■ In my opinion
Steroid-users don't just cheat
the game, they cheat the fans
Rafael Palmeiro was booed and
heckled with a mixture of cheers at
his home ballpark Sunday during
his first game since his 10-day sus
pension for steroid use. It appears
that once-Hall-of-Fame-bound
Palmeiro is taking the brunt of the
frustration fans have had pent up
since this issue came to the fore
front of baseball.
Sure, there have been other ball
players that have tested positive,
but this is a guy with over 3,000 hits
and 500 home runs.
Palmeiro is the guy that waved
that famous finger during a congres
sional hearing and strongly denied
EVER taking steroids.
The Oriole first baseman is
an easy target, as he is the only
one to deny steroid allegations and
get caught.
It would be ignorant to think
more Hall of Fame caliber ball play
ers have not dabbled in illegal “per
formance-enhancing drugs.”
One name always in this discus
sion is Mark McGwire.
I’ve never seen a 6-foot-5, 250
pound guy who was able to go into
hiding so well. His most recent sit
ing was during the congressional
hearings, and he pleaded the fifth
when asked about his steroid use,
which condemned him to guilt in
the coun of public opinion.
Back in 1987, McGwire came on
to the scene as a thin first baseman
out of USC and destroyed the home
run record for rookies with 49. As
he continued to put numbers up,
r
CLAYTON JONES
SEVENTH INNING STRETCH
his body started to grow. By the
time he was traded to St. Louis in
1997, the guy had forearms that
looked like tree trunks. He would
hit balls that appeared unhitable out
of the ballpark, all culminating to a
record-breaking 70-home-run sea
son in 1998.
After two injury-riddled seasons
in which he still hit 61 homers in
186 games, McGwire retired with
possibly another couple of seasons
in him.
Of course, we will never know
whether McGwire used steroids,
though the always entertaining Jose
Canseco (did you see him on that
reality show doing a burlesque style
dance? Jose: Don’t give up your ...
well whatever you do to make mon
ey) says ht .hot up McGwire with
the juice.
Another guy that has been quiet
through all of this is Barry Bonds.
While he has been rehabilitating
this season after going under multi
ple knee operations, the man in the
middle of the BALCO investigation
has shaded himself from the light of
the steroid epidemic.
Bonds, never a fan of the media
even while playing, hasn’t been in a
game since the mandatory steroid
testing policy went into place
and some are questioning whether
he will ever play in a game
again. Many believe it’s because of
his knees, but others think it’s be
cause he doesn’t want to deal with
steroid testing.
I’m not here to put a label on who
has done steroids, because there are
many players who are under the
gun of steroid-use allegations.
I’m here to say, as member of
the media and as a fan, we want
the integrity of America’s pastime to
be restored.
These men, who get paid
quite handsomely to play this great
game, owe it to the players of past
generations and to the fans to
conduct themselves professionally
and ethically.
Fans are angered and disappoint
ed by their major league heroes
right now.
What’s hard for a me and many
other 20-somethings to take is that
some of the greatest memories we
have as baseball fans are going to be
tainted with the label of “steroids.”
So while some fans found it in
their hearts to forgive Palmeiro and
cheer for him on Sunday, there will
be no forgiveness coming from me
— not for somebody who took the
easy way out and shot up steroids.
Not only did he cheat himself and
the game, but he cheated us.
daytonjones@dailyememld.com
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