Steroids: Growing Pains

Just weeks after Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame induction, or parade of inductees that didn’t make it in, attention is once again brought to the use of steroids. I’m not really sure where I truly stand on this one.

On one hand, I think using steroids, HGH, or whatever you want to call it, isn’t the way to go. The physical side effects in the long run, in my opinion, aren’t worth the short term strength gains. Take the time to do it right. Yes, it may take years to build up the strength and size that it may take with just one year of steroid use, but you protect your body by doing it right. Hit the weight room hard. You get paid enough to put in a little bit of hard work.

I understand that in everything, it’s a “win now” mentality and performance standards are higher than ever. Players are offered huge incentive bonuses for meeting different goals. But at what cost? Are you really going to feel a $2 million bump in your $125 million contract? Should MLB implement another “3 strikes and you’re out” policy?

Then again, how much of an advantage do steroids really give someone? It may help you hit the ball farther, but it doesn’t actually help you hit the ball. You have to start somewhere with fundamental training:  hand-eye coordination, timing, and reaction are all crucial. Will steroids help you field a ground ball any better? No…back to basics:  get in front of the ball, butt down, and glove on the ground. Can steroids make you run faster? Some would say yes, but there is a certain speed that your body taps out at. Have you ever heard some say, “You can’t coach speed”?  Sure, you can improve technique and form and shave milliseconds off your 40, but no amount of training will let you keep up with Usain Bolt. You have to be born with it.

The players who have been thrown into the spotlight are some of the great sluggers and pitchers that my generation has seen. Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and even my hometown hero, Jeff Bagwell may never see the Hall of Fame. Recent controversial figures like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens deserve to be in the Hall of Fame because of their MVP and Cy Young winning seasons, but they also may never get that top honor.

And then there’s A-Rod. By the end of his career, he will be at, or near the top of almost every major hitting category. Any record or honor bestowed upon him will likely be followed with an asterisk or two. If he, along with his fellow accused, is not inducted into the Hall of Fame, many of baseball’s perceived greats will never transcend into sports immortality.

You be the judge. Do we cast aside many of the records set by today’s sports heroes? Acknowledge the record, and deny the accused a spot among baseball’s elite? Or do we throw out the record, along with juicing players who have tarnished their reputation and America’s pastime?