't diminish what he's done this season. I don't see how this tarnishes ANYTHING he's done in the minors or in the show since the headline doesn't say "Ankiel tests positive for banned substance, suspended 50 games."

Ankiel, from what the report says, stopped recieving/taking it as MLB banned the substance so to me that says Ankiel stopped recieving/taking it because it was deemed illegal. That says to me he wasn't trying to cheat. Obviously nobody knows the whole story, but it appears once HGH was banned he stopped using it which IMO makes it fine with me.

I don't really disagree with you, I'm just saying that while HGH COULD help athletic performance, it's not very conclusive yet. There have barely been any studies on the older adults that HGH is normally prescribed for, let alone studies on the effects for athletes in their 20s and 30s. Read this advisory from the Mayo Clinic, especially the section "What can human growth hormone do for healthy older adults who don't need it?" and you'll see what I'm getting at in saying it's not all that clear whether HGH is all that helpful to athletes.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/growth-hormone/HA00030

To me, it's sort of a side issue anyway. The real question is whether HGH poses serious long-term health risks. If so, then HGH should be banned. If not, then there is no point in a ban. (To me, it sounds like the long-term consequences for young adults are largely unknown, which makes me think that MLB should probably err on the side of caution.)

bigboy1234 · Post #24 » by **bigboy1234** » Fri Sep 7, 2007 4:52 pm

But most clinical studies suggest that HGH won't help an athlete at all. The other key difference is that while steroids cause a bevy of nasty side effects