In 2011 horse trainer Doug O'Neill was sanctioned in California after one of his thoroughbreds tested positive for doping.
In 2010, O'Neill was sanctioned in Illinois for giving his horse an illegal concoction - a "milkshake."
In 14 years - across four states - O'Neill has been cited more than a dozen times for doping his horses.
None of this matters here in Baltimore at the Preakness.
None of this matters to the Orioles, who are honoring O'Neill on Tuesday, May 15, by asking him to throw out the first pitch.
Why is a man with a dozen sports-related sanctions being honored in Baltimore and by the Orioles?
You know why: last week, Doug O'Neil's horse, I'll have Another, won the Kentucky Derby.
Doug O'Neill has his defenders. His number one defender is Doug O'Neill:
“I have been guilty of running horses more often than I should. [. . .] Through some terrible moments in my career, I’ve learned to be more patient and more cautious.”
Mark Verge, an executive at Santa Anita racetrack in California is another O'Neill defender:
O'Neill rose through the trainer ranks because, "he was upbeat and nice to everyone.”
Yet somehow, Verge also thinks, little Dougie is surrounded by enemies - unnamed of course. Mark Verge again:
“People hate his guts because he wins.”
Worth noting that Verge owned two horses trained by O'Neill that tested positive for the illegal "milkshake" concoction in 2010.
Now that everything is all settled, let's welcome the doper to Baltimore and to Camden Yards.
After all, there's no doping in baseball.
Sources:
I'll Have Another trainer Doug O'Neill reaches Baltimore to prepare for Preakness
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