Steroids in baseball

[sluggers]

Just to blow off some steam:

I am appalled by baseball players use of steroids. They should implement random drug tests (like my DDs had through college), and every ball player that test positive should be banned for life.

What happened to baseball? Where did this "get ahead at all costs" attitude come from? Isn't sports about how far you can take what God gave you? I thought that was the fun of it.

When did it become shameful to be simply a "Hall of Fame" pitcher rather than the "best pitcher of all time"?

 

[newsoftballdad]

Baseball

Baseball has always been a game of "wink and nod" cheating. Players have always looked for an advantage over others. Think about a pitcher throwing a spitter or doctoring the ball. Hitters corking bats or even pine tar, etc. Since the powers of baseball (Selig) turned a blind eye to steroids the players used it as an advantage. Selig in fact saw steroids as a way to bring back baseball during the Maguire/Sosa home run race. It is not right and now that the policy is being enforced we will see the results. People make fun of international bike racing because of all of the bans for drugs, but they have a zero tolerance policy. It is not that they a riddled with drug use, but they catch every case.

 

[Ken Krause]

I think the "get ahead at all costs" mentality really kicked in about the time baseball players quit being indentured servants. Once there were millions on the line and free agency to get them, it made sense to do whatever you could. What do they care for health -- they're young and indestructable during most of their careers.

As long as teams are willing to pay $25 million a year for someone to play baseball, there will be steroid use. The players will want it to get a shot at the money, and the owners will want it to fill the stands and cover their costs.

 

[MTR]

I think the "get ahead at all costs" mentality really kicked in about the time baseball players quit being indentured servants. Once there were millions on the line and free agency to get them, it made sense to do whatever you could. What do they care for health -- they're young and indestructable during most of their careers.

As long as teams are willing to pay $25 million a year for someone to play baseball, there will be steroid use. The players will want it to get a shot at the money, and the owners will want it to fill the stands and cover their costs.

While I agree with the premise of this post, I take exception to the "indentured servants" comment.

An indentured servants works for expenses and care. Regardless of the level of salary, the pre-Curt Flood Ruined Baseball era players were not only were paid a salary on top of expenses and care, they were also aided in finding off-season employment that was often so cushy, the Soprano family would be jealous. There was no year-round training or mini-camps. No moral clauses in the contracts allowing the owners to dictate player's actions.

The player was actually part of the community, not a self-declared elitist making guaranteed millions with a job approval rating of 25%.

People talk about the owners, what about the agents and the ridiculous amounts of money they make for being nothing more than a social secretary? Yeah, the owners are idiots that place money before intelligence and reason, but the players, agents and blindly-loyal fans are just as much of the problem.

 

[Ken Krause]

Indentured servants

While I agree with the premise of this post, I take exception to the "indentured servants" comment.

An indentured servants works for expenses and care. Regardless of the level of salary, the pre-Curt Flood Ruined Baseball era players were not only were paid a salary on top of expenses and care, they were also aided in finding off-season employment that was often so cushy, the Soprano family would be jealous. There was no year-round training or mini-camps. No moral clauses in the contracts allowing the owners to dictate player's actions.

The player was actually part of the community, not a self-declared elitist making guaranteed millions with a job approval rating of 25%.

People talk about the owners, what about the agents and the ridiculous amounts of money they make for being nothing more than a social secretary? Yeah, the owners are idiots that place money before intelligence and reason, but the players, agents and blindly-loyal fans are just as much of the problem.

Still the players lacked the basic right the rest of us had -- the right to change "companies" within our field. Their choices were play for whoever owned their contract or don't play. The Curt Flood ruling changed that.

Not necessarily for the better. They went from their former status to spoiled egomaniacs with no loyalty to anyone. I'm not saying things are better, especially for the fans. They're different.

You are right that the agents and others are also part of the problem. Not to mention the fans who support it all without thinking twice. It's madness. That's why minor league baseball is growing so quickly. It's fun, it's cheap, and you don't feel like you're watching a bunch of spoiled millionaires with no appreciation for what they have.

 

[MTR]

Still the players lacked the basic right the rest of us had -- the right to change "companies" within our field. Their choices were play for whoever owned their contract or don't play. The Curt Flood ruling changed that.

We only have a right to leave a job. There is no right to be given one.

No one has an inherent right to a job. Did an adult sign a binding contract? Who is responsible for that action? No sympathy from me for Flood or any other player who signs a contract and then wants to change the rules.