While it is hardly surprising anymore that stars are testing positive for steroids, the Manny Ramirez positive test left me questioning the situation as a whole, as well as considering where the blame really should be placed.
Ultimately, the responsibility lies with the player to know what is going into his body, and whether he is allowed to take a certain drug. They are all adults—at least in age—and they should have enough sense not to put strange things into their bodies.
At the same time, the doctors that are treating them should also know what they can prescribe these players. In the case of Manny, he says he was given the pill by his doctor who thought it was OK, and I have no reason to believe he is lying.
What I don't understand is why Manny is even going to a doctor that is not sponsored by the team in some way.
What is the point of having properly trained team doctors if players are just going to go wherever they want?
If Manny truly was hurt and needed attention, then all he had to do was apply for a temporary waiver and he would have been fine. But he didn't, and now his team has to suffer for it.
As has been evidenced in recent years, having a steroid policy has not stopped players from using. So where should the blame be placed?
As I said before, ultimately it rests with the player because it is their decision to cheat. But I also think Major League Baseball needs to take some of the blame.
They are the ones that have allowed the culture to become one where huge contracts are all that matters.
Part of that blame needs to come back to the Players Association. They are the ones that prevented MLB from instituting a steroid policy sooner. And worse, they are the ones that have forced player contracts through the roof.
It is those inflated contracts that have made players feel like they have to cheat to reach the top. But this may be a problem that can't be stopped at this point, because the Players Association will never agree to a salary cap.
So what can be done at this point? Everyone involved has to change the culture. There may be some evidence of that change happening, at least in how the game is played.
More and more teams are realizing they can win even more games by playing good defense, stealing some bases, and hitting a couple of sacrifices. As much fun as it is to see a home run, I actually enjoy seeing a run engineered through steals, sacrifices, and hit and runs.
Sadly, this change in play will not change the contracts, and there is nothing short of a salary cap that will do that. Instead, we will just have to get used to finding out that some of the stars are cheating.
I will say this for Manny though. At least he came out and said what happened. It is hard to respect the players that are adamant they didn't use just to find out later that they did.
While there are players that haven't used and are falsely accused of doing so, there have been numerous players that ultimately tested positive that should have just admitted it in the first place.
Everyone makes mistakes, and once you have paid for them according to the rules, I have no problem forgiving you and moving on.
But I have a much more difficult time forgiving a liar.
Just look at Andy Pettitte and Jason Giambi. They admitted using, and they have essentially been forgiven.
Let's hope that the culture changes and that the steroid era will come to an end some day.
But for now, we can only support those that are not cheating, and try and change the culture starting at the high school level. If kids start out with the proper mindset, they are less likely to make poor choices later.
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