With the latest reports of Rafael Palmeiro testing positive for banned substances (steroids), I wasn’t surprised.

Am I surprised that smoking kills hundreds of thousands of people each year, yet more people start smoking? No. And I’m not surprised major league players continue to destroy themselves, and the game of baseball by cheating.

I’m also not surprised to hear Palmeiro make the claim that so many other MLB notables have made — “I didn’t knowingly take steroids.” That excuse and $40.00 might buy you a ticket to see this cheater take the field.

And that is the real issue. These people are cheaters. They ruin the game for honest players, and ultimately, they ruin the game for the fans. The fans who pay good money to see their idols put on a fantastic display of talent and entertainment.

And who are these cheaters? Do names like Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Jason Giambi ring a bell? These are all individuals who used substances, rather than hard work and talent to gain a competitive edge on their teammates, as well as other players in the league. To cheat one’s self is one thing, but to cheat your fellow teammates and fans, and the game in general, is another thing.

Unfair Advantage

Steroids aren’t the only way cheaters gain advantage. Remember Sammy Sosa? Mr. “I didn’t know my bat was corked” Sosa. I don’t know which is more absurd, not knowing that you are injecting illegal substances into your body, or not knowing the bat you are using has been modified to gain advantage. You decide.

To be fair, it has never been proven that Mark McGwire took any illegal substances, but we all know he was certainly taking supplements that may or may not have been banned by the league at that time, or presently. As you age, your body breaks down. This is a natural occurrence. You do not get stronger as the years go by, especially playing a sport at the professional level.

What if Hank Aaron was juicing up every day. Would he have hit 800 or 900 homers? Who knows? But one thing is sure, he can hold that record up high. This was a man who played until the end. You could see a tired and worn man running those bases, the opposite of McGwire. McGwire was hitting 500 foot home runs regularly. Mother Nature has been fooled?

There is no place for cheaters in any professional sport, and certainly no place for cheaters within the halls of glory, for which these players seek to end up when they start their careers.

The Hall of Fame is for athletes who strive to be the very best and attain that status during their career. It’s not for cheats who buy strength off the shelves.

This article was written by Bryan Los on Saturday, August 6th, 2005 at 4:10 PM and is filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.