# steroid use in baseball



## I Are Baboon (May 29, 2002)

I got this article from CNN.  Regardless of who uses steroids in Major League Baseball, steroids can not help you improve hand-eye coordination.  I am a huge baseball fan and non-steroid user, but I don't care if they use steroids.

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Caminiti comes clean 

Ex-MVP says he won award while using steroids
Posted: Tuesday May 28, 2002 4:16 PM

ATLANTA (CNNSI.com) -- Former major leaguer Ken Caminiti says he was on steroids when he won the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1996, according to an exclusive report in this week's issue of Sports Illustrated. 

But even though it left him with health problems that continue to this day, Caminiti defended his use of steroids and told SI's Tom Verducci the practice is now so rampant in baseball that he would not discourage others from doing the same. Caminiti told Verducci that he continued to use steroids for the rest of his career, which ended last season when he hit .228 with 15 home runs and 41 RBIs for the Texas Rangers and the Atlanta Braves. 

"Look at all the money in the game," Caminiti said. "A kid got $252 million. So I can't say, 'Don't do it,' not when the guy next to you is as big as a house and he's going to take your job and make the money." 

Eight days after his release by the Braves last November, Caminiti was arrested in a Houston crack house. In March, he was placed on three years probation and fined $2,000 after pleading guilty to cocaine possession. 

"I've made a ton of mistakes," admitted Caminiti, who is also a recovering alcoholic. "I don't think using steroids is one of them." 

Although he is the first major leaguer to publicly admit using steroids, Caminiti told Verducci that, "It's no secret what's going on in baseball. At least half the guys are using [steroids]. They talk about it. They joke about it with each other. ... I don't want to hurt fellow teammates or fellow friends. But I've got nothing to hide." 

Steroids are illegal in the United States unless prescribed by a doctor for a known medical condition. But they are easily obtained, most commonly over the counter at pharmacies in Mexico and other Latin American countries. Former major leaguer Chad Curtis, who retired after last season, estimated that 40 to 50 percent of major league ballplayers use steroids -- sometimes supplemented with joint-strengthening human growth hormone -- to suddenly become stronger and faster. 

"You see guys whose facial features, jaw bones and cheek bones change past [age] 30. Do they think that happens naturally?" Curtis told SI. "You go, 'What happened to that guy?' Then you'll hear him say he worked out over the winter and put on 15 pounds of muscle. I'm sorry, working out is not going to change your facial features." 

Steroids improve muscle mass, especially when combined with proper nutrition and strength training. But they also have several side effects, such as heart and liver damage, endocrine-system problems, elevated cholesterol levels, strokes, aggressive behavior, and the shrinkage and dysfunction of genitalia. 

The NFL, NBA and International Olympic Committee all test their athletes for steroids. Major League Baseball has no testing program, but in February owners presented the players' association with a comprehensive drug-testing plan that covers 17 commonly known steroids, as well as amphetamines, cocaine, LSD and Ecstasy. 

"We need to test," commissioner Bud Selig told SI. "I believe it's in the best interest of the players long term. I feel very strongly about that." 

But the players' association has refused to include steroid testing in past collective bargaining agreements, arguing that it is an invasion of privacy. Gene Orza, the union's associate general counsel, was noncommittal about the latest proposal. 

"We're going to do what the interest of our membership requires us to do," he said. "There will be a consensus from the players' association." 

One reason for baseball's slow response, players suggested to SI, is that by making players bigger -- the average All-Star weighed 211 pounds last year, compared to 199 in 1991 -- steroids have contributed to one of the greatest slugging booms in the game's history. The single-season home run record has been broken twice in four years, while the 60-homer plateau has been surpassed six times. Even leadoff hitters and utility infielders are hitting home runs in record numbers. 

"We're playing in an environment in the last decade that's tailored to produce offensive numbers anyway, with the smaller ballparks, the smaller strike zone, and so forth," said Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Curt Schilling. "When you add in steroids and strength training, you're seeing records not just being broken, but completely shattered." 

And that's what fans want, said Curtis. "If you polled the fans, I think they'd tell you, 'I don't care about illegal steroids. I'd rather see the guy hit the ball a mile or throw it 105 miles an hour.' " 

Caminiti told SI that he began using steroids midway through the 1996 season after injuring his shoulder while playing third base for the San Diego Padres. Then 33, Caminiti had never hit more than 26 home runs in a season. But he hit 28 alone after the All-Star break that year, finishing with 40 homers, 130 runs batted in and a .326 batting average. All were career highs, and he was a unanimous choice for the MVP. 

