Geovany Soto is a viper

by
June 25, 2009

Or at least he was during the WBC:

Cubs catcher Geovany Soto tested positive for marijuana use while playing for Puerto Rico during the World Baseball Classic last March, the International Baseball Federation announced Thursday.

Soto released a statement saying he was “embarrassed by my lapse in judgment.”

“While I full acknowledge my inappropriate behavior, I want to assure my fans and my family that this was an isolated incident,” he said.

Soto will be banned from international play for two years, but the positive drug test does not have any impact on his major league career.

And before anyone says anything, I am 100% in favor of legalization of marijuana and not just for medical purposes. Why anyone gives a hoot and a half about an occasional joint is beyond me. As for baseball, I only care about reefer insofar as it compels a player to eat too many nachos afterwards, thus causing the guy to be out of game shape.


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dan
13 years ago

Does anybody really think that the ONE time he smoked weed just happened to be the time he got caught?

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Michael
13 years ago

Wouldn’t the Chronic be considered a Performance-Impairing Drug?

Maybe he was inspired by Dock Ellis, but was too scared of giant webbed fire monsters to go with the brown acid?

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kranky kritter
13 years ago

Clearly the lapse in judgement was getting caught.

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Charles Kitchen
13 years ago

Ali G once interviewed an Olympics committee member, and got him to say you should get a head start in events if you were high.

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Matt J.
13 years ago

I will wait patiently for the day when athletes don’t have to apologize and fake shame for doing something so relatively harmless.

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bpasinko
13 years ago

Did Ricky Williams kinda do that or no?

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N
13 years ago

If you saw Soto early this season, the side effects of overeating nachos were clearly present. Hopefully, the man will pick up a munchie suppressant before next off season.

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Richard in Dallas
13 years ago

The only person put in harm’s way by a ballplayer taking a blunt break is the player himself.  Reaction time and depth perception are greatly altered.  Not being able to tell how far away the fastball is that’s coming at your head (not that you could react fast enough to get out of its way anyway), could lead to quite a disturbing event in your life.  It would probably seem funny, though, while chowing down on a snack of chili and ding dongs a little later…..

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Nick Whitman
13 years ago

Craig, I agree 100%.  Why even make the guy apologize?  Does anyone actually think he’s sorry?  Or that it was a one-time thing?  And more importantly, only the most tight-assed of the tight-assed would even care.  They shouldn’t even test for reefer in sports.

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Craig Calcaterra
13 years ago

Richard: we can just put a net up around him . . .

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Richard in Dallas
13 years ago

Craig – NOW you’ve got it, put the net up around the burnouts on the field, and let ME (who left that lifestyle behind back in the late 70’s at the University of Dayton) take pictures from the good seats between the dugout and the plate….

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Seth
13 years ago

its ridiculous, players drink all the time, and that probably is more damaging to their playing shape than smoking pot every once in awhile. Soto shouldn’t have to be shamed for this at all.

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Jason
13 years ago

Common sense and rationality have no place in this discussion.  Marijuana is the devil’s work.

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dan
13 years ago

I find it comical how much Marijuana is frowned upon in the US despite the extraordinarily week arguments against its use.

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Ivar
13 years ago

How is marijuana a performance enhancing drug?  I understand it is illegal, but really, does it rank up there with amphetamines and steroids?

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Richard in Dallas
13 years ago

Dan – I think if you put the issue on a ballot in a general election, you’d be shocked at how easily it would win approval.  It’s something people frown at only when they think someone might be looking…..

Ivar – It is ONLY because it is illegal that anybody really cares.  They are afraid to make it legal, and have been able to keep things status quo with the formidable help of the liquor lobby…

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Vin
13 years ago

Am I the only person who kind of likes ballplayers more when they’re discovered smoking pot? I remember there was some bust involving the ‘02 Mets and I thought maybe it would help build team chemistry or something.

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Richard in Dallas
13 years ago

Vin – NOT team chemistry, team HERBistry!

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Scafeets
13 years ago

From 420 to .220
Legalize it.

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Matt Aux
13 years ago

waitwaitwait WAIT.  You’re telling me that a baseball player does something that normal people do?

I understand the disappointment; he plays for a team supported by fans’ dollars, so they don’t want him doing something illegal that could jeopardize his playing time and performance level.  But I really do hope the treatment of this stays rational.

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APBA Guy
13 years ago

Here in SF we understand a thing or two about the side effects of weed, and our collective advice is Ben and Jerry’s Fudge Brownie, instead of nachos.

Sugar is your friend.

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Kramer
13 years ago

Wait, did anyone even ASK if he has glaucoma?  Maybe that’s why he’s only hitting .228.

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john barleycorn
13 years ago

rob fick and matt anderson were room mates in arizona, way back when they were tiger farmhands.
they got busted in a USPS raid, investigating pro athletes getting marijuana thru the mail.  they apparently had a six foot glass bong on the coffee table in the living room.  this was reported in the detroit free press at the time, with the idea being this was the first bust being made in a wider ranging investigation involving the NBA, NFL, and MLB.  there was no action taken by the tigers against the two, and lo and behold, no further reporting in the news that i ever saw about the farther ranging USPS investigation.

i know that the mlb testing protocol doesn’t test for marijuana.

so…er.  is it a surprise that young folks with money to burn…(sorry)…burn their money this way sometimes?

honestly, i smoked many a joint with athletes in high school…some of whom went on to play professionally.  i never had any reason to think that once they were making money that they’d suddenly change who and what they are.

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john barleycorn
13 years ago

richard in dallas…i submit to you that the lack of reaction time is overstated, depending on how you choose to medicate yourself.  if you blow far too much?  sure, there’s a draw back.  on the other hand…if you medicate yourself with a sensible dose…you can actually limit the anxiety inherent, without screwing up your timing.

after all, most of the studies done investigating marijuana’s effects call for six to twelve joints a day for months at a time.

not everyone who smokes behaves like jeff spicoli.

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Brandon Heikoop
13 years ago

Would the MLBPA not allow Selig to suspend Soto? If not, I literally have no clue what all the fuss is over steroids. I mean, is it a big deal because they are illegal, or because they enhance performance?

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RichardInDallas
13 years ago

Brandon – The big deal about steroids is that they enhance performance, AND they do awful things to your body.  The pressure to partake in order to remain competetive, therefore the pressure to destroy your body in order to remain competetive, is the issue.  NOBODY is out running around looking for a bag of weed in order to play better baseball.

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john barleycorn
12 years ago

richardindallas – boy that sounds awfully authoritative.  i bet you’re wrong.  the same way musicians and artists and writers do, some folks who play baseball believe it helps them focus.  and with the spate of folks having anxiety issues that have driven them to the DL…and the hundred or so folks who get passes for ocd prescriptions…i’d be more inclined to believe that anyone who chose to responsibly medicate themselves in order to focus better probably knows more about what works for them than you or i do.  i haven’t hit live pitching in…well, it’s gotta be twenty five years or more.  i’d want to tap a one hitter a couple times before i tried it.  and, you know, pull out the old 8 track player and throw on a little free for all…

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