A-Rod Steroid Scandal Rocks Baseball to the Core
Guilty Players, Greedy Owners and Fickle Fans all Deserve Blame
Feb 20, 2009
It is a disturbing time for baseball fans throughout the United States, as the steroid scandal continues to grow. It was bad enough when Barry Bonds was the primary target. Most fans hated Bonds, anyway. Then there are the whispers -- and shouts in some cases -- about Rafael Palmeiro, Roger Clemens and Mark McGwire. But with the recent revelations about Alex Rodriguez, the man who was going to displace Bonds as the career home run leader and put a "clean" player back in possession of the most coveted record in sports, there is just no way to avoid the question. What can baseball due to clean itself up and regain its pristine image as America's pastime?
Yes, football is more popular in this country, and certainly soccer is No. 1 the world over, but baseball has held a special place in American lore for so long. There have been black marks on its reputation -- the Black Sox scandal, the drunken antics of Babe Ruth, the racism of Ty Cobb, the gambling of Pete Rose, the illegal drug use of Steve Howe, Dave Parker, Keith Hernandez and others -- but baseball weathered all of them.
This one won't be so easy. No, steroids looms as a Nolan Ryan fastball, up and in. You barely see it coming and you have no idea what to do with it Turning away is the safest answer, but there is nowhere to turn right now.
A-Rod isn’t the Only One
While Rodriguez has confessed to taking illegal steroids, his statements have been ripped to shreds as half-truths. What cannot be forgotten is the 103 other players whom tested positive that we have yet to hear about. It isn't fair for A-Rod to take all the heat on this, especially since these results were supposed to remain anonymous. But the cat's out of the bag now, and there is no putting him back.
The biggest problem is the Hall of Fame. The sportswriters' vote has often been controversial, as it seems a number of worthy players have been kept out due to an unfair sense of exclusivity. Any collection of all-time greats should be difficult to enter, but baseball's Hall of Fame has been tougher to get into than most. The price of admission has just gone up, and there is a good chance we will see even fewer new members each year for the foreseeable future. Baseball, after all, loves its statistics and statistics that have been boosted by illegal performance-enhancing drugs are tainted.
Hall of Famer Frank Robinson said this week that no player, who has been proven to have taken illegal performance-enhancing drugs, should be admitted to the Hall of Fame. Taking them certainly would go against the league's morals clause, the one that has Rose and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson barred for life.
Fans Must Shoulder Some of the Blame
One question that is difficult for any baseball fan is this: how much are we to blame? How much is our quest for more home runs, more RBI, bigger batting averages a cause of young men making the wrong decision. The players and owners can't take all of the blame. Think of the incredible explosion of rotisserie and other fantasy leagues, all based on stats? Fantasy league owners don't draft their favorite players first, they draft they ones who will pile up the stats. Stats sell. They equate to more fans for the players, and thus larger contracts.
There are other victims, too. Longtime minor leaguer Derek Nicholson, who got as far as Triple A but never made it to the majors, said he could have used illegal performance-enhancing drugs and made it to the big leagues. He chose instead to stay clean and never reached his dream. But he can sleep at night, and has no regrets. Those players who have resisted the temptation have no doubt lost millions of dollars in salaries for doing so, and what is worse is right now they are lumped in with the A-Rods and Palmeiros. Players from this era are all tainted, whether they have used or not, because the assumption will now be that everybody was using.
The Answer
Baseball has only once choice to clean itself up, and that is to randomly test EVERY player multiple times each year. It will be costly, for sure, but the mess the game is in now needs a serious answer. Suspend those who test positive the first time for one month, the second time for a year and the third time -- you got it -- they strike out forever. Three strikes and you are out.
