"Mudds Women"

Found this in my Ozporn Archive earlier. Thought it would be interesting to repost (originally posted on June 7th 2002) given the little rant from a couple days ago on the issue.

Awww....hell...for you who really CARE about the steroids in baseball thing, here is a little ditty on it.

Ted Williams might have been the greatest hitter in baseball history. If there were a way to get an extra advantage in the batter's box, Williams knew it. And utilized it.If Williams played today, the odds are he would use steroids. Steroids provide an edge. Great players want any edge they can get.

So don't act as if Ken Caminiti's admission that he used steroids en route to the National League MVP in 1996 is this great revelation of moral failure. It's simply a matter of availability. Caminiti could get steroids. Williams, Cobb and Ruth couldn't.But really, who cares?

Baseball does not test for steroids. Players who use steroids, therefore, are not breaking a rule. By not testing, baseball implicitly approves the use of steroids.There is no way to truly solve baseball's steroid problem. In fact, I don't even consider it a problem. I don't care about the long-term health risks. I don't know these guys. I don't care if they live or die. Using steroids is their choice, and if they choose yes, and it provides me a more exciting athletic spectacle, great....

baseball has gone through many different eras: The dead-ball era. The all-white era. The era of free agency. The era of over-expansion. Each of those eras has seen the game affect nuances which undoubtedly influenced statistics and records set during those respective periods.Well, baseball is now in the steroid era. So maybe something besides the ball was juiced when Mark McGwire hit all his home runs. So what? Ruth never hit a home run off a black pitcher.

When baseball's steroid revelations continue, we shouldn't think any less of our heroes. So maybe Roger Maris would still be the single-season home-run king if not for illegal muscle-building supplements. So maybe Hank Aaron's career home-run record will someday be sacrificed at the altar of HGH.

So maybe some purists see the use of performance-enhancing drugs as cheating.

If you're not cheating, you're not trying.

When athletes are pushed to succeed by any means necessary, don't be surprised -- or angry -- when they use any means necessary.

____________________

That seems like so long ago now. Well, it was three years ago. Geez...

So Im at work now, and we will see what happens from here on out. I was worried when I had a voice mail from my manager saying it was urgent, but luckily nothing too strenuos. I figure I will wait till monday to deal with this whole situation.

Other things will come to a screeching halt tonight though, me thinks. Don't worry, you will read all about it tomorrow.

Post more as more comes up....geez, wrote that 1 hour ago. Got kinda busy here.

~Oz