As more and more information surfaces regarding steroid use in the MLB, it has become clear that the problem went much deeper than we all thought. Remember, just a few summers ago, we were all touting A-Rod as the "clean" savior who would valiantly reclaim the title of Home Run King from the evil Bonds.
Back then, I thought the steroid users were sparse and obvious; bulky guys who were smaller at the start of their career. Now, I find myself asking more and more, "Who wasn't on steroids?"
I fear some of the game's heroes may soon be exposed as former PED users. How would the baseball community react if, dare I say, Ken Griffey Jr. or Cal Ripken Jr. had been a steroid user?
I'm not here to accuse anyone, but rather to point out the unfortunate state that baseball is in. Just a few years ago, the public would scoff at the idea of baseball's iron man being a cheater.
Unfortunately, it now has to at least be considered as a possibility. PED's help athletes recover faster, and 2,632 games is a lot for a body to cope with.
How did things get so bad that I now find myself casting doubt over the players I emulated growing up?
There are a few answers to this question. Obviously, it was wrong for the players themselves to use illegal substances, but they aren't totally at fault here. The media, who have been so quick to judge the players, have to take some journalistic responsibility.
Beat writers spend hours in the club house with the players and it is truly unbelievable that none of them were aware of what was going on, but I still don't think they should be blamed.
The person who I hold most responsible has actually done nothing, and that is exactly the problem.
Why didn't Commissioner Bud Selig do something about the steroid use earlier? Why hasn't he come forward to lead baseball out of this steroid shadow? We baseball fans have so many questions.
Are steroid users going to be banned from the Hall of Fame?
Will players already inducted to the Hall be removed if evidence mounts against them?
What is going to happen to current players who admit to using/having used PED's?
These are the kinds of issues Selig needs to address. Instead, he isn't stepping forward at all; taking no responsibility for the whole debacle. The MLB is his organization.
Like any CEO of a company wrought with fraud, he is responsible for his business and its employees.
Until Bud Selig steps up and truly addresses the concerns of baseball fans, the game will have a dark cloud hanging over it. This is not something that will just blow over with time.
If he continues to do nothing, it will haunt him and his legacy for the rest of his life; a scarlet asterisk on his chest.
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