A Final Word on Steroids

This is a subject that I really did not want to touch, but I feel the need. Cheating in baseball is not a new thing. Gaylord Perry blatantly cheated for most of his career and went to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Whitey Ford cheated at the end of his career and also went to Cooperstown. Don Sutton used to throw curveballs that broke five feet. Dock Ellis pitched a no hitter on LSD. Let’s address this stuff first: throwing a spitball first became illegal in 1920. Since then, pitchers have used all types of substances and apparatuses, from Vaseline and sandpaper to pointed rings that scuff the ball so that it would break dramatically sooner than throwing a natural breaking pitch. It has been part of the game from the beginning. Initially it was not illegal, but eventually it was outlawed. Is it the same thing with steroids?

Steroids were not illegal in baseball during the juice ball era. They were however against the law and I think that we can all agree that using an anabolic performance enhancing drug is cheating. Some may think it’s like comparing apples and oranges, but at the end of the day it is still cheating. Should Gaylord Perry be in the hall of fame when he blatantly cheated but Pete Rose banned because he was a degenerate gambler? Should Major League and Negro League records be integrated to see where the records of that era really stand? I am happy that Major League Baseball has really made an effort to honor these greats who played in an era with so much social injustice. You cannot fix the past but I respect the effort.

So now here we are: baseball has a chance to fix a problem that it has allowed to continue because it is good for business. This is an absolute disgrace and Bud Selig is a man with no spine. He is a former used car salesman that still speaks out of both sides of his mouth. He is just as much to blame as the players and the owners. Now, I know the players union is as strong as any union in professional sports and other lines of work, but could this man at least just open his mouth and say something of significance? Not just a blanket statement like doing steroids is wrong and players should not do them. How about saying to all these offenders that their actions are disgraceful and that they should not be recognized as anything but cheaters? Name some names. He will never do it because he is not a man with any principles. These offenders have severely tarnished America’s pastime, and no one who used steroids should be in the Hall of Fame. Cheating is cheating. If these guys get banned, so should Gaylord Perry. If Shoeless Joe Jackson is banned from baseball so should Pete Rose. End of story. What is fair is fair.

Again, let’s come back to the present. Now it is time for me to name names. Mark McGwire: I know you probably feel bad about being on steroids and being a cheater. This is apparent from your testimony before Congress when you said you did not want to talk about the past and were on the verge of tears. I can forgive you because you seem genuine, but none of your records should be recognized and you should not be inducted to the hall of fame.

Jason Giambi: you admitted that you did steroids because you had to. This was not done on your own accord but on the advice of your lawyer. You get no sympathy from me. I watched first hand what these steroids did to you as a player. When you withdrew from these substances, your whole body seemed out of whack. I am glad that since then, you have seemed to improve your game, but if you ever reach the Cooperstown stat levels, I do not think that you should be inducted to the Hall of Fame.

Rafael Palmeiro: You are a piece of garbage. Not for lying to Congress, I probably would have done the same thing. It is funny how you adamantly denied steroid use but then got caught out there. Then you said that the problem was a protein bar you ate. That was one of the funniest things I have ever heard in my life. After that, you prove to be such a low life and you rat out Miguel Tejada. You are a stool pigeon piece of garbage. There is no proof that Tejada did anything, but even if he did, he was smart enough to not get caught. I am not saying that that is right, but your pathetic attempt to drag him down with your sinking ship is truly a disgrace. You have Hall of Fame numbers, but should not be allowed in because you’re a lying, cheating, rat.

Sammy Sosa: It is absolutely incredible how much weight you lost since the steroid crackdown. If anyone thinks I am joking look at some shots from early in his career and the way he looked a couple of years ago. This guy is a cheater. He got caught with a corked bat. I actually like Sammy Sosa, but he is still a cheater. His records should be erased.

Barry Bonds: You know, this guy has a real shit personality. So did Ted Williams. I really don’t care if you are a nice guy or not, but what Barry has to understand is that when you have a shit personality and treat fans and the press like shit, they will come down on you that much harder. The reason Bonds is the focal point of this controversy is because he is about to break Hammerin’ Hank's sacred home run record. This sacred milestone was achieved with hard work, not a performance enhancing drug. Hank Aaron was getting death threats, hate mail, and all types of flack about how he needed so many more at bats than the babe did and that he did not play in the deadball era. This guy broke a record that was not the most desirable record to break for a black man. That is why I do not know why some people play the race card with Bonds saying that it is wrong to criticize him, when the man who he will dishonor by breaking the record is also black. Just imagine how much of a better player Aaron was than Bonds. He did not play in an era of watered down pitching, a juiced ball, and home run friendly ballparks. He played initially in the toughest era in which a black player could ever play, becoming a rookie not many years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. The bottom line is that Barry Bonds is a cheater. He is so blatant about it, it’s really disturbing.

I am just gonna give a short list here. What would these guys would have done on steroids: Hank Aaron, Willy Mays, Frank Robinson, Mickey Mantle, Duke Snider, Mike Schmidt, Harmon Killebrew, Willey McCovey? The list could go on and on. As long as the spineless bum Bud Selig looks the other way, all these guys are being dishonored every time a ‘roided player hits another home run. It is truly the worst mark on America’s pastime. Baseball writers, it is up to you. You have the chance to really make a difference by not letting any of these bums into the Hall of Fame. Please do the right thing.