Orioles first baseman Chris Davis was suspended for 25 games this afternoon after testing positive for amphetamines. The suspension means Davis will miss the first 8 games of the postseason (assuming the Orioles hold on to their 10-game lead in the AL East). Davis is struggling this year hitting .196 with 26 homers and 72 RBI. It is the lowest batting average for a qualifying Orioles player since 1933.
Davis issued a statement through the Orioles, saying: “I made a mistake by taking Adderall. I had permission to use it in the past, but do not have a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) this year.”
Yeah, about that. Technically, Adderall does not fall under MLB’s PED umbrella. That’s why Davis got dinged for 25 games and not 50. And sure, it appears Davis had a prescription for it at sometime in his career. Why that exemption didn’t continue is beyond me. Either way, the insinuation that Adderall is not a PED is, well, false.
Here’s Dr. Gary Walder, a past chairman of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Prohibited List Committee.
“There’s no question it’s a performance-enhancing drug.”
“It masks fatigue, masks pain, increases arousal — like being in The Zone,” begins Wadler, currently an associate professor of medicine at Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine, in a phone interview.
“It increases alertness, aggressiveness, attention and concentration. It improves reaction time, especially when fatigued. Some think it enhances hand-eye coordination. Some believe it increases the mental aspects of performance.”
Last year Davis was asked about performance enhancing drugs as he was mashing home runs at an incredible clip. He maintained he was as clean as they come.
Reporter: “How does it make you feel, that, even if you hit a hundred people are going to ask questions.”
Davis: “I think I was a little frustrated at first, just at the thought somebody would even question it.”
Wait, what did he say again?
Yes Chris, only time will tell.