Steroids

With the meteoric rise of Jersey Shore and the "gorilla juiceheads" that the MTV hit so lovingly glorified, I was starting to believe that America had turned a corner in its collective stance on steroids.

If you're a baseball fan, that was your hope anyway. Coming off a year in which Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, and Mark McGwire were either tied or outright admitted to PED use, we were juiced out on the juice.

On the one hand, you have the throwing of the 1919 World Series by eight players, which acts negatively and selfishly toward the team, fans, and everyone surrounding baseball.

However, although the thought process of steroids could be to support one's team, in most cases it's just as selfish and used by ego-maniacs in search of personal glory.

On the other side of things, the White Sox were throwing a World Series for a bigger cause; to revolt against a cheap owner in the form of Charles Comiskey.

Baseball fans know that the beautiful game isn't generally decided by which team makes the most errors, either of the physical or mental variety. That's because this particular diamond is plagued by flaws—observers often point out that Ty Cobb's lifetime average is .366.

That means the all-time greatest hitter-for-average failed in his expertise at a 63 percent clip. That about sums up how immaculate even the best splinters are.

Level of difficulty and simple statistics take care of the rest.

Did Mark McGwire cheat? Did he use steroids to build his massive home run hitting frame? Is he little more than a liar when it comes to admitting what we all know is the truth?

The collective answer is obvious to anyone taking a step back from the emotional brink.

We don’t know.

Last night was Monday July the 13th. We managed to have a night where seven of the

best home run hitters in baseball and Brandon Inge got together in an attempt to put on a power display where batting practice pitchers grooved balls at 70—75 MPH and in turn the likes of Pujols, Fielder, Cruz, and Howard deposited them deep into the St. Louis sky.

My, how things have changed in baseball with fan perception of players using performance-enhancing drugs. In a span of less than a decade, we have gone from running players out of the game completely to adapting to the situation.

Friday night’s return of Manny Ramirez from a 50-game suspension due to testing positive of banned substances was a sign of the times where a majority of baseball fans have collectively said, “I love the game and this is what it is, Play Ball!“

So now that David Ortiz has found his stroke again, all the murmurs will start.

This will certainly mirror the talk that surrounded Jason Giambi a couple of years ago.

You all remember, don’t you? Giambi admitted to doing performance-enhancing drugs before the 2004 season, and followed that up with an 80 game, 12 home run season. The murmurs, in that case, became a roar of laughter.

It didn’t get any better in 2005 when he came out of the gate with five home runs in the first 60 games of the season, but Giambi would finish that season with 32 homeruns.

Who out there still thinks Major League Baseball is genuinely troubled by steroids and performance-enhancing drugs?

I hope not too many hands are being raised.

Don't get me wrong—MLB knows it has a problem on its hands and PEDs are the source, but the suits only believe the issue to be skin-deep. It's a matter of public relations damage control and nothing else.

Spin.

Moral obligation to society? Ethical duty to protect the record books?

How about health? Sanctity? The kids? Surely you can't be serious.

"I believe baseball is a beautiful and exciting game, loved by millions—I among them—and I believe baseball is an important, enduring American institution. It must assert and aspire to the highest principles—of integrity, of professionalism of performance, of fair play within its rules.

It will come as no surprise that like any institution composed of human beings, this institution will not always fulfill its highest aspirations.

Alright Mitchell: Eat this.

Steroids are everywhere. Their presence in sports, especially football and baseball, are unstoppable. Punish as many athletes as you want, try to make examples of childhood heroes, but you're not going to stop anything.

Athletes will always strive to enhance their game. And steroids will continue to be harder and harder to detect. That's just how science works. Just like athletes they will always evolve into something greater.

So what's the solution?