"I think it was more of an attitude," Caminiti said of the steroids' effect. "There is a mental edge that comes with the injections. And it's definitely something that gets you more intense. The thing is, I didn't do it to make me a better player. I did it because my body was broke down." 

While his performance improved, Caminiti encountered new health problems, primarily because he initially used steroids nonstop instead of in recommended cycles. As a result, his testosterone level dropped 80 percent below normal. Still, he continued to use steroids for the rest of his career, albeit in proper doses. But he never again approached his '96 performance, in part because he spent portions of each of his final five seasons on the disabled list. 

"I got really strong, really quick. I pulled a lot of muscles. I broke down a lot," he said. "I'm still paying for it. My tendons and ligaments got all torn up. My muscles got too strong for my tendons and ligaments. And now my body's not producing testosterone. You know what that's like? You get lethargic. You get depressed. It's terrible." 

Caminiti's injury history is not unusual, according to the SI report. Major league players made 467 trips to the DL last season, staying there an average of 59 days -- 20 percent longer than in 1997. And major league teams paid $317 million last year to players physically unable to play -- a 130 percent increase from four years earlier. 

"It [baseball] was always the sport for the agile athlete with the small frame," said noted sports orthopedist James Andrews of Birmingham, Ala. "Over these last 10 years, that's all changed. Now we're getting a bunch of these muscle-related injuries in baseball. You'd have to attribute that -- both the bulking up and the increased injuries -- to steroids and supplements."


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## ZECH (May 29, 2002)

I heard this on the radio this morning!! I still think it helps them!! Come on!! These guys are the best...that's why they are in the majors!! I think they all have great hand/eye coord.!! Maybe some better than others, but it's the strength that has enabled them to hit such monterous shots!!! I don't care one way or the other either. but I don't think it's fair when you compare new hitters to old hitters! Not fair to old hitters!


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## I Are Baboon (May 29, 2002)

dg, no doubt the steroids add some pop to their hits.  But if it were not for years of baseball training, they wouldn't be able to hit a ball to begin with.  

Imagine pumping Willie Mays, Ted Williams, or Mickey Mantle full of steroids.  These guys were hitting 500 foot shots before steroids were even available!


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## ZECH (May 29, 2002)

That's what i'm saying..I agree...Just imagine how many they would have hit!!


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## gopro (May 29, 2002)

Steroids help baseball players FOR SURE...maybe not directly, but indirectly with strength, aggression, and improved recovery so as to stay strong throughout the season. It is certainly one of the reasons stats are being taken to the next level. Steroids in baseball makes  me sick!


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## ZECH (May 30, 2002)

*Steroids taint Caminiti's career By Tony Gwynn*

Ken Caminiti was the most competitive player I ever played with. He was an incredible all-out player the four years he played in San Diego. He would dive around third base to make plays and dive head-first when he was running the bases.


Ken Caminiti hit 121 of his 239 career home runs during his four seasons with the Padres. 
Although I still love the guy, knowing he took steroids -- at least during his MVP season in 1996 -- taints what he accomplished as well as baseball's integrity.

As a former teammate who was on the field working alongside him, it is disappointing to know Caminiti was doing something to enhance his abilities. While the steroids did not give him the heart of a lion, they make you wonder how much could be attributed to him and how much to his steroid use.

I am not surprised Caminiti was taking steroids. Reading the newspaper reports Wednesday morning, some players who were interviewed guessed or assumed he had used steroids. When I played, I was somewhat oblivious to what was going on around me. I kept to myself and focused on my own preparation. I am sure, though, there are a lot of players who have done the same thing as Caminiti and are doing the same thing now. You don't know for sure when a player is using steroids. But when players see a teammate go from 190 pounds to 215 pounds of sheer muscle, they wonder. 

Caminiti said half the players in the major leagues are using steroids, but I would guess the number is around 20 percent. He also said players either talk or joke about it, but I remember having only one conversation about steroids with a bunch of players between games of a doubleheader in Houston. 

Someone asked, "If you had the opportunity to extend your career and maybe make more money, would you take them?" Being the older player on the club, I said no. I said the thrill of the game for me was being able to go out and perform at a higher level than other people. That was my drug.

But then someone asked another question: "If you were on the bench and had a chance to sign a two-year deal where you could take care of your family and have an opportunity to play, would you consider taking steroids?" As an everyday player, I hadn't thought of it that way. The question made me think. 

A few players said they would have to consider it. I said they were crazy. They could play two years and make enough money to support their family for life, but the steroid use could also take two years off the back end of their lives. 

