I have a variety of thoughts and opinons on this subject -- and I posted a much shorter version of this on Curt Shillings blog -- here, it's "my place" so I can tend to go rambling a bit more freely.
The first one being if there is overwhelming evidence that you bought Human Growth Hormones or Anabolic Steroids (e.g. reciepts you signed, checks signed by you - from your account, videotape of your purchases, etc..) -man up and admit you did it and move on. The gig is up - there is far more credibility in owning your mistake than to deny it and look foolish.
I do not condone the use of steroids - I want to preface my comment coming next with that. But I do believe that athletes who play sports for a living are not the “general public” and their bodies take a beating in such a manner that your average person does not. Excluding of course the body builder who uses HGH and Anabolic steroids. I get that body building is a "sport", but I do not hold that in the same esteem as I do football or baseball. Vanity is not a contact sport. Just this girls opinion…
However…I do believe that there is a difference between performance enhancing drugs used to take your body to a level of growth and performance that you would not have seen otherwise on sheer talent — and use that to break records and skew statistics; than using anabolic steriods in an effort to repair and heal the body quicker. From what little knowledge I remember from the 80s and 90s when steroid use was all the "rage" (no pun intended), HGH and Anabolic steroids together does crazy things to your body with regards to size and strength; using them seperately, or using different variations of the Anabolics that are out there -- does different things. And becoming bigger isn't necessarily one of them. Do steroids make the body stronger? Absolutely, in some ways yes — but it also breaks the body down in many other ways, sometimes even causing death at a relatively early age.
So basically what I’m saying is this: I disagree whole heartedly with how and why Barry Bonds used HGH and steroids. But yet, I may not necessarily disagree with the hows and whys of how other people in the sports world has used them. I almost feel like I’m talking out of both sides of my mouth here - because, in some ways - isn’t it all cheating?
All I know is this. I don’t think the Mitchell Report is going to change a thing for the players named within, except for maybe Roger Clemens. I think it’s great that the MLB wants to crack down on the use of illegal drugs - and I’m very glad that no one on the Sox was on that list. At the same time — I don’t know that it would’ve changed the opinions I hold of anyone even if they had been on there.
Would it have changed it for you?
2 comments:
I might not have an opinion at all... if not for the fact that My Boy lives for baseball and has a father who's pushing him in that directions for scholarship, etc., already. I look at it this way: what if the status quo in MY profession practically required the use of a drug to keep up? A drug that might eventually kill me. And do I want my son to enter a profession where he'd feel the need to do steroids? Because if they didn't exist, if NO ONE used them, it wouldn't be an issue.
Hey Cheryl, Great point! Funny thing is, you brought up a perspective I hadn't thought of shockingly - the Mom perspective. My son plays baseball...and I didn't even put it in the perspective of what if HE was in the majors. Absolutely I would not want to see my children use any kind of drug - legal or otherwise - that could harm them long term. Or would he even stand a chance to be in the majors if he didn't use them? How would he stack up against the rest who were.... excellent point. I was only looking at it from the view of current players, etc.. Thanks!!!
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