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		Mariners Franklin 8th big leauger suspended for steroids By Charlie O August 2, 2005

	CINCINNATI--The Seattle Mariners suspension of pitcher Ryan Franklin after being tested positive for steroid use in May which Franklin appealed. The suspension and the DNA from the May test was proved to be positive. Franklin will begin his ten day suspension Thursday. The Mariners who at Comerica Park in Detroit have acquired 19 year old Felix Hernandez who will start on Thursday filling in for Franklin's spot on the roster. Hernandez will become the youngest starter since 1991. Franklin remarked that he was using two supplements since 2003 a protein shake and a multi vitamin both were bought over the counter. Franklin said he was tested twice using each supplement and the results came back negative for steroids. "Its been tough" said Franklin "I've spent a lot of nights thinking about it. It definitely weighs on you mentally." Franklin becomes the second player on a big league club to have been suspended the Mariners are the only team in baseball to have more than one player to get suspended for steroids. The Mariners Jamal Strong was suspended earlier this season. How much responsibility does BALCO play in the steroids suspensions? I really don't blame BALCO per say from the stand point that BALCO just took advantage of a prevailing attitude that was there throughout sports and BALCO would use any advantage at anytime in anyway and I think all BALCO did was take an attitude that guys who wanted to try to zip a head and manipulate. Now do I think that BALCO should be held blameless? Absolutely not. They participated in something that was illegal. I'm very frustrated with the very fact that BALCO owner Victor Conte had not received a stiffer penalty than he did especially because it involved money laundering, and all those other thing that he was involved in. However, I don't think we can hold the players blameless either because there is no market if the players refuse to be involved in it. So I think its a shared responsibility. I think the people who wanted it an advantage at any cost "I saw the need so I'm going to fill it." For both BALCO and the players it was illegal and they both should be penalized. In Bonds case its a combination things first of all the Giants are going no where so Bonds has no motivation to go anywhere. They absolutely dropped the ball and did not make any moves of any significance at the trade deadline. So obviously they said "okay the season's over" the Giants are going to take whatever they get and they're not to be any farther ahead. You then take the situation that Bonds does not want to be in the lime light right now and you take the fact that Rafael Palmerio who so vehemently denied having anything to say about it or be involved in steroids and now he's caught and penalized. Babo doesn't want to be in that spot light. Thirdly I don't think Bonds is healing and I had a chance to have an extended conversation during the triple AAA All-Star game to talk with Buck Martinez from ESPN and of course Martinez a former Major League manager and Martinez is of the opinion that we'll never see Bonds again. That Bonds is done, his health will deteriorate now that he doesn't have the healing powers of the steroids and that Babo will not return to the Major Leagues. If Bonds retires it will be pretty dramatic and I think that the Palmerio situation is pretty dramatic because last week we were debating whether or not Palmerio should be a first ballot Hall of Famer and I was one of the one who came out on the side he absolutely should be. Palmerio was on the road to hit 600 home runs and Palmerio has over 3000 hits and he knows where all the criteria that would put him in the Hall of Fame on the first ballot. Now you have the question whether Palmerio will ever make the Hall of Fame on the fist five ballots when the writers can vote and if Palmerio would have to wait to sometime later when an alumni committee can put him in. So its a very dramatic change of situations and baseball is still refusing to address I think in a manner that appropriate. I look at the fact that the minor leagues this year I believe the last count I saw was 83 players have been suspended under the minor league steroid act already this season. Somehow the message isn't getting through that baseball is serious because when you have players knowing full well what the penalties would be and particularly in the minors because its so much more serious and their ignoring that then some how somebody is not getting the message through. Babo will he get the Hall? I think Bonds will get the Hall of Fame. I don't think he'll make the Hall of Fame on the first ballot and depending on what happens investigation wise from here that could be effective as well but now one of the best things I saw that was on line this morning in reading one of the papers in Sacramento on line and one of the columnist had a headline that said, "Canseco tells the truth" who'd a thunk it. So you know at this point the situation as such everything's is up in the air I think its all up for grabs because at this point virtually all of the great performances of the last decade are now tainted and are open for question. Charlie O is taking his talk show on the road he is in Cincinnati after completing a trip in Atlanta. Charlie can be heard on KSAC 1240 radio every Friday night 10-12AM. Charlie O also does sports commentary every week and co-hosts Sportstalk weekends on 1430 KVVN San Jose and 1110 KLIB Sacramento.