104

Alex Rodriguez has been outed as one of the 104 players in 2003 who tested positive for performance enhancing drugs (PEDs).  Quite a shocking revelation, no?

We already know that steroid use was running rampant around the league all through the 80s, 90s and into the 2000s.  A list of 104 players who were confirmed to have taken them is really no news at all, and is only a fraction of those who were actually involved with steroids.

I see no point in publishing the list, because it is in no way complete.

It makes me sad and angry to think about a player like Hank Aaron.  He went through so much to become the Home Run King, and has since been eclipsed by Barry Bonds, who will probably be succeeded by Alex Rodriguez--two known steroid users.  I do not feel his record should have been broken by those who cheated the game in such a way.  I do believe that records are made to be broken, but to see his fall in such an ignominious manner is a true disgrace to the game.

The other thing that is bothersome to me about steroids is the constant rumor that there is always a new, undetectable substance out there, one step ahead of any testing.  I guess one test of whether the MLB has cleaned up steroid use will be the performance and injuries to older players, who may not heal as quickly as they did when on steroids.

A cloud really is hanging over the sport, and there is no sign of it clearing any time soon.  Will it be worth it for those who chose to use when they are suffering serious health consequences ten years down the road?  How will their children feel when many suffer an early death due to the ravages of steroids?  How many players will trade a chance at the Hall of Fame for the benefits of steroid use to their game?  

Hammerin' Hank

I'm reading a little book right now about Hank Aaron.  It's actually just a commercial product of Sports Illustrated.  They compiled all the articles written about Aaron for the mag over the years into a book they could sell.  It's titled The Hammer:  The Best of Hank Aaron from the Pages of Sports Illustrated.  

Actually, it's pretty good.  Throughout the book so far, I've been repeatedly amazed at Aaron---really wish I could've seen him play.

I'm sure this is all old news to many baseball buffs, but it's been great for me to learn more about Mr. Wrists, a true bad ball hitter who stymied most pitchers with an astute guessing game at what pitch he was going to get.  A person who looked overtly casual in manner, but was really an intense studier of the game, with an unmatched focus on detail.

There are some great quotes from contemporaries as the book follows his young days on up through the home run record chase and beyond (the last article was published in 1994).  It's good to read pieces that were written at the time events were happening--gives a real feel for what folks thought of Aaron at various stops in his career-before they knew the history he'd be making.

I'm thoroughly enjoying this story of summer in the midst of the blustery winds of a Michigan winter.