Uncle, sports gods. Uncle.
In what has already arguably been the worst week in history to be a Baltimore sports fan, things just got that much worse, as Chris Davis has been suspended for 25 games for taking a banned substance. What was first reported as being an amphetamine was later revealed, by Davis, to have been the Attention Deficit Disorder drug Adderall.
In a statement, Davis said the following:
I apologize to my teammates, coaches, the Orioles organization, and especially the fans. 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. I accept my punishment and will begin serving my suspension immediately.
In the short term, Davis’ suspension means that the O’s are without him for the final 17 regular season games, and up to eight playoff games, should they advance that far.
While many will say that losing Davis’ .196/.300/.404 slash line doesn’t hurt all that much, consider this:
And yeah, I know Chris Davis is hitting .196 this year. His OPS would still rank third (!) among the Royals' 10 most-used hitters.
— Rany Jazayerli (@jazayerli) September 12, 2014
In addition, there were signs that Davis’ bat was starting to come around this month, as he was hitting .256/.326/.436 in September.
This team has overcome a lot this year, so there really is no reason to think they won’t once again persevere. Some combination of Jimmy Paredes, Ryan Flaherty, and Kelly Johnson will have to step up and play solid defense at third base, and the guys who have made up for Davis’ lack of production all season will hopefully continue to do so.
Bigger picture, this is a terrible look for Davis, who was accused time and again of being on PEDs during his amazing 2013 season. He never stared at congress and wagged his finger, so he’s not another Rafael Palmeiro, but he did speak out against PED use and proclaim to be clean on many occasions.
Of course, Adderall is NOT a steroid, but that won’t matter in the public eye, as we’re all well aware. Craig Calcaterra of hardballtalk said this:
Prediction: Davis gets way more crap for his amphetamines suspension than the many players who have gotten one but didn’t hit 50 homers. People comparing his stats from this year vs. his stats from last year. People making a much bigger deal out of this than they did out of, say, Cameron Maybin‘s suspension for the same thing earlier this season;
Moreover, I expect the same people who go after Davis and call his 2013, 50-homer season fraudulent to be less eager to play that game with the guys who took amphetamines in the 1950s and 60s. There’s a lot of “well, greenies were different” sentiment out there. If they were, you gotta lay off Davis’ power numbers from last year. if they weren’t, you gotta ask what we think of Mickey Mantle or Willie Mays.
Buck Showalter also knows the score.
Buck's big concern with Davis suspension is how some people will "connect the dots." Not steroids. But he knows people will make that jump
— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) September 12, 2014
And that’s the truth. Chris Davis has still never tested positive for steroids, but that’s the label he’ll now face for the rest of his career. While the public’s ignorance of what the difference between amphetamines, steroids, and ADHD drugs is not his fault, continuing to take a banned substance when he did not have a current exemption to do so IS 100% his fault. My dad has gone off on Davis all season for being a “big, dumb meathead” for not trying to beat the shift, and today’s news lends some weight to that stance. Davis’ decision to continue taking it is really a head-scratcher, ESPECIALLY considering that MLB requires two positive tests for Adderall to impose discipline. So yeah, he got caught once before and then took it again.
Smooth move, Chris.
As recently as 2012, 8% of Major Leaguers had an ADD exemption for Adderall or the similar drug Ritalin.
From beginning of 2012 season thru 2013, MLB has issued 122 therapeutic use exemptions, including 119 for ADD.
— Eduardo A. Encina (@EddieInTheYard) September 12, 2014
Its use is nothing new. But Chris needs to be smarter, and that’s all there is to it. He knows the rules.
Davis is a guy that we’ve all loved during his tenure in Baltimore. He’s goofy, outgoing, friendly, and at times downright hilarious. Unfortunately, there is nothing funny about this.
It’s just extremely disappointing, and somehow Baltimore sports fans who just started to get off the mat following a big Ravens win over the Steelers on the heels of all the Ray Rice stuff are punched right in the gut again, immediately.
Some wins over the Yankees will make things a little better, at least. Go O’s.
And, for what it’s worth:
Orioles are 72-55 this season when Chris Davis plays. They're a whopping 14-4 (.778) when he sits.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 12, 2014
Also, this:
It's my understanding that Davis did not apply for a therapeutic use exemption this year after having one last year. Dont know why
— Dan Connolly (@danconnollysun) September 12, 2014
