Flippin Cheaters!!!

I keep hearing about how if Barry Bonds had not been juicing for the last number of years, it would not matter because steroids do not make a person have better eye-hand coordination. This has to be one of the most short-sided points of view I have ever heard in my entire life.

Lets consider Barry Bonds. Sure he is a great baseball player, probably one of the greatest to come around in the past twenty years. Yes he did win three MVP trophies before people think he began using steroids. I have little doubt that such performance enhancing drugs like steroids, while increasing strength, have little if any effect on a person's eye-hand coordination.

However there is no doubt that steroids have helped Bonds. Balls that would have been deep fly-outs, just clear the wall. Balls that are home runs go farther. Soft line drives that might have been caught become hard line drives that split the gaps. Ground balls that may be gobbled up by infielders make it through holes and mean more hits. Because Bonds is such a difficult player to pitch to, he walks more.

Then there is the issue of injury and recovery time. It can easily be argued that when a person is on steroids, his or her recovery time from working out is much shorter, allowing that athlete to work out longer, harder and build more muscle mass. For a baseball player in a 162 game season, this is an invaluable advantage. Playing day in and day out over a six month period wears on a persons body. That is why there are so many injuries in modern sports. Bodies break down. Baseball players on steroids do not have as many problems with wearing down during the "dog days" of summer when the season is drawing out and players are getting tired.

This scandal is as bad, in my opinion, as the Chicago Black Sox scandal of 1919. Every record broken in the last ten years is tainted. Every MVP trophy awarded can be called into question. Everyone who loves this game now wonder if their favorite player is on "roids". Thanks baseball. Thank you for further corrupting a kids game.