Jose Canseco had recently published his book "Juiced". It names various baseball superstars as steroid users including members of the 500 home run club like Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeirio. Though Canseco is not the most reliable source, he certainly raises a doubt in my mind. And if you look at Palmeiro stats after he became teamates with Canseco you might think Jose has a point.

From testimony leaked in the Balco Trial, it was revealed that current single season homerun champ Barry Bonds was also a steriod user. Clearly, steroids are now a part of baseball and are being used by its icons. What sort of ramifications should this have? Should McGwire and Bonds and other greats be barred from the hall of fame? Should Jason Giambi, an admitted steroid user, be suspended or banned from baseball for life? Personally, I would adopt a zero-tolerance policy. If you are caught as a user you are banned for life. Your records are erased and you have no chance to obtain entry into the hall of fame. In mind, Bonds and Giambi are more disgraceful than Pete Rose.

You don't have to be a baseball fan to have an opinion. Please respond.

I agree with aceblog, we should give athletes a chance to clean themselves up but only one chance. If they're caught using steroids again they should be banned from whatever sport they compete in, not just baseball. Athletes of all types are heros to loads of kids out there and if those kids see their heros using steroids they're MUCH more likely to use them themselves. And steroids have caused at least two teenagers to kill themselves when they went into depressions caused by the steroids.

I think steroid use is wrong and takes the fun out of sports. I am a big Yankees fan and I was disappointed when I heard about Giambi's use of steroids. Giambi did apologize, however, and he's currently doing pretty well, NOTon steroids. So, rather than "zero tolerance," I would propose a sort of probation system for base ball players who used steroids. If they remain clean,they should be allowed a second chance.

Lets not kid ourselves, baseball is not the only sport where steroid use is prevalent.

It's really sad that baseball players that are already really good feel that they're not good enough and therefore have to take steroids. I realize that being in professional Major League Baseball is probably very stressful at times, but still.

I think that it's kind of sad that thes players have to use something that's unnatural to make them look bigger. Don't they know that they have kids that look up to them?

I'm reviving this post, because I think it is a quite relevant issue.

Do you think that Congress had the supeona all of those baseball players? Should they have waited longer for MLB to act? A lot of people are comparing Congresss' actions to what Joe McCarthy did during the Red Scare. Does Congress have cause to call all of those players to testify? It seems as though all of the players named in Jose Canseco book as steroid users are being supeonaed.

I really don't know. I wasn't there in the lockerroom or the doctor's office or wherever when he supposedly received these substances, and neither were you. As a Giants fan, I would like to believe that the accusations were 100% false, but I really don't know. I would prefer to adopt the "innocent until proven guilty" theory, and if it were put in front of a jury with only the knowledge that the public has, an acquittal would most certainly be necessary.

Bushism of the day:
After all, a week ago, there were- Arafat was boarded up in his building in Ramallah, a building full of, evidently, German peace protestors and all kinds of people. They're now out. He's now free to show leadership, to lead the world.
- George W. Bush, D.C., May 2, 2002

Katalina, do you honestly believe Bonds used some substance on his body without knowing what it was? I certainly don't. And I don't want to make this thread anti-Bonds. If McGwire and Sosa did what Bonds did they should be banned from baseball, or in McGwire's case the Hall of Fame.

quote:

Barry Bonds was also a steriod user

Unknowingly. Make sure you make this clear. Or at least according to him, unknowingly. Also remember that the former single season homerun leader was Mark McGwire, and he has his fair share of allegations against him too. And with slightly less than him is Sammy Sosa, and we already know he corked, so who knows what levels he'll stoop to. So what do we have left. Roger Maris? Are we going to go back decades and decades, erase all recent records because of accusations? I agree with the zero-tolerance policy, but it would be hard because there are many medications that contain steriods (for asthma, etc) that include steroids. Should we allow players to take these? And if these people could take them, why not others? There is plenty of grand jury testimony in the BALCO case regarding doctors diagnosing false illnesses in athletes in order to give them drugs. There are too many loopholes and exceptions in the zero-tolerance idea. Really, there is no right answer, as new drugs are being invented everyday.

Bushism of the day:
After all, a week ago, there were- Arafat was boarded up in his building in Ramallah, a building full of, evidently, German peace protestors and all kinds of people. They're now out. He's now free to show leadership, to lead the world.
- George W. Bush, D.C., May 2, 2002