Suspended Colon

Oakland Athletics pitcher Bartolo Colon has received a 50-game suspension for using synthetic testosterone. The 39-year-old pitcher was in the midst of a successful comeback season with the A's:

The 39-year-old Colon is 10-9 with a 3.43 ERA in 24 starts this season, his first with the A's, and has a 171-122 record in 15 big league seasons. He was due to start Thursday in Tampa.

A two-time All-Star, he won the 2005 AL Cy Young Award after going 21-8 for the Los Angeles Angels.

Five players have been suspended so far this year:

Marlon Byrd, 34, free agent outfielder
Melky Cabrera, 28, Giants outfielder
Bartolo Colon, 39, Athletics pitcher
Freddie Galvis, 22, Phillies infielder
Guillermo Mota, 38, Giants pitcher

It's a five-member sample size, and we can't be definite about who uses performance-enhancing drugs and who doesn't. Nevertheless, the patterns are suspicious. Older athletes, especially those whose statistics have improved recently, are one group who should be scrutinized. And, yes, Bay Area teams, whom three out of the five miscreants play for, seem to be culpable. Coincidence...or are we just trying to escape the obvious?

[Update 8/23 - Bruce Jenkins:

In the wake of Bartolo Colon's 50-game suspension, identical to Cabrera's bust for excessive levels of testosterone, the Bay Area is now viewed as the epicenter for performance-enhancing drugs. Why would anyone doubt that at this point?]