Dinger Donger...

...and other thoughts about substance abuse in sports.

I've been wondering for a while what was found in A. J. Allmendinger's failed drug test, and whether we would see a steady, purposeful recovery method similar to the Randy LaJoie incident, or whether it would turn into the train-wreck that is Jeremy Mayfield.

A. J. has come forward (after seeking advice from fellow drivers) and commented on what was discovered in the tests. Dinger tested positive for Adderall, and claims that it was a pill handed to him by a friend that was described as an energy supplement. He didn't know what it was.

When the story originally broke, I wanted to give him the benefit of doubt. Innocent until proven guilty. Wait for the "B" results, and what was actually in it. Now that I know what the test found, I see his story as less likely to be true, due to the performance-enhancing nature of the drug. It increases energy and mental focus. Is that a huge advantage? In my opinion, no. It is not. Based on the mental acuity required to break into and excel in the sport in the first place, I would see it as a minimal advantage over your competitors.

On that note, even if the effect is minimal, it's still an advantage. This is a sport that always pushes the envelope on gaining advantage on the competition. It's a sport that measures every possible part of a car to 32nd's of an inch, and teams do the best they can to get as close to those tolerances as possible. And that's what I think is really going on here. He saw a way to get an edge, however minimal it might have been, and got caught. He chose a method, however, that may have cost him his career. I wish him no ill will, and hope he can one day return to the sport.

Tyrann Mathieu

God bless the family of Tyrann Mathieu. There are too many stories about parents or families that fail to take responsibility for the actions of their children. I found it refreshing when stories came out earlier this week that the family of the disgraced corner back from LSU came forward to say that they would be keeping him in rehab and they would decide if and when he would go back to school. He was given chances to straighten himself up and failed to, so they stepped in and took control of the situation. Good on-ya.

Anyone that has seen him play should be able to recognize that he is a gifted, talented athlete and could have a bright future at the next level. His family does recognize that and knows that he won't make it that far if he doesn't clean himself up. When he makes it to the next level, he will owe a great deal of that to his family for the actions they are taking today.

Melky Cabrera

The All Star MVP and leader of the NL Batting Title, having the best season of his career, is caught juicing, then creates a fake web site to corroborate his story as to how it happened. There's only one thing I want to say about this.

Tool.