In 2003, Major League Baseball was going through a crisis. After years of juiced balls and juiced players, the sport decided it was time to get a handle on their problem by seeing if there was even a problem in the first place. It randomly tested players throughout the league for performance enhancing drugs and compiled a list of approximately 104 men who tested positive. The list was to remain sealed, the players to remain anonymous, the world of baseball to continue on. Things don’t always go the way you plan and this was no exception after some snooping reporters discovered this list and began to out players. It started in February with Alex Rodriguez, the good-looking, highly paid, MVP third baseman of the New York Yankees who many believed would rescue baseball from the steroid era by breaking Barry Bonds’ homerun record and in the process bring legitimacy back to one of the sports most sacred records. Mission unaccomplished, do not pass go, do not collect you’re $200.
Then on Thursday The New York Times broke the news that both Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz’s names were also on this list. Neither name particularly shocking, especially Ramirez’s who just completed a 50 game suspension for violating MLB’s drug policy.
Thursday’s reveal did change something for me. I am not naïve, no one surprises me. Not even players that I grew up idolizing. But until Thursday, I whole heartedly believed the names listed should remain confidential. These players agreed to the testing because the list was to remain sealed and to release these names would violate this basic understanding. And more importantly, I believe that the steroid era should remain in the past and we fans should focus on the incredible players that currently populate Major League Baseball completely free of performance-enhancing drugs.
But if every three months another name or two from this list is going to find its way on the pages of some national newspaper than I’d rather rip this band-aid off right now and release the remaining names. Sorry guys, but you know what, at the end of the day its best to learn that your actions have consequences and for the good of baseball let’s give the fans and the writers and the players and owners and the executives the closure the Mitchell Report was unable to accomplish. Let’s once and for all acknowledge the missteps and move on! There is so much young talent popping up around the League, let’s start focusing on the great players like Joe Mauer, Brian McCann, Ryan Braun, Evan Longoria, Tim Lincecum, Grady Sizemore, Justin Verlander, Cole Hamels, Hanley Ramirez, David Wright, Dustin Pedoria, and on and on and on that play the game the right way.
I grew up in the steroid era. I watched players get larger and larger and hit homeruns farther and farther and players play well into their 40s at a level never before seen and you know what, I liked it. I had fun watching those games and I don’t feel cheated by the fact that players were juicing because there were a hell of a lot of players who were inflated. Frankly I felt more cheated by the 1994 players strike than I did about watching Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa battle each other for the single season homerun record. At the same time, I’m glad that era is over and we can go back to seeing the return of small ball and the youth movement. The steroids era is not something we should wipe off the map (the Braves had some of their best years during that time) but it’s time to move on and by releasing these names maybe FINALLY, we can all move on!
Then on Thursday The New York Times broke the news that both Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz’s names were also on this list. Neither name particularly shocking, especially Ramirez’s who just completed a 50 game suspension for violating MLB’s drug policy.
Thursday’s reveal did change something for me. I am not naïve, no one surprises me. Not even players that I grew up idolizing. But until Thursday, I whole heartedly believed the names listed should remain confidential. These players agreed to the testing because the list was to remain sealed and to release these names would violate this basic understanding. And more importantly, I believe that the steroid era should remain in the past and we fans should focus on the incredible players that currently populate Major League Baseball completely free of performance-enhancing drugs.
But if every three months another name or two from this list is going to find its way on the pages of some national newspaper than I’d rather rip this band-aid off right now and release the remaining names. Sorry guys, but you know what, at the end of the day its best to learn that your actions have consequences and for the good of baseball let’s give the fans and the writers and the players and owners and the executives the closure the Mitchell Report was unable to accomplish. Let’s once and for all acknowledge the missteps and move on! There is so much young talent popping up around the League, let’s start focusing on the great players like Joe Mauer, Brian McCann, Ryan Braun, Evan Longoria, Tim Lincecum, Grady Sizemore, Justin Verlander, Cole Hamels, Hanley Ramirez, David Wright, Dustin Pedoria, and on and on and on that play the game the right way.
I grew up in the steroid era. I watched players get larger and larger and hit homeruns farther and farther and players play well into their 40s at a level never before seen and you know what, I liked it. I had fun watching those games and I don’t feel cheated by the fact that players were juicing because there were a hell of a lot of players who were inflated. Frankly I felt more cheated by the 1994 players strike than I did about watching Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa battle each other for the single season homerun record. At the same time, I’m glad that era is over and we can go back to seeing the return of small ball and the youth movement. The steroids era is not something we should wipe off the map (the Braves had some of their best years during that time) but it’s time to move on and by releasing these names maybe FINALLY, we can all move on!
(Photos: Reuters)
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