Steroids…Another player bites the dust

As all of you know Manny Ramirez was suspended from 50 games and it is going to cost him about $8M.  I find it very sad that MLB finds the need to blame the players for using steroids instead of blaming MLB for making it necessary that they use steroids in the first place.  Granted the players are at fault but so is MLB.  There is enough blame to go around.  Great players like Mcguire, Bonds, and Conseco will not make the Hall of Fame.  Yes they allegedly used steroids, but they were expected to.   You told me to use the steroids, and oh by the way don’t get caught because you will be in trouble , not MLB or the coaches.

This was a hot topic at work last night.  Steroid use seems to have come on the seen in the mid-late 80s.  One of the guys I was talking to last night, said he played a little minor league ball and a few of his friends are now playing in the bigs.  Every baseball scout that these young men talked to encouraged them to do 2-3 cycles of steroids to put on 30lbs of rock.  It would help them hit the ball better, throw faster, etc.  If a scout tells you to do this and you will then play in the bigs, what do you think these guys would do?

Two of his friends at the ripe old age of 27 have had strokes.  Strokes at 27 ?!?!

All for a shot to play in the bigs. For a $4M contract would you do it?  The answer in most cases is “YES!”  When will MLB realize what it is doing and has done?  They need to take some responsibility for what is going on.  You mean to tell me the coaches don’t know what is going on.  Again, the players are not the only ones to blame.

Another guy in the conversation said he played college baseball for a really bad D1 school.  But it was still D1.  He said 1/3-1/2 of the team used steroids.  His dad lived in Mexico, so he would supply the team.  Can you really ever imagine buying steroids for your children?  Maybe I’m a little too old fashioned.  I want my children to be here and to be healthy.

As parents we need to be very involved our children’s lives.  It doesn’t end with where they are and who their friends are.  We also need to know who are their coaches, who are they idolizing, what will be expected of them as college athletes, and the list continues.