August 31, 2005

MORE HALL OF FAMERS NEED TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST STEROID USERS

      Two legendary ballplayers recently voiced strong opinions against steroids and its abusers.  Frank Robinson came out against Rafael Palmeiro and said that all of the Oriole’s records should be erased.  Reggie Jackson said that the public has created a “mental asterisk” regarding the performances of today’s ballplayers.  While Frank and Reggie are understandably upset that there is a “scar” on the game it will take more outspoken criticisms from hall of famers to really cast the proper light on the sport’s cheaters.

       Robinson believes that since there is no way to decipher exactly when Palmeiro began using steroids it would behoove baseball to simply eradicate all of his statistics.  This may simply be the matter of an angry former superstar venting over the fact that his phenomenal career numbers are now being dwarfed by today’s drug enhanced players.  It is impossible to conceive that the wimpy leadership that runs MLB would eliminate all of Palmeiro’s numbers, but it is certainly possible that sportswriters, when they get their opportunity, will keep someone, previously viewed as a shoo-in, out of Cooperstown.

       Jackson believes that if Pete Rose is kept out for gambling, then Palmeiro should be kept out for cheating.  He also believes that there are other players using that have not been discovered.  In an article in the Sporting News he assesses that fact.  “The greatest of the game—Mays, Aaron, Ruth, faded at the end of their careers.  When you see (older players excelling) you know.”  Unfortunately, at this point, we can only guess—perhaps an educated guess-- when it comes to Bonds, McGwire, and Sosa, but it seems fairly apparent that these players are users in one form or another.

      What baseball and its fans need are more of these former greats coming out and criticizing today’s ballplayers.  Hank Aaron and Willie Mays and Willie McCovey and Mike Schmidt, all great home run hitters in their day, should vocalize their distaste for steroids and its users.  Paul Molitor and Dave Winfield and Wade Boggs and even Pete Rose, all members of the 3000 hit club, should be publicly critical of steroid users.  There should be story after story of former greats criticizing today’s players, the union, and the league for the steroid policies, its hollow rules and its subsequent abuse. 

       Reggie says “Wake up, leadership of our game.”  But it is incumbent on everyone associated with the game to “wake up’ and do something about this very serious problem.  If more greats of the game come forward and talk about this supposed scarring of the game then it has a chance to clean itself up.  The drug testing is not working.  It caught Palmeiro, but likely only because he was either stupid or arrogant.  When an admitted user like Jason Giambi comes out of nowhere to start putting up numbers similar to when he was a league MVP a flag has to go up.  Giambi should be tested regularly and in different ways.  Just like a criminal on probation—once you have tested positive, admitted usage, or been found using under court induced testimony—you should be subject to constant scrutiny and observation.

       If the day does arrive when fans truly believe that they are watching a steroid free game it will only arrive through aggressive testing, peer pressure and big brother like observation.  If you can’t do the time, goes the line, then don’t do the crime.