Melky’s web campaign tries to discredit doping allegations
Melky Cabrera, who was caught violating the MLB’s illegal substance policy last week, has taken his cleats and dug himself into deeper problems. The season-streaking slugger has been raking for the San Francisco Giants, putting up career numbers in contention with the National League batting title. Now it seems that in a last ditch effort to save face, Cabrera has fallen on his mug hard and may even jeopardize his future with the Giants.
Cabrera, who is currently serving a 50 game suspension for elevated levels of testosterone, is said to have had representatives hire a “paid consultant” to purchase a web site for which to market a fake sports cream. The effect being that Cabrera could say he had no idea the cream carried a banned substance.
Before his suspension, Cabrera was hitting .346 (the second highest in the N.L.) and was named the 2012 All-Star MVP. Now instead of closing in on the N.L. MVP race, Melky’s found himself with both MLB and the FDA on his trail.
Criminal investigative agent for the FDA, Jeff Novitzky, is considering Cabrera’s case. Novitzky, whose investigations have included Barry Bonds, Marion Jones and Lance Armstrong, is a bloodhound when it comes to athlete doping.
Safe to say Cabrera is guilty. There’s no doubt about that, unlike Brewers all-star Ryan Braun who successfully beat his juicing allegations. Melky on the other hand comes off as a schemer trying to pull the wool over fans’ and officials’ eyes with his faux product-endorsing website scam.
Cabrera, who was once a slugging savior for the Giants, has now fallen under criticism for his ploy.
San Jose Mercury sports columnist, Tim Kawakami calls Cabrera “ worse than guilty .” Kawakami also goes on to call Cabrera a “failed, guilty deceiver” for his attempts at trying to salvage his blemished reputation.
In a sport that year after year turns up new cases of performance enhancing drugs, should we really be that surprised when a rising star turns out to be a juicer?
If there is anything baseball has taught us in recent years, it is that some things are usually too good to be true.
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