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Via ESPN.com, here’s Paul Byrd responding to the San Francisco Chronicle’s report that he purchased almost $25,000 worth of HGH from 2002 to 2005.
here’s essentially what Byrd says in the video:
“I have never taken any hormone or any drug that was not prescribed to me by a doctor. I was prescribed a hormone, I did inject it, and I did have the temptation to take more of it that what was prescribed so that my fastball would reach into the 90s on a consistent basis. I never succumbed to any of those temptations, I never took any more than what was prescribed me. I didn’t start to throw the ball a lot harder…I was taking it for my well-being and for general life circumstances that were made known to me…I have never done anything that has disrespected the game…I don’t want to show up at a stadium and have people think I cheated…I’m one game away from the World Series and now I’m dealing with my medical history.”
ESPN’s Buster Olney, who refers to Byrd as “…a very religious guy, a very thoughtful guy…” says that there are still some lingering questions raised by the SF Chronicle story, such as:
+ If this use of HGH is approved, why did he stop taking it?
+ Why did one of the prescriptions come from a dentist?
+ How much does he think HGH helped him as a pitcher?
+ Were there other alternative treatments for the sleeplessness and adult growth hormone deficiency than HGH, something that has been linked to performance enhancing drugs?
I really don’t think this is much of a story anymore, but I wanted to put Paul Byrd’s response out there for everyone to see. Even if Byrd had used the HGH to come back from injury, it was before baseball had banned it, so it falls into a huge gray area.
Because Byrd appears to have legitimate reasons for taking HGH, and because he stopped taking them before they were banned, and because his stuff as a pitcher never drastically changed, I don’t see anything more happening with this story. Did the HGH help him recover from the injuries that he sustained over the time frame he was taking HGH? Probably, but we don’t really know.
I’ll track the story in case anything else happens, but I think we can move on…
“Religion can go over into every area, like whether I should cheat out on the field. I write about the desire to just make money at any cost. I share about my temptation to spit on the ball, put KY jelly on it or scuff it, to win more games and make more money. That’s a big temptation for me, being a guy who throws 82, who relies on movement. You have a pull, because you have a certain window up here that stares you in the face. Are you willing to take steroids? Because that’s available. People viewed that as me being weak. Like, ‘This guy doesn’t want to win.’”
According to Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada, the writers who penned the SF Chronicle piece, “Byrd has never commented on athletes’ use of growth hormone, but he has publicly denied using steroids and said he believes they pose a problem for baseball. He also has said baseball’s problem with performance-enhancing drugs is not nearly as serious as critics say.”
As the story develops we’ll have more to say about it, but for now here’s my initial thoughts (I’m headed out the door for the day):
Paul Byrd screwed up. He joins the list of Christians that have screwed up that includes, well, EVERY Christian. This will be tough for him to deal with, but from I read in the ESPN.com interview, he should be able to get through it.Even if HGH wasn’t banned at the time, I don’t think it was right for him to be using it. But that’s something we’ll get into further as the story progresses.
I have compassion for him, while still thinking that he did something he shouldn’t have.If you’ve been in a spot like Paul is, where you’ve screwed up and folks are finding out about it, perhaps you can say a prayer for him that something good comes out of it all. If you want to pile on him, you are free to do that to i suppose.More on this as the story develops
Last night the Cleveland Indians took a 3-1 Series lead, thanks in part to the right arm (and left arm) of Paul Byrd. The Red Sox are on the ropes, and even as a die hard Red Sox fan I’m not sure that they can escape Cleveland with a win on Thursday night. Beckett is going to have to be brilliant again.
But back to Paul Byrd, who despite being the #4 starter in the Indians rotation, is the only Cleveland pitcher to win both games he has started this post season. ESPN.com’s Sam Alipour sat down with Byrd on Monday night to talk to him about the book he just finished, titled The Free Byrd Project, which details “…Byrd’s spiritual journey through the major leagues and the pitfalls that pious jocks must leap in navigating a ballplayer’s lifestyle.”
The interview was done well and Byrd comes across as a human being, not as a religious zealot or pious superchristian. I found his answers and insights to be very refreshing. Some highlights:
On why he wrote the book: “I think the last thing the Christian community needs is another person who says they have it all together, a 12-step process for being perfect. That doesn’t exist. I can help people by being honest.”
On pornography: “I’ve had a real struggle with pornography, from before I became a Christian, when pornography was the good old American way. After I became a Christian, it really began to bother me, but God didn’t really take it away. I struggle with porn one night, and somebody asks me a question about Jesus the next day in the outfield, so you feel like a hypocrite trying to share. It’s the elephant in the locker room.”
On how Jesus would play baseball: “I think if Christ goes into second base to break up a double play, he’ll do it cleanly, but he’ll try to knock the guy into left field.”
On giving God credit for the highlights: “Do you see when guys point to the sky when they hit a home run? It’s funny, I never see anyone point up when they strike out. I’m not a sky-pointer. I’m more of a chest-grabber. I feel God inside of me. People seem to give praise a lot more when they hit a home run and not strike out. I give praise regardless of the outcome.”
On blaming poor performances on God’s will: “I’ve been on a team where a guy shows no passion, and he says, “God meant for me to give up that home run.” I’m like, “What does that mean? God didn’t hang the slider, you hung the slider.”
It’s great to see a Christian giving intelligent, informed, and honest opinions on how his faith interacts with his craft. He comes across as someone who is not ashamed of his faith, but not arrogant either, which is not always easy to do. Based on the interview, I’ll probably pick up a copy of the book when it eventually gets published.
And thankfully, Paul Byrd won’t be starting another game for the Indians against the Red Sox this season, even if Boston can force a Game 7.
It was 4 days ago that 
Last night the Cleveland Indians took a 3-1 Series lead, thanks in part to the right arm (and left arm) of Paul Byrd. The Red Sox are on the ropes, and even as a die hard Red Sox fan I’m not sure that they can escape Cleveland with a win on Thursday night. Beckett is going to have to be brilliant again.
