A visit from TJ Quinn & Bonnie Ford...

A few days ago, ESPN journalists Bonnie Ford and TJ Quinn were kind enough to take a few hours out of their busy schedules and make the trip out to Amherst and visit with our class here at UMass. I for one am very happy they did.

I learned a great deal from their visit. The amount of information and insight they shared with us was absolutely remarkable. Aside from speaking about the everyday rigors and challenges of their current jobs, they shared the process it took for them to arrive where they did. I believe that helped us understand the grind and sacrifice required to make a real career out of being a sports journalists

In what was probably the most enjoyable part of their lecture, they took the the time to share some their personal anecdotes. The both shared some very interesting stories about their various interactions and run-ins with some very prominent athletes. Some of them were alarming, while other were downright hilarious. Given the nature of their occupations, they often have the chance to rub shoulders with these athletes and the anecdotes they shares gave the class somewhat of an insider's look at what goes on behind the scenes when the cameras aren't rolling. it was really cool to have them share the information with our class.

Given that both Ford and Quinn specialize in investigative sports journalism, specifically in the area of PED use and doping, we spoke at length about the issue of cheating in sports. It was incredible to see how informed and knowledgable about their field of work and how well-veresed thy were with all of the scientific jargon and terminologies as well. They were on top their stuff and clarified several issues that i was unsure of or previously had doubts or reservations about. Having two experts of their caliber who have invested that much time an effort into doing what do.

Another thing that impressed a lot was how well they answered our questions, which came from a plethora of directions. They answered every question asked in detail and often added some interesting piece of information or insight while offering plenty of practical advice.

On top of everything, they were also incredibly engaging as well. Both Ford and Quinn are exceptional storytellers and really captivated the class' attention for the entire time they spoke, which was a little over three hours. In fact, the lecture went about 20 minutes over the allotted class time and not one person seemed to mind at all because we were all intrigued by what these two journalists had to say.

Overall, their visit was an extremely positive one. Both Ford and Quinn shared a wealth of knowledge with our lass and enriched our experience as a result.  It was a real learning experience that I truly appreciate.

Five Questions for Bonnie Ford & TJ Quinn

• What are your feelings in regards to the Lance Armstrong interview on Oprah?
• Do you feel that that there is a certain unfair stigma associated with performance-enhancing drugs?
• How would you describe the manner is which PED use has affected the credibility sports as a whole?
• Do you ever evaluate the issue of PED from athlete's perspective?
• Do you believe that the exclusion of Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens from the Hall of Fame unfair?

Baseball & PEDs

As I tuned into Sportscenter the other day and saw highlights of MLB spring training, it suddenly hit me: another season of baseball is around the corner.

To be completely honest and forthcoming, I have never really cared for baseball. Though I’ve never minded playing the sport all that much, I’ve always likened watching it on television to sitting down on your front porch and watching the grass grow. It simply wasn’t my thing.

However, I cannot ignore the important place holds not only in sports, but also in American society as a whole. After all, it is America’s pastime.

Unfortunately with every new season of Major League Baseball, comes yet another batch of performance-enhancing rumors and accusations. Aside from cycling, which is slowly recovering from the Lance Armstrong confessional, no other sport has been as tainted by the dark cloud of performance-enhancing drugs as baseball.

The Biogenesis clinic scandal is just one of the many instances over the past decade in which prominent baseball players have been publicly outed for using banned substances. This all comes after the revelations of the Mitchell Report, BALCO trial, as well as multiple congressional hearings involving commissioner Bud Selig and some very prominent players.

This new Biogenesis scandal clearly demonstrates that the issue of PEDs is still a very relevant one as it shows that players could very well still be doping in order to gain an advantage. Players like Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun were two of the names involved in this recent scandal, despite the fact that they were both very recently in hot water over PED use.

Ultimately, PED use and doping in general has been a part of baseball for decades and will still be apart of it for years to come. No other sport has had to endure the amount of public scrutiny like baseball has been over the past decade or so and that apparently hasn’t deterred players from continuing to use banned substances and I don’t think it will anytime soon.