'Greenies' still lingering in baseball

The quote of the week in baseball came from a scientist who has very little to do with the game itself. Dr. Gary Walder was asked to respond to baseball's revelation that 7.86 percent of its players were given exemptions that allowed them to use amphetamines while plying their trade in 2008.

"This is incredible. This is quite spectacular. There seems to be an epidemic of ADD in major league baseball," said Dr. Gary Wadler, chairman of the committee that determines the banned-substances list for the World Anti-Doping Agency, to the Associated Press.

"I've been in private practice for a lot of years. I can count on one hand the number of individuals that have ADD," he added. "To say that (7.86 percent) of major league baseball players have attention deficit disorder is crying out of an explanation. It is to me as an internist so off the map of my own experience."

MLB had a response from Rob Manfred, executive vice president of labor relations. He said you can't compare ADHD in baseball with statistics for the general population.

"We are all male. We are far younger than the general population, and we have far better access to medical care than the general population," Manfred told the AP.

OK, sure. Then there's this history: "Greenies" have been a part of baseball for more than a generation. In just about every clubhouse, players knew there was one coffee pot with regular coffee, and another one with a little extra.

About 3 percent to 5 percent of children have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to About.com's ADD expert. Many people grow out of it. If you believe the stats, baseball players must not. Or else, just maybe, there are a few players out there looking to keep their dirty little secret for staying alert during one of those 13-inning games in May in Kansas City?

Baseball needs to clean up yet another drug mess, and close all of the loopholes. It might not seem like a big deal, but there's a slight competitive advantage in play. If the hitter you're pulling for is clean, don't you want that relief pitcher clean as well? Or vice-versa?