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Kirk Gibson's Arizona Diamondbacks are no strangers to performance enhancing drugs.

While they have not had players who use them or have been caught using them, they've certainly been victimized by those who have.

Whether it was Manny Ramirez with the Dodgers in 2008, Ryan Braun in last year's NLDS or Melky Cabrera this season, the D-backs certainly have reason to be upset.

And wouldn't you know it, Gibson is.

"Part of me says that alright, enough already," he said before his team's game Wednesday. "We've made a commitment to stopping that type of activity and we still, from time to time, find people are still trying to fool the system."

Cabrera was suspended 50 games Wednesday after testing positive for testosterone, putting an end to a season in which he was batting .346. The number is well-above his career average, so it's difficult not to believe cheating helped him.

And he's certainly hurt the D-backs this season, hitting .462 with two home runs, six RBI and eight runs scored in nine games against Arizona.

"I think they should consider a much stricter penalty," Gibson added. "I can say that certainly the majority of the people up here in this game care about the integrity of the game, we all committed to that, cleaning it up.



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"Obviously there's not a big enough deterrent if it continues."

Gibson suggests suspending a player for one year on the first offense, following that with a lifetime ban should it happen again.

But whether that happens or not, Gibson knows it's important that cheating be fully eradicated from the game.

"It just absolutely cannot be tolerated."

Audio to the right courtesy of Fox Sports Arizona's Todd Walsh

2 Comments   |   Join the conversation »
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    ShaunChurch22 wrote...
    Punishment idea
    Re-opening collective bargaining would be necessary to do this, but perhaps MLB should, in addition to suspending the player, take away all games won by his team and give them to the opposing team. How different would the mentality of players be if they suddenly would not only screw their own season, but their entire franchise's season as well? And how different would the standings look right now? Will never happen, but as they do it in college football, maybe they should.
  • Abuse
    mesa mad man wrote...
    @shaunchurch22
    that might be stiffer punishment, but how would you go back and change what has happened? Lets say they vacated all the wins that Braun was a part of last year (hypothetically - i know he was found "not guilty") - do they award the DBacks a win in the post season? Then what - they cant go replay the world series..
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