Monday: 'Roid Rage

It’s a subject that that isn’t fun to talk about, but talked about nonetheless. Steroids. They can’t be ignored any more than paying the monthly electric bills can. I tend to linger away from the idea for a steady period of time up until the next name comes out. This time it’s Sammy Sosa. Now I think everyone knew that Sosa most likely used steroids before the news flash arrived a few weeks ago, but now that his name and steroids are officially making the headlines, people have to stop and think about it.

Though the topic of steroids and who used them is surfacing newspapers and websites frequently, it’s not because players are using them now. It’s because players did use back in the 1990s, and now the truth about their mistakes is finally being released. True, some players still are caught using drugs today, but they are generally young, naïve players who believe that they can only succeed by enhancing their bodies. Those players are often caught and rightfully suspended. The sad thing is that back in 1990s (and I suppose early 2000s for some) star players who already had the talent took steroids and were never caught until now. It’s become a mess, as more and more players are becoming subjects of this controversy, and most of them are players who were having Hall of Fame careers before the drugs entered their lives.

So that leads us to the major question surrounding the steroid scandal: should star players who used drugs be allowed in the Hall of Fame? It’s a tough question, and even tougher to answer. If Barry Bonds is not allowed in the Hall of Fame, then does that mean he’s not allowed to have the homerun record? In 100 years, if someone sees that he has the record, but is not in the Hall of Fame, they will know that he made a mistake somewhere along the line that prevented him from entering the Hall. If that’s the case, then Bonds will never be looked upon as a baseball hero. My answer to the question is this: For steroid users, all records should be dismissed, and no one should enter the Hall of Fame. That means that Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, and guys like Rafael Palmeiro would not be going into the Hall. Right now, it may sound a bit inequitable, but in 100 years, it will be looked upon as simply a small glitch in baseball history, a span of a few years when there were major hitting stars who were lost in the spotlight because of what they did with steroids. People will continue to write books about it, and talk about the records that were taken away, and they probably will simply find it intriguing rather than unfair. Because the truth is, there will be so many more great players to come, that a small portion of them left out won’t really matter. After all, punishment must be given for those who make mistakes.

There is still hope for these players. They can still go down with dignity, even if they don’t make it into Hall of Fame. What they can do is admit their mistakes. Alex Rodriguez did it (though we’re not sure how much he left out) and Jason Giambi and Andy Pettitte did as well. If one admits their mistakes, they can go out with dignity. If they live in denial, then they go out with a black shadow cast upon them. A few years ago, Mark McGwire said at a hearing involving steroids, ‘I’m not here to talk about the past.’ If he had only admitted his mistakes then maybe he’d be getting more votes on the ballet.

I still think players who used steroids will make it into the Hall of Fame. My opinion is pretty much irrelevant. I just think that since it’s such a small group of players compared to the amounts that will be eligible in years to come and that in the future, people won’t care if Sammy Sosa or Barry Bonds aren’t in the Hall of Fame. However, I don't worry about this, because even though these players likely will still be eligible for the Hall of Fame, it will still be up for the the voters to decide. If the voters don't select these players, then the players can't say they were cheated.

Some say that the mess is happening right now, as more and more names are coming out. It's hard to tell if the mess is now, or yet to come when these players who took steroids become eligible for the Hall of Fame. Then what's going to happen? There's a great line in 'No Country For Old Men' that fits this situation perfectly: "it's a mess, ain't it, sheriff?" "Well, if it ain't, it'll do till the mess gets here."