Rick Guttormson Caught Doping

Does anyone know what kind of substances he was using? Thanks in advance.

Well, the excuse is that the trace chemical he was caught positive for was for a hair growth formula he's been taking since a couple years back. Yusaku Iriki used a similar excuse when he tested positive in MLB. I believe he said that some vitamins he took made him test positive.

These aren't good excuses, in my opinion, since these guys get paid to use their bodies and get tested multiple times a year. Putting such things in your body without getting them approved is pretty ignorant. If Guttormson's excuse is the truth, it's a shame because the PR damage has already been done. Chiba Lotte had some tabloid hack write about how they all took meth for their miraculous 2005 season, and people still bring that up when they bash the team, despite the article having no evidence at all.

It's not an excuse, it's the truth! You people are so ignorant! You having nothing better to do then sit and make accusations or statements that don't make sense and are untrue. I am 100% convinced this will do nothing to his career and only make the Japanese Baseball Association look stupid for blowing something like this out of proportion!

Is this really a big deal? The release said "hair tonic." It must be a flaw in the testing. Why would they suspend a player for using a banned hair tonic? I don't get it.

Being that this is the first positive test in Japan they better have their facts straight. If they jumped to conclusions and the product that caused the positive test does nothing more than promote hair growth then the NPB will end up looking really foolish to the rest of the world on this, especially since it was a foreigner.

I am failing to understand why Guttormson may never play in Japan again. He is in the first year of a two year contract and was trying to stay ahead of nature and unlucky genes.

The general rule in doping cases is that certain substances are banned. Products which include those substances are forbidden. It is the athlete's responsibility to ensure that he is not taking anything which might include a banned substance. Generally excuses such as "I didn't know what was in the mixture/lotion/whatever" are not considered valid.

Hey CJ. I take back my original analysis of a complete blackballing from NPB. I wouldn't say it's 100% forgivable right now, but the situation in question definitely shouldn't warrant that kind of harsh response from the organization.

As for why a player would get blackballed permanently when the official suspension is 20 games, it's just a culture difference. In Japan, when an individual is shamed, everyone he associates with is associated with that shame. The best example of this is when celebrities get caught in bad situations. Sometimes they can be forgiven once if the offense is small time, but a second forgiveness is unheard of.

NPB had a case like this last year when Katsuhiko Maekawa of the Orix Buffaloes was found guilty of a hit-and-run while driving a car without a license. He was only 28, but he'll never play baseball again. Kazuhito Tadano was a top prospect expected to go #1 in the draft before the media found out he appeared in a gay porn. When that information came out, every single team refused to draft him, so he had to go try out for the Cleveland farm system. Yutaka Enatsu is considered by many to be the best pitcher Japan ever had, but he was arrested for drug possession (speed), so he's not in the Meikyuukai (Golden Players Club) or the Hall of Fame.

The full story is now available in English at JapanBall.

From the report it looks as if he's been merely careless by not declaring that he was using the hair tonic (which happened to contain the banned substance - a possible masking agent, not a performance-enhancing drug). As a result, he deserves the rather light punishment that's been imposed.

But this is serious business, so all athletes need to be aware that even the most innocuous treatments may include traces of banned substances. It's in their own interest to declare everything - then they have a defense.

This was 100% the fault of the Hawks. Guttormson filed the necessary paperwork in Spring Training informing NPB that he was taking the medicine, which puts him in the clear. The Hawks failed to turn in the paperwork and that is why he received the suspension and the team the 7.5 million yen fine.

You appear to be a very un-informed person, "never to play baseball in Japan again". Please know and understand all the facts before posting your opinion on the Internet. That way you have at least half a chance at looking somewhat smart.

Don't bash the messenger. I couldn't care less about what happens to Guttormson. He could win every start he has left in the season or get banned from the sport. I'm indifferent to it. I'm just relaying Japanese popular opinion and news article blurbs.

Sometimes I swear this site has too much of a connection with the players' family members and friends. Ball players are in the public eye. There will be negative opinions of them. Deal with it.

It appears that you think that you are entitled to an opinion on matters that you have no real or first hand knowledge, but family or friends should have no opinions. I think not, BigManZam.

Family and friends, whether they have evidence or not, show extreme bias for obvious reasons.

This issue has gotten to be a little more complicated.

Nikkan Sports (August 11, 2007 paper edition) is reporting that Yakult's Horiuchi-trainer stated, "During spring of last year, [Guttormson] informed us of the pharmaceutical product [for hair growth] which we confirmed with NPB, who replied that it was a banned substance. We relayed that to him, and warned him not to use it."

So why is there no news on if the hair tonic was working?

Perhaps this is just my own personal interest.

He got caught using steroids. Period. What he tested positive for was a masking agent that users use to hide any potential positive for other substances.

It was widely speculated around the league that he was a user. How else do you explain a minor leaguer who threw 88-92 adding such bulk and suddenly throwing consistently 94-96?

I'm so tired of all the excuses. From Bonds to Guttormson. I can't believe fans even acknowledge the week attempts and play stupid. They know what they are taking. Other players know what they are taking. It isn't that tough of a puzzle to solve. Who can blame them though? Once a few cheaters raised the bar and baseball turned the blind eye, guys have a choice to make. Remain a career minor leaguer, or take the sauce and make big money in Japan or get to the big leagues.

It is so far out of hand it really isn't about Guttormson. He is just collateral damage. But let's all get real and stop accepting the, "I don't know what I'm putting in my body" excuse. Or worse, I'm more worried about my thinning hair than a substance that could ruin my career excuse.

It's not a masking agent. If you know the whole story, it's a hair loss pill he is taking to prevent hair loss. This is most effective when you take at the early stages of thinning hair. People can say he has a full head of hair, but if his hair is thinning and he has an obvious concern about it, that is why he acquired the prescription. It is not his fault that his trainer failied to turn the paperwork in.

As athletes you have to put a lot of things in your body to get you through along the season, whether it be vitamins, something to give you energy, or something to help you recover, and under NPB guidelines, some of these things may make you test positive.

The hair pills were not making him throw the ball any harder or recover any faster. It was not performance enhancing. It was physical appearance enhancing. Give the guy a break. It was not his fault. NPB is looking for a poster boy and they found him, and who better than a gaijin?

Race and nationality play no role in this. If you were Japanese, you'd know that.

- He got caught using steroids. Period.

Uh no, actually. No trace of steroids was found. How do you come to that conclusion?

I'm sick and tired of so-called fans always assuming the worst. If the guy says it was hair tonic, unless you've got evidence to the contrary, then hair tonic it is.

Somebody messed up, that's for sure. Prima facie, it appears that either Guttormson or his club failed to declare it, or that Guttormson ignored the club's advice not to take it. Either way a suspension is justified. But it's difficult to make the leap and assume that Guttormson must be guilty of something worse.

It sounds as if the Yakult trainer is trying to cover his own butt.

I want to add that this story has been on top of the official Yahoo.com sports section for the past 24 hours. I certainly didn't expect that kind of coverage. JapanBaseballDaily.com has a ton of English coverage of the situation as well, so check it out.