Steroids

The popular drive time radio sport stalk duo, Mike Francesa and Christopher Russo, were discussing the two New York Yankees who have used steroids. High-priced mercenaries both, Jason Giambi has admitted his use, while Gary Sheffield has denied or refused to comment on the allegations. Russo, a San Fransisco Giant fan with the intellectual heft of a cotton puff, remarked that Yankee fans could now no longer razz him about Barry Bonds' doping in view of this news.

Chris Russo is an idiot.

The use of illegal steroids is the biggest disgrace in the Game since the Black Sox scandal of 1919, except you hardly know it because the Commissioner, Bud Selig, is an inept eunuch. Any baseball player who used performance enhancing drugs should have their statistics expunged or demarcated, and the sport should restore the records of Hank Aaron (if Bonds surpasses him) and Roger Maris as being the true and authentic standards. Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmiero, Giambi, Sheffield and whoever else used should have their numbers disqualified and their eligibility for the Hall of Fame revoked. It transcends whose guy did what or what team they played for, and Russo should know it.

Comments

[Dave]

Your argument doesn't make much sense, for it implies "any student found to use Adderall should have his academic record expunged."

If we don't have a problem with students using cosmetic psychopharmacology to study, then we shouldn't have a problem with athletes using performance enhancing drugs.

Favoring, or at least, not opposing one, while opposing the other is hardly consistent.

[Chris]

I can understand why people are so emotional about the drugs issue - but there are many legal performance enhancing techniques that are used today that the greats like Aaron, Ruth et al didn't have access to.

I would rather have the drugs out in the open where safety and effectiveness become the primary concern as opposed to players using the latest drugs that the league can't detect.

As long as the playing field is level the competition should be great - it will sour the records so to speak - but hasn't that already happened as we question anyone with a great season or career?

[Andrew]

I fully agree about what a huge disgrace steroids have wrought, but it's going to take some time to figure out how to handle it. Some players dabbled, while others like Bonds "mainlined" the stuff. Some 'fessed up (Giambi) or have tacitly admitted it (McGwire), while others (Canseco) keep stonewalling. It seems to me that both variables (extent of use, and contrition) have to be taken into account for purposes of statistics and Hall of Fame eligibility.