http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2003/04/23/SP160366.DTL
Gwynn targets amphetamines
Estimates half of position players use 'greenies'
Jose Canseco came first. Then Ken Caminiti and David Wells. Now comes Tony Gwynn, the latest player/ex-player to go public about rampant drug use in major-league baseball.
Gwynn, considered an exemplary citizen and future Hall of Famer, adds much credibility to the list. But unlike the others, who focused mostly on widespread steroid use, Gwynn addressed amphetamines and estimated that 50 percent of position players regularly use "greenies."
"People might think there is a steroid problem in baseball, but it's nowhere near the other problem; the other, it's a rampant problem," Gwynn was quoted as saying in Tuesday's New York Times.
"Guys feel like steroids are cheating and greenies aren't."
Greenies -- capsules that provide a pick-me-up while potentially increasing heart rates, blood pressure and respiration to unsafe levels -- have been in major-league clubhouses for decades. Pete Rose admitted using them in a 1979 Playboy interview. Recent use, however, has been overshadowed by the steroid craze and baseball's new steroid-testing program.
"Sooner or later," Gwynn said, "it's going to get out that there's a greenie problem, and it's a huge one."
The Times also reported that some players are at odds with their union for approving a soft steroid-testing plan that has little or no consequences for players using artificial muscle enhancers.
The comments from Gwynn, an eight-time batting champion with the Padres who succeeded despite being portly -- as opposed to the common chiseled frames of today -- struck a nerve in a baseball community that too often ignores players using dangerous drugs.
"I have a son who plays baseball," said Giants manager Felipe Alou, father of Cubs outfielder Moises Alou, "and I hope he's not one of the 50 percent. To me, it's not an issue, but I have to say that if a player of stature knows a thing like that is going on, he should speak up a little more."
Giants shortstop Rich Aurilia said of Gwynn's claim: "It's hard to make judgments in percentages. What right would I have to make a judgment on 29 other teams and the number of people doing one thing or another when I'm not around 29 other teams? Maybe that was the sense Tony got with the team he was with."
Outfielder Marvin Benard was more direct, saying, "That's a damn shame, guys coming out after they retire saying stuff. I've got a lot of respect for Tony, but why didn't he say what he said when he was playing?"
Oakland's Eric Chavez has known Gwynn for several years, having attended high school in San Diego County, but doesn't appreciate Gwynn's sudden candidness.
"It's funny how these guys leave the game and then say something that ticks me off," Chavez said. "If you want to say something, say it when you're playing. And these (estimated) numbers . . . how do you know, really?"
One veteran player interviewed by The Chronicle said he thinks greenie use in the majors exceeds 50 percent. He also explained how they're used.
"A half-hour before a game, a guy can take it with a little coffee," the player said. "In the old days, a guy would take it if he's tired. Now it's an everyday thing, to get ready for the game.
"Mostly, hitters take it. It's tough to pitch on the bean, but guys do it, mostly relievers. They have to wait around.
"Guys get introduced to it over the counter. Then they're hooked. They need something stronger. Then they turn to greenies. It's a typical drug habit."
Under the new labor agreement, testing for amphetamines is not mandatory.
"When I was in college, I took Supac, which is like Exedrine, I think, and I think it has ephedra or something in it, to kind of get me up," A's pitcher Barry Zito said. "Now I don't need a boost because there's enough intensity, but for an everyday player, I can imagine they might need something. I've never seen any adverse effects, and if you take legal supplements to do it, that should be OK. Everyone needs their little fix."
