The steroid era in the MLB is because of MLB
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by user DRE-LO
Congrats to Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr for basically breezing their way into the Hall of Fame. Along with their great careers, they brought honor and integrity to the game of baseball. Both have had careers that made them virtual locks for Cooperstown even before they retired.
Mark McGwire's performance in front of Congress made him a virtual lock for a "no" vote.
Of course, Mark Mcgwire got nowhere near the 400 votes required for very obvious reasons and deservedly so. But while the likes of Mcgwire and Bonds and Palmeiro and others will continue to be forever scarred and verbally abused for their actions, no one seems to be taken shots at the real guilty party, the game of baseball itself. Major League baseball sat on this program and swept it under the bed throughout the 80's and 90's because the game was on fire. Thus, it would be at their greatest inconvience to burst the game's bubble at that point. Bud Selig certainly sat on the issue in the summer of 98 when we were all mesmerized by the home run chase by McGwire. It had to take 2 San Francisco journalists, the mouth of another steroid user in Jose Canseco and the intervention of the U.S Congress for Bud Selig to finally man up. And yet his initial policy was a one-game suspension for the first offense, 3 games for the second and 10 for the third. Then the Congress verbally smacked him in the head and now it's 50 , 100 and then a lifetime ban. The use of steroids and other drugs have probably spread so much throughout baseball for such a long period of time that the problem may never be totally and completely put to a halt. And it's all thanks to the indifference of the executives of MLB. What's even more disturbing is the obvious indifference shown by MLB to quell the use of performance-enhancing drugs. Barry Bonds's failure of his amphetamines test only means that he'll have to take additional drug tests over the next six months. It's only until the second failed amphetamines test that MLB will slap a 25-game suspension.
They still don't get the message.
It was because of the tremondous amount of leeway given to this issue by MLB that has allowed the game to become sullied as it stands now. Yet the game will wait till a second failed test to hold Bonds rightfully accountable. What a wonderful message to send to future ballplayers!!!
It's amazing to me that MLB and the U.S government haven't gone after the companies and institutions that are making and selling these performance enhancing drugs and steroids. Even the simplest vitamin that a player may think is perfectly fine may have a chemical or substance that can enhance performance significantly. If MLB was really serious about quelling this problem, they would do their own research and investigation and find out what those chemicals and substances are and where they are being produced. Read the statement made by Omar Vizquel of the Giants in the article below: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2728327
Should the players be held accountable and bombed for drinking the proverbial Kool-aid? Yes. Should it affect their HOF eligibility?? - Absolutely.
But the fans of the game should really hold MLB's feet to the fire. Their indifference and apathy during the early stages of the steroid issue for the sake of the game's popularity helped fuel it's rise in the first place.
Worked out real well, didn't it?
