The juiced ball? How about juiced players?

The juiced ball? How about juiced players?

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Last week, The New York Times released a report that suggested steroid use in baseball is possibly "widespread" and still on the rise. The Times spoke with several teams' strength coaches, players, general managers and other league officials who claim steroid abuse has become a major problem in baseball. Florida outfielder Cliff Floyd said he believes 40% of major leaguers have used steroids, while one anonymous GM told The Times he thinks at least a third of the players abuse the drug. That's pretty big news, and I bet many of you reading this column never even heard about that.

The use of steroids without a prescription is against federal law, yet because anabolic steroids aren't banned in baseball like they are in many other sports, this report didn't receive the national attention it should have. I actually read about it on ESPN.com and a few other Web sites, but a report of this magnitude should have been splashed across every newspaper, magazine and TV show in America. Instead, it was buried underneath all the overblown and suffocating playoff coverage, which is exactly what baseball wanted: Hide the ugly sister in the closet and hype the prom queen.

Take this comment made by vice president for baseball operations Sandy Alderson: "There have been a number of observations made by people who are somewhat knowledgeable in this area and they believe strongly that there is [steroid] usage. I think at this point it is safe to say Major League Baseball and the players association are reviewing this situation." Based on this quote alone, it's pretty clear that MLB has been sitting on this story for a while. After all, let's not forget about Manny Alexander, the Boston Red Sox utility infielder who faces an October 31 hearing on possession charges after police found steroids in his car in June. But much like The Times report, this story didn't receive the national attention it should have.

Of course you'll remember the whole "andro" scandal of 1998, the year Mark McGwire obliterated baseball's single-season home run record. A bottle of androstenedione was found in McGwire's locker that year, and while baseball obviously doesn't enforce a ban on this substance (partially because there is much debate about whether andro actually "enhances" performance or not), The Times report says many scientists consider andro to be an anabolic steroid, a drug several other sports have in fact added to their banned-substances lists.

The bottom line is, baseball has known about this steroid problem for some time; The Times report is loaded with too much evidence to believe otherwise. But MLB has tried to keep this out of the public spotlight even after the McGwire and Alexander incidents. Why?

After the dreaded strike in 1994, baseball needed something, anything, that would bring its loyal fan base back to the game. When the strike finally ended in 1995, attendance and merchandise sales were way down and baseball, America's pastime, was suddenly being shunned by its fans. But the home run, along with some help from Cal Ripken Jr. and interleague play, forced the game back into our homes and created the league we know today: MLB, More Long Balls. And since then, guys like McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Ken Griffey have been baseball's fan magnets, not only drawing the disillusioned fans back to the game, but also attracting people who otherwise had little interest in the sport.

If Bud Selig put his bloodhounds after the league's steroid poppers, all hell could and probably would break loose. First, the drug would be banned, which would mean there would have to be random and mandatory testing for steroids. That would, of course, force many of the users to give up their steroid use, which could conceivably cut down the number of homers hit each season. If the drug is as widespread as the sources in The Times report say it is, the reduction in homers could be drastic, as in "hundreds-of-thousands-of-fans" drastic. This new generation of baseball fans lives to see 13-9 games with tons of homers and even more pitching changes. If 1-0 and 4-2 games became the norm again, many of these newbies would jump ship, leaving baseball once again in a bind. Don't think Selig and the owners don't understand and truly believe that.

So baseball's execs are handling this the only way they feel they can... by saying "we're dealing with it." Well, why isn't there already a ban on steroid use in baseball? I'm still trying to figure that one out. How can a drug be banned on a federal level but not on a league level?

Selig understands the need to flush baseball clean of this problem, if in fact there is one. But it won't be an easy task, not now anyway and surely not if steroid use is a league-wide issue. Baseball is saying they're talking to the Major League Players' Association about including a drug-testing program in the next collective bargaining agreement. Oh yeah. I can see the players really warming up to that idea. 

Almost as much as they warmed up to the salary cap in 1994.

In the Bullz-Eye
Philadelphia Eagles' QB Donovan McNabb. Believe it or not, the Eagles have an outside chance of slipping into the playoffs. They have a solid defense and the offense, though shaky and inconsistent at times, can put up some numbers. But Philly's starting RB, Duce Staley, is out for the year with a severe foot injury, leaving the Eagles with guys like Darnell Autry, Brian Mitchell and Amp Lee in the backfield. In other words, if the Eagles still have 2000 playoff plans, McNabb needs to take control of this team right now. Otherwise, it'll be another short season in the City of Brotherly Love.

 
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