Colon, stem cells, and their future

[braden]

Surprised this hasn't been discussed here, though it doesn't have anything to do with Bowman Chrome or Harper so I guess not shocking.

What Bartolo Colon is doing this year has, not at all surprisingly, piqued the interest of numerous other pitchers to undergo the apparent stem-cell injection Colon had in the DR this past winter.

The doctor who performed the surgery claims no HGH was used, despite it being commonplace in similar procedures. I don't know if that's true or not but MLB is certainly interested.

The Toronto Star ran an AP aritcle that's a bit of a primer on the situation: http://www.thestar.com/sports/baseb...hers-to-get-treatment-from-stem-cell-doc?bn=1


The fallout of this is going to be very interesting. Colon went from out of baseball to throwing 98mph and complete games at the age of 38 and weighing roughly 300 pounds. Obviously his surgery worked wonders. But what MLB decides is going to have huge ramifications on its future.

 

[ThoseBackPages]

definitely some sort of cheating.

 

[uniquebaseballcards]

I'm not sure where the stem cells are coming from. I'd be OK with it if they came from the player himself, but I'm really looking for a little more info and waiting to see what MLB says before passing judgment.

 

[seitas]

I am so interested in this story and am surprised that it hasnt been talked about more. If this is legit and it was only stem cells he received is that considered a PED? I could also see this as being 100% BS and Colon going the HGH route and using stem cells as a ruse. If this truly was only stem cells then MLB has a real debate on it's hands.

 

[braden]

What throws a wrench into all of this is that the surgery was performed in the Dominican. Makes it a wee bit tougher to corrorborate stories and perform due diligence.

 

[saucywombat]

Probably "stem cell" in name only.

I have Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes (since 1997) in '97 stem cell cures were "a few years away", so I have always kept up with these things.

There has been success in lab animals and some limited human testing but essentially the problem is that there is no effective way to limit the body's response to stem cells.

In the case of a diabetic the cells could regrow a healthy pancreas but no one has figured out how to stop them from growing everything else at the same time.

 

[200lbhockeyplayer]

A medical procedure to keep a player on the field?

Tommy John surgery? Totally unnatural, adjusting connective tissue to be better equipped to throw a baseball.

There is nothing to discuss.

We don't talk about the modern vitamin knowledge, legal supplement knowledge, training knowledge, etc., why talk about this?

 

[vwnut13]

Tommy John surgery? Totally unnatural, adjusting connective tissue to be better equipped to throw a baseball.

Exactly.

The cells came from bone marrow from his hip. They were transplanted into his arm.

If Bartolo Colon is a cheater, so were Tommy John, Francisco Liriano, and Stephen Strasburg, etc.

Also, from what I had read (when this came up weeeeeks ago) the Doctor contacted MLB baseball before performing the surgeryto make sure it was OK, and made sure to not use any HGH during or after the surgery.

There were no illegal substances used.

Deal with it.

 

[Card Magnet]

The meaning of "farm system" will forever be changed when teams open up fetus farms to build a team of stell cem fueled behemoths.

 

[elmalo]

When HGH starts becoming a normal part of rehab, I would hope that baseball allows it.

 

[markakis8]

Tommy John surgery? Totally unnatural, adjusting connective tissue to be better equipped to throw a baseball.

Exactly.

The cells came from bone marrow from his hip. They were transplanted into his arm.

If Bartolo Colon is a cheater, so were Tommy John, Francisco Liriano, and Stephen Strasburg, etc.

Also, from what I had read (when this came up weeeeeks ago) the Doctor contacted MLB baseball before performing the surgeryto make sure it was OK, and made sure to not use any HGH during or after the surgery.

There were no illegal substances used.

Deal with it.

Calm down. No one was calling your Pillsbury Doughboy a cheater.

 

[braden]

Tommy John surgery? Totally unnatural, adjusting connective tissue to be better equipped to throw a baseball.

Exactly.

The cells came from bone marrow from his hip. They were transplanted into his arm.

If Bartolo Colon is a cheater, so were Tommy John, Francisco Liriano, and Stephen Strasburg, etc.

Also, from what I had read (when this came up weeeeeks ago) the Doctor contacted MLB baseball before performing the surgeryto make sure it was OK, and made sure to not use any HGH during or after the surgery.

There were no illegal substances used.

Deal with it.

Which is exactly why I brought it up. I almost mentioned TJ surgery as a 'performance enhancer'.

Stem cells are such a hot-button issue in the US that it's going to be a big story either way if more players go down this road.

 

[hofmichael]

.

 

[200lbhockeyplayer]

Misc. letters put together in words...

Well, that's not nearly the story you've made it out to be.

 

[hofmichael]

Well, that's not nearly the story you've made it out to be.[/quote]
It was meant as a joke and probrobly a little stronger than it should have been.I will edit it now so it doesn't derail the thread.

 

[seitas]

I am all for science helping us stay healthier and active longer. I'm just tired of the arbitrary enforcement of morality. I personally don't care what a player does or takes to stay on the field. As mentioned, Tommy John has extended careers, LASIK has made better hitters, cortisone (a steroid hormone) helped Curt Schilling become a hero with a bloody sock. Who determines what procedures are acceptable to maintain our abilities?

 

[hofmichael]

I am all for science helping us stay healthier and active longer. I'm just tired of the arbitrary enforcement of morality. I personally don't care what a player does or takes to stay on the field. As mentioned, Tommy John has extended careers, LASIK has made better hitters, cortisone (a steroid hormone) helped Curt Schilling become a hero with a bloody sock. Who determines what procedures are acceptable to maintain our abilities?

I personally think it should be all or nothing.

 

[elmalo]

I am all for science helping us stay healthier and active longer. I'm just tired of the arbitrary enforcement of morality. I personally don't care what a player does or takes to stay on the field. As mentioned, Tommy John has extended careers, LASIK has made better hitters, cortisone (a steroid hormone) helped Curt Schilling become a hero with a bloody sock. Who determines what procedures are acceptable to maintain our abilities?

Amen!

 

[marhjan]

In 20 years or so... when 95% of all people over 30 years of age are on some sort of HGH/stem cell regiment/therapy/pill, we will look back on this and laugh. To compare steroids and HGH is just silly they are not the same animal. Just my prediction/two cents or what have you.

 

[BunchOBull]

In 20 years or so... when 95% of all people over 30 years of age are on some sort of HGH/stem cell regiment/therapy/pill, we will look back on this and laugh. To compare steroids and HGH is just silly they are not the same animal. Just my prediction/two cents or what have you.

Comparing corticosteroids to anabolic steroids is a bit silly too.

I believe in this stem cell research 100%. My wife is on the medical review board of a heart transplant team who is working with many mediums, including placing the first totally artificial hearts. Stem cell trials, while not advertised, are seeing positive growth (no pun) in some heart failure patients, especially those with viral cardiomyopathy.