Ok... Scotty
This is the super condensed version of a response that I could probably talk for hours on. Steroids are not the issue. Major League Baseball is the issue. Bud Selig and his cronies HAD to be aware of what was going on in the late 1990's to mid 2000's in regard to steroid use. It is what brought the MLB back into the limelight. I am going to explain using only homeruns as an example. I know that shortening the height of the mound and building smaller fields increased the amount of long balls, but some of these #'s are astounding!
Between 1977 and 1995 (18 seasons) there were a TOTAL of 3- 50+ homerun seasons (52, 51, and 50). In 18 years there were only THREE!
From 1996-2008 (12 seasons) there have been an amazing 22- 50+ homerun seasons (including totals of 73, 70, 66, 65, 64, 63). 4 players alone in 1998 hit more than 50.
If this is not an immediate indication of game enhancement, I don't know what is.
As to my personal feelings on the use of steroids... forget it. This is not how baseball was meant to be played. Baseball today is all about production- runs, homeruns, and action! There is no small ball. No choking up and protecting the plate with 2 strikes, no bunting or stealing.
I went to fire school with a guy who played D-1 baseball at Louisville (not a baseball powerhouse) and he was on steroids. He told me the number of college players using at the time was a staggering number. And when did he play there you ask? 1997-2000.
It is far too difficult to say how long players have been using or the exact year it became known. All I can speculate is that the higher ups in MLB knew there was a problem and just looked past it. How does this now affect the record books? MLB has to come up with a time frame of when it became apparent and just have separate records aka "pre-steroid era" and now.
As for the Pete Rose discussion... he should have been reinstated long ago. His actions were OFF THE FIELD. He admitted to betting, even on the teams he managed... SO WHAT!?! A-Rod admitted to using substances he knew were performance enhancers and everyone congratulates him for telling the truth. His career is tarnished, his numbers are questionable, and only time will tell about his Hall of Fame status. Pete Rose's off-the-field antics should have died with A. Bartlett Giamatti.
4 comments:
I sense a lot of angst coming through on your new Mainstream blog. Don't forget we still live in the greatest country on Earth (or so they tell us!!). I fortunately grew up as a child in the greatest generation,the 50's, so I guess I have a different outlook. Besides, if you really want to feel better just pick up a book or watch a video on the Depression. I do sympathize with your frustration though about the state of the world today. Congrats on your 3 year anniversary!! My time does fly.
Well said by both JML5 and JML4. I am frustrated by baseball today because I think of baseball the way it is portrayed in Field of Dreams...A game for fathers and sons to enjoy together. Whether that be having a catch or going to a ballgame on a Sunday afternoon together. I think of Archie and how hard he played the game and how excited he was to make it to the Big Leagues. I feel baseball should accept the steroid era for what it is. Guys should still be in the Hall of Fame and we should just know this era was a part of the game. As for Pete Rose, aka Charlie Hustle, it is a shame that someone who played the game all the right ways is not able to represent it because of an off the field issue. Where have the Roberto Clemente's and Jackie Robinson's gone? When it was a game...
The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come.
Pure poetry...Pure poetry!
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