First of all, I'll drop a couple of quick notes about Dan Serafini's suspension. I don't think Serafini figured prominently in the Rockies plans for 2008, mainly in the same role he filled in 2007 as a possible late season emergency starter stored in the Springs who the team can use once or twice and then take off the roster without regret when somebody better becomes available. In that sense, his agent's idea of having him serve his fifty game suspension in Extended Spring Training before coming back to Colorado Springs once his suspension is served sort of almost fits within the grand plan for the Rockies, so I don't know if I'm ready to write off a return next year.
A couple of Serafini's own statements show some of the ignorance surrounding PED's is even evident with the players themselves:
"...I wasn't breaking any records," Serafini said. "I had a (54.00) ERA last year. That might be a record all on its own. It's a tough situation for me to be in. I have to accept the consequences, which I don't mind, but I just want to clear my name because I don't want people to look at me like a cheater or I made it back to the big leagues because I took illegal substances."
These are snippets that I've cut and pasted from the Jack Etkin article, so be sure to click on the link to get a more complete context, but in these statements you can see Serafini project a stereotypical PED user as a record breaking, non-Pop Warner coaching bad guy and then showing himself to be the contrast. Thus far, the reality has been that most of those testing positive have been just like Serafini or Jorge Piedra, guys on the fringe of the majors who need just an extra boost to get over that final hump or thsoe trying to accelerate their return from injury knowing that the clock is ticking on their productive years. Guys like Neifi Perez who are trying to stem the decline of age in their skill set. These are all decent human beings, too, trying to do right for their families and not miscreants.
It's going to be the nature of the beast with professional sports that these positive tests crop up from time to time, particularly with players that don't have regular access to MLB training rooms that know what they have to do or use to avoid the suspensions. I'm not surprised by this, I can believe Serafini's story that it was a Japanese prescribed treatment but it also wouldn't shock me if that's not the case and he's just feeding a line. I'm going to reserve judging him or any of these guys on what I don't know, and try and look at what I do, so keep up with the Pop Warner coaching and be a good father Dan. You've had your wake up call.
Yorvit Torrealba and Matt Herges are progressing in talks to new contracts with the Rockies, but the Patrick Saunders article says the club is making it clear that there's still dialog with Michael Barrett and Paul LoDuca as well on the catching front.