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Kirk Gibson: MLB Needs Stronger Penalties For Steroid Users

(WSCR) The Arizona Diamondbacks currently sit 6 1/2 games out of first place behind the Dodgers and Giants in the National League West.

And when news broke Wednesday that one of the Giants most productive offensive weapons, Melky Cabrera, had tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, the revelation didn't sit well with D-Backs manager Kirk Gibson.

"He's had a huge impact against us," Gibson told the Arizona Republic. "And then you go back to 2008 with the Manny (Ramirez) thing. Huge impact. You compare like in the NCAA with Penn State. All those people are gone and Penn State is paying for it. Here it's just tied to the individual. I think we need much stronger ramifications for that type of activity. It just absolutely cannot be tolerated."

It should be the noted the Diamondbacks lost the NL West by two games in 2008, getting edged out by the Manny Ramirez and the Dodgers, and were eliminated in last season's playoffs by Ryan Braun and the Brewers - both players have since been implicated with steroid use.

"I can say that certainly the majority of people who are in this game care about the integrity of the game," Gibson said. "We're all committed to cleaning it up. Obviously, there's not a big enough deterrent if it continues."

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