Steroids in baseball no longer a surprise

[Comment Below]

By Blake Oestriecher

Professional baseball fans have consistently been bombarded by talk of performance-enhancing drug use among MLB players. It is hard for some fans to even remember a time in the last five years when they were not hearing a story dealing with steroids and baseball.

If it was not the Mitchell Report, it was Sports Illustrated reporting that Alex Rodriguez failed a drug test in 2003 and then ESPN covering it nonstop for the rest of the week. Or, it was Manny Ramirez failing a drug test in May and once again, baseball analysts acting surprised that it happened.

It is not that media outlets should not report the news, but there is no need to force it upon the viewers. Many viewers don't want to see hours and hours of coverage of steroids in baseball, especially when the news has lost its shock value.

The list of players who have been linked to or admitted to steroid use already reads like a "Who's Who" of Major League Baseball history. Four of the best homerun hitters ever-Rodriguez, Mark McGwire, Ramirez, and Barry Bonds- and arguably the greatest pitcher of all-time, Roger Clemens, are all included.

Now, former Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa finds himself mentioned in the same conversation as these players. Sosa recently joined this list after it was revealed that he was one of the 104 players who failed a PED test in 2003.

This likely did not come as much of a surprise to baseball fans who remember Sosa's sudden emergence as one of the game's most feared homerun hitters. In 1998, Sosa burst onto the national scene as part of the battle for the single-season homerun record with McGwire.

Over the course of five seasons from 1998-2002, Sosa averaged a staggering 58.4 homeruns per season. Prior to that, Sosa averaged 23 homeruns over his first nine seasons and hit only 36 homeruns just one year before blasting 66 bombs. Suffice it to say, Sosa was at the center of steroid rumors and would remain there for the rest of his career.

When it was reported that Sosa was one of the players who tested positive in 2003, did any fan really think that this was an unforeseen situation? Did any fan fall out of his seat in disbelief?

Come on. Baseball players do not have their homerun average increase by over 35 homeruns per year and then see their production significantly fall off for no reason. The reason Sosa's production fell off in 2003 is because it was the first year of testing for performance-enhancing drugs. He could no longer beat the system, just like Ramirez could no longer beat the system when he was caught in May.

Even though Ramirez had always been a great player, he absolutely exploded at the end of last season after being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 53 games with the Dodgers, Ramirez almost matched his numbers in 100 games with the Boston Red Sox. He hit a stunning .396 with 17 homeruns and 53 RBIs. Does it really seem weird that Ramirez failed a PED test the next year?

To put it plain and simple, we are living in an era where steroid use is rampant. Just because the media acts flabbergasted when a jacked up all-time great is caught cheating doesn't mean we have to.

Originally Published: Issue 806 - July 1, 2009

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