Baseball's Steroid Problem Revisited

Mark McGwire has made it official. The 1990's indeed can be called baseball's steroid era. Like others before him he has profusely apologized for using steroids. Of course he did not use them to gain muscle mass - he used them to be able to play while injured. After all he was earning millions and it would have been unethical to go on the injured reserve list. I don't believe anyone has admitted yet that they used steroids to become better players. The apologies admit wrong doing but with qualifications. Yes they say, taking steroids was wrong but the intent was not to break a record but to heal injuries. Their apology borders on rationalization.

So far Barry Bonds has resisted the temptation to admit using steroids and throw himself upon the mercy of fans. After all he allegedly only used steroids to mask injuries.

Baseball's steroid era certainly deserves one big asterisk and perhaps a trip into anonymity for those who created the era. A New York Times article worth reading is "Why Baseball Should Be Talking About The Past" - it puts the steroid era in its proper perspective for the future of baseball.