Everyone knows steroids give players extra strength and allow them to play longer without getting fatigued. But one thing I always noticed and questioned was why so many players were going on the disabled list. Players were getting dinged up and taking longer than they should to recover.

Major League Baseball and the players are both at fault for allowing steroid use to continue. Caminiti was talking about taking steroids in 1996, but who knows how long it has gone on? 

The union has fought hard to prevent testing of any kind, and it will probably continue to oppose testing. But, when I was a player rep for the Padres, I felt the players had nothing to hide. I thought we needed to show the fans that the players were clean and were just better ballplayers than everybody else. Not everyone agreed with my perspective. 

In the last five years, balls have been flying out of the ballpark at a faster rate than ever before. Records that have stood for years are being threatened or improved each and every season. When fans go to the ballpark to watch a game, they are expecting the major-league players to be more talented than the average person. But here's the scariest part: When steroids or other drugs are added to the mix, people will begin to question their ability. Is drug use the reason for the big numbers?

 Major League Baseball and the players are both at fault for allowing steroid use to continue. Caminiti was talking about taking steroids in 1996, but who knows how long it has gone on?  


Think of the numbers players such as Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Ted Williams put up during their careers. The issue of steroid use in today's game shows how good they were. 

Unfortunately, much of what happens at the big-league level trickles down to the college and high school levels. You would think banning the use of steroids would remove the temptation. But would it, considering the type of success a lot of players are having?

If Major League Baseball banned steroids, the only way to know for sure that players were clean is to test every year. At the same time, is there a test that would just test for steroids? I didn't know then and I don't know now. If the union agreed to testing, a lot of players would probably test positive. But the way athletes have masked drugs in the Olympics, baseball players could probably do the same thing.

At some point, someone has to take a stand. Major League Baseball should be concerned not only about Caminiti's revelation, but also about more revelations coming out. There has to be a way for the league and the players to work together to find a solution to a continuing problem. 

Otherwise, I guess we will wait and see who Jose Canseco names in his book.

ESPN analyst and future Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn was Ken Caminiti's teammate in San Diego from 1995 to 1998.


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## ZECH (May 30, 2002)

*'Roid race by Alan Grant*

Comedian Chris Rock said it best. While discussing the average person's ocassional lapse in judgement, he said, "It's not something I would ever do???but I understand." 

That was my first thought when I read Sports Illustrated's "revelation" that 50 percent of baseball players use steroids. In fact, whenever the topic is performance-enhancing drugs, Chris Rock's high-pitched voice accompanies my thoughts: I never took steroids, but I totally understand why people do. 

You wake up Sunday morning and you know right away, "I don't have it today." You stand up, your legs are dead, your reflexes aren't what they normally are, and although you just slept the same number of hours you normally do, you're groggy. But you can't feel this way, and you won't feel this way because, dammit, you're not supposed to feel this way. You're a professional athlete, and a few hours from now you'll be playing a game in which you need to perform. So you quickly dismiss the ugly truth from your mind and from that moment until kickoff, you lie to yourself: "I feel great and I'm ready to kick somebody's ass today!" 

Then the game starts and you get your ass kicked instead. It's not because you didn't give it your best effort. You always do. You love playing this game and you get paid handsomely to do so. But effort doesn't count for s--- when the guy across from you is on his game and you aren't. (Sometimes, it's not just a few guys whose bodies betray them, but an entire roster. A couple of years ago, I gave a colleague my take on why the Buccaneers had just been blown out by the Raiders. He thought they were too good a team to get beat 45-0. I told him, the whole team is on the same schedule, so it stands to reason that on a given day, they can all play like dogs.) 

I know what you're thinking. These guys make too much money to ever have bad days. Hell, they get paid like gods, so they should be gods, right? Trust me, every athlete wants to be more than human, and some even fool themselves into actually believing it. But I've said this a million times before and I'll keep saying it: There are times when that pesky nuisance called human limitation rears its ugly head and eclipses hunger, desire, and even the chance for revenge. 

I know all the reasons people give for why athletes shouldn't take drugs. Purists say it's not fair. It's supposed to be a level playing field and there's no room for cheaters. And realists chime in with the horrible things it does to your body. They're absolutely right. Threats of liver and kidney failure were enough to keep me off the juice. And that whole testicle shrinkage thing? That all but sealed the deal. So I agree with those who say 'roids aren't good for you. But come on, let's keep it real. Football -- a game founded on violent collision -- ain't exactly the healthiest pursuit either