Baseball's Steroid Problem--Honesty Is The Issue

The avalanche of stories linking major league baseball players to steroids has produced a similar torrent of reaction from the media and fans---outrage, indignation, disappointment and character assassination.

My reaction? SO WHAT?

Are records set by “juiced” players now “tainted”?. Only if you say they are.

I say no-and here’s why:

Despite their fame and notoriety, it could be that a great many players were not exactly Mensa society members when it came to the legality of these substances, which, for many athletes was a way of life. Staying “productive” in their businesses –not returning to the minors-required constant attention to their physical performance—after tasting what some of these drugs could do to enhance that performance, there was no going back. I believe that some players were not even aware of what they were being given—and that those who were-weighed the pros and cons and made a decision to stay competitive. So, either guilt by ignorance or guilt from desire to remain “employed”. Take your pick.

Remember that the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 is the first item in baseball’s steroid timeline. Anyone in the habit of using before this date was NOT doing anything illegal.

Imagine if COFFEE were made illegal tomorrow. You might be faced with the same dilemma. Hey, you’ve used coffee throughout your working career to wake you up and start your day. But, someone somewhere decides that coffee is a stimulant, that caffeine creates an unfair advantage in your business (whatever it is) and now---it’s ILLEGAL!!!

What do you do? Well, you could switch to No-Doz and/or caffeinated soda, but you get the idea. Chances are you would continue to drink coffee.

What about weightlifters who use protein powder to bulk up? What about the use of vitamins in mass quantities as athletes the world over do? . If Tiger Woods eats a Power Bar during a round to replenish his blood sugar, is he giving himself an unfair advantage?

I am NOT defending the use of steroids. I am, however, castigating those who have unfairly elevated this practice (commonplace as we have seen) to the level of criminal behavior and/or calculated “cheating of the system”. This judgment is unfair and misplaced.

A closer look at the issue yields one inescapable fact. The denial of use is far worse than admitted usage. The coverup is always worse than the crime. Roger Clemens’ staunch denial of use is worse than if he had admitted taking performance-enhancing drugs.

Sports—and the human species—are constantly developing. Comparing records from one era to another is already an exercise in futility. In baseball alone, there was the “juiced ball” era, where the construction of baseballs themselves caused them to exit stadiums easier. Are home runs using that ball now invalid?

Human beings are bigger, stronger, faster than the athletes of yesteryear. Better diets, food nutrients, etc are sometimes given partial credit for this as well. Is THAT also unfair? Equipment-from baseball to golf--is better and enhances performance as well.

The truth is that steroids will not make your curve ball better-or help you get it over the plate. It will also NOT allow you hit a baseball. While it MAY influence the speed of that fastball or the distance that baseball will fly, the talent needed to “ante up” in the world of professional baseball is not influenced by drugs. I could ingest a tractor trailer load of anabolic steroids and still not be able to even foul off a Josh Beckett fastball.

It was on this date in 1998 that Mark McGuire hit his 62nd homer of the year, breaking Roger Maris’ single-season mark—he ended up with 70 for the year-a record some thought would last for years-but was broken by Barry Bonds with 73 just three years later.

Below is a video clip of Roger Maris’s 61st—and as you can see, even THAT record was “tainted” in the sense that Babe Ruth’s 60 homeruns were hit in a 154 game schedule:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJnhHdjs0DI

I say let the records stand and defuse the situation by drawing the line in the sand—NO MORE from now on! End the witch hunt-and cease with the character assassination that comes with each new revelation!

Now, as far as Pete Rose’s situation is concerned…DON’T GET ME STARTED! That’s another can of worms altogether!

If you’d like my blog in your box-just let me know: tim.moore@citcomm.com