Baseball on Steroids

Today, another chapter in the endless and evolving saga of steroids and baseball was written. One of the big names linked the performance enhancers admitted to taking steroids during the 1990s. Mark McGwire has been grilled, scrutinized, and been used as a test subject among Hall of Fame voters and players linked to steroids. Back in 1998, McGwire along with another alleged user, Sammy Sosa, captivated the baseball nation and the casual fan with their pursuit of the single season home run record. McGwire would hit 70 home runs that year and was viewed as a near God for bringing baseball back to the major spotlight it used to have. In a statement/interview today, he admitted to using steroids before the 1990 season, in 1993, and at different times throughout the decade including that record breaking season of 1998. For four years, McGwire has been denied entry into the Hall of Fame and most of the voters who have gone "No" on him are doing so because of what many suspected and thus confirmed today.

The thing that makes it toughest from any spectator's standpoint is several are unsure how many of McGwire's home runs and other achievements were accomplished through talent and hardwork. McGwire stated that he had good and bad years when he wasn't "juicing" and had good and bad years when he was. The 2005 House of Representatives hearing that featured McGwire along with other former players greatly hurt his him more. He has spent the last four years running away from questions about steroids. Part of his explanation sounded similar to other players linked the steroids like Andy Petitte. McGwire insisted that his sole purpose for taking steroids was mostly for health reasons to speed up recoveries and stay healthy throughout a long season. As evidence from his rookie season, McGwire certainly had power and could have certainly sent several long balls on the fences. I am not the biggest fan or supporter of steroid users, but there is one thing I know and McGwire mentioned it today; hitting a ball requires skill. The steroids will certainly enhance your abilities and strength, but they don't help your hand-eye coordination.

During the time that McGwire took steroids, many others were also linked the performance enhancers and thus for about 15 years baseball gave us the steroids era. Players like McGwire was pressured and they in turned pressured others to follow suit. However, it was all being wiped under the rug. Testing was non existent. Baseball was in a downward swing and then it was trying to reclaim its stature. McGwire is now in the spotlight more as the Cardinals' hitting coach. I don't take the blame off of players like McGwire, but we should respect those who have fessed up and are trying to move forward. At the same time, these players shouldn't be getting all the blame either. Commissioner Bud Selig and other officials over the last 20 years are just as guilty. They didn't enforce more testing and didn't "out" players when they knew they were "cheating baseball" and its fans.

For over ten years, baseball was on steroids and now in the last three years it has started to cure its problem and the more confessions we have the easier it will be to put the Steroids Era in the past.