Steroids: Who Done ‘Em?

May 13, 2009

Former MVP and admitted steroid user, Ken Caminiti, suggested that at least half of the league was using steroids.  Jose Canseco wrote two books alleging much the same.  Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Miguel Tejada, Rafael Palmeiro, Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, and now, Manny Ramirez, are just a few of the names that have been mentioned in the steroids scandal.   

To me, the obvious problem is that no player is now beyond suspicion.  Sure, there are other problems too: integrity of standings, stats, and new records, the example it sets for today’s youth, and how it isn’t fair to players that played by the rules.  And all of those problems should be (and are being) examined.  For this post, however, I want to focus on how disappointing it is that an entire generation of players will be viewed with suspicion.  If a player hits less homers this year than he did two years ago is that a sign of past steroid use?  Conversely, if a player has a sudden spike in homers, could he perhaps be using some undetectable PED?  Can you tell merely by looking at a player?  (Sure, we witnessed Barry Bonds’s head grow to the size of a basketball, but that’s not the case with every PED-using player.)  Henceforth, stats will be viewed through a microscope with a shred of doubt attached to almost every milestone. 

How concerned should we be about skewed stats as a result of PEDs?  After all, it was Billy Martin who said, “Cheating is as much a part of the game as scorecards and hotdogs.”  Pine tar, spit balls, sandpaper, and stealing signs are all used to by players to gain an advantage over the competition.  Yet, they are viewed as goofy, or comical, certainly not as serious as PEDs.   Gaylord Perry is one of the great “villains” of baseball, but we recant his antics with a nostalgic smile.  The story of Jason Grimsley climbing through the ceiling of the vistors clubhouse to steal back Albert Belle’s confiscated corked bat is legendary, and often told with a chuckle.  That kind of cheating is judged very differently than PED use. 

I think the unique problem with PEDs is the broad shadow it casts over every major leaguer who has played over the past 15 years.  Orel Hershiser wrote a piece for ESPN the other day basically accepting this view.  He mentioned that when he first got to the big leagues, there were only four guys that could hit the ball out of the park to the opposite field: Darrell Evans, Pedro Guerrero, Andre Dawson, and Mike Schmidt, but by the end of his career it was commonplace.  Clearly, something had changed.

Like many, I believe the increase in power is mainly due to PEDs.  Sure, weaker pitching as a result of expansion and an increased emphasis on weight training are partial explanations, but the sharp rise in power, coupled with all the allegations in recent years, makes PED use appear to be the real culprit.  After all, I remember Darryl Strawberry leading the majors in homers with 39.  I remember Cecil Fielder hitting 50 homers for the first time since George Foster.  And I remember when the Mets got Kevin McReynolds to play left field and hit in the five hole because he could slug a whopping 20-25 homers a year, which was considered very good in 1988.  These days, 39 homers is pedestrian, 50 homers is eclipsed every few years, and 25 homers is good — for a six or seven hitter.

There are many blogs that discuss players suspected of using PEDs.  I want to take a different approach.  In the comment section, list the all-stars who you think are clean, those who you have some degree of confidence did NOT take PEDs. 

To start, on my list I have: Orel Hershiser, Robin Ventura, Gary Carter, Ken Griffey, Jr., Derek Jeter, Chipper Jones, and Mike Piazza (As a Met fan, I have to believe in Piazza).  I’d also like to believe guys like Fred McGriff, Torii Hunter, Carlos Delgado, and David Wright are clean.  I’ll add more in the comments section, but who do you think is definitely clean?

Written by Evan Rosen · Filed Under Miscellaneous | 6 Comments