Steroids in Baseball
... flap had time to grow stale, Jose Canseco, another high-profile ex-ballplayer, upped the ante, declaring that a whopping 85 percent of current major league players were ‘juicing’” (Perry n.p.). More and more ex-ballplayers are admitting to using steroids while playing. One of the biggest questions right now in baseball is whether Barry Bonds is taking steroids or not. Bonds is only fifty homeruns away from breaking Hank Aaron’s homerun record of seven hundred and fifty-five, and many think that it’s a fluke. Bonds began his career in Pittsburgh as a skinny outfielder who could run. He had some power but nobody thought they were looking at the next homerun king. Bonds now looks like he has buffed up tremendously and is possibly the best hitter that baseball has ever seen. Hank Aaron has a close relationship with Bonds, and he doesn’t care if he has used steroids before or not. In a recent interview with Aaron, the question was asked, “What do you think about Barry Bonds and steroids?” He replied, “I don’t care if he used steroids or not. You still have to hit the ball, have quick hands, and eye coordination in order to hit the ball. No steroid will help you with that,” (Aaron pC5). What the present homerun king is saying is true, but how many of those homeruns would have made the distance without some help from steroids? Hank Aaron achieved one of baseballs greatest feats in passing Babe Ruth’s record of career homeruns. “When Aaron broke Ruth’s record in 1974, he was the recipient of death threats and hate mail as a black man breaking a white man’s record. The only sign of progress is that the criticism of Bonds won’t be based on the color of his skin. But if and when he breaks the record, don’t expect some breathless announcer to shout, ‘Do you believe in miracles?’ This is hardly going to be that kind of story. And barring a thorough examination of Bonds’ past, we will never know if the more appropriate question is: ‘Do you believe in medicine?’” (Aaron pC5). Although the record books will be changed forever, many people will still wonder how many of those homeruns were hit with the help of steroids. Steroids are also turning players against each other. For instance, Gary Sheffield of the New York Yankees was another target of players with the possibility of taking steroids. He didn’t want to take responsibility for his own actions so instead he asked why players like Roger Clemens haven’t been questioned. Well this started a conflict between Sheffield and Clemens and it all started because of steroids. Another instance in where players turned on each other is when pitcher Turk Wendell of the Colorado ...