What seems like many years ago (but really wasn’t), during my senior year of high school, I came down with a horrid case of poison ivy. While that is moderately irrelevant, the doctor showed up with a steroid shot to clear up my blatant allergic reaction. “Steroids?” I asked her, intrigued, “Will I wake up tomorrow and be able to hit forty home runs?”
So maybe one shot didn’t bulk me up much (or at all), but there is no doubt that Barry “BALCO” Bonds, Jason Giambi, and many other ex-players are guilty of using the prescription-only drug. While Bonds professes ignorance and Giambi even admitted to using them illegally, there are probably many more behind the scenes dreading the steroid testing implemented by Major League Baseball. Until 2003, no testing was done in the majors for it, but when testing began there was a steady decline in the “arms race” owned by Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Mark McGwire.
While they may have not broken rules while breaking records, they have bruised America’s pastime by killing honest competition. With all of the controversy these days about who is taking what (not to mention Bud Selig’s never-ending ordeal), baseball is taking a turn toward another infamous dark period like the one following the ’94 strike. And though people will always file to the gates and drop hundreds of dollars to watch these power sluggers, the game has lost most of its reputation as a wholesome sport. It is no longer “America’s sport”; somewhere along the way it turned into BALCO’s sport.
There are options for Major League Baseball to change policy. In an anonymous 2003 test, five percent of players showed positive results for steroids. Something needs to change. The penalties for steroid use need to be enforced, or Bonds will be passing Hank Aaron for the home run record all too soon, and there will forever live a shadow of negativity over his head.
All I know is that this “chick” would rather see baseball’s old philosophy of hit and run ball. I’d rather see stolen bases, triples, and double plays before another 70-home run season.