I listened and watched a few national sports talk shows today (Sunday). Steroids were the dominant discussion, mainly Alex Rodriguez. Naturally, the conversation then turns toward the “steroid era” (1997 – 2003…and with no test for HGH, quite possibly to the present). There’s this disdain by the media towards anyone who has played the sport of baseball within this particular time frame. Without question eyebrows now have to be raised whenever there’s a record that has fallen or is about to fall, a super-feat that’s been accomplished or even a single season anomaly. The BALCO scandal has tainted all of our views and stained our sense of innocence when it comes to the national pastime.

My question is this, and no one seems to be able to answer this or merely doesn’t want to answer it out of fear of further damaging our view and naïveté when it comes to our past baseball heros; why does the steroid era seem to be confined to the late 90s thru today?

Steroids became popular with bodybuilders back in the late 60’s. The potion was looked at as a “muscle-head” sort of thing at first but as the 70’s moved on, steroids became popular with football players for mass, strength and the ability to heal more quickly. Wouldn’t it be a simple step of logic for someone in a gym, someone who works out with other athletes, say a baseball player, to pass along the value of this magical concoction? Don’t you think that at some point a bodybuilder or even a football player worked out with, was friends with or merely knew a pro baseball player who thought to himself, “Hey, I could get a little stronger and hit a few more homers if I was taking this?” Of course it’s possible!

Remember, when Pete Rose was eventually caught for betting on baseball by the Commissioner of Baseball, Bart Giamatti, Rose’s close friends were Ron Peters and Paul Janszen….both were gym rats who were steroid dealers. Now, I’m not accusing Rose of using but don’t you think that he or someone in the game of baseball was introduced to roids? You’d be blind not to acknowledge that.

My points is, everyone wants to pigeon hole this era and tosses a scarlet stain on the players of today yet gives the players prior to 95’ a complete pass and I just don’t buy it. I agree, steroids are illegal and it’s cheating…period! The problem I have is that cheating, in any game, has been going on since the beginning of the game itself. Corked bats, Vaseline on the baseball, sharpening spikes, excessive pine tar, teams that cut the field grass or sculpt the baselines a certain way to give their speedier players an advantage or take away speed of another team, thumbtacks in the 3^rd baseman’s glove to nick up the baseball, catchers with larger mitts to appear to catch the ball over the plate, sign stealing or tipping, you name it, players and coaches have been doing it. The offenses are apples to oranges but cheating is cheating. It’s difficult to put a number on the amount of home runs hit because of steroids or HGH so how do you point a finger and say, “He’s not worthy of this or that”.

If a pitcher was using HGH to come back from injury or was using a minor roid to gain a little strength or flexibility, does that negate the effect of the batter who’s taking roids as well? In the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, amphetamines were literally in candy dishes in clubhouses; they’re illegal aren’t they? Did amphetamines give players in those eras better clarity on certain nights to perform better thus accomplishing greater feats?

There’s no definite answer to any of these questions so you have to simply take the numbers with the understanding that there might be a taint to it. This cliché has been used over and over again, “You catch the ball, you throw the ball, you hit the ball”. Baseball is a game of hand / eye coordination. While it’s only been proven to a certain extent that roids help your eyes, there’s no indication that steroids, HGH or any other drug gives you the ability to put the bat on the ball. It’s only been proven to make you stronger; maybe to hit it farther or throw it harder or come back from injury sooner.

The only yardstick by which we measure hall of famers is the numbers that they put up within the span of their playing career. Is 1994 the cutoff point for your anger or suspicion? 93? 92? What year? Do you give amphetamines a pass? You see what I mean, it’s not that simple is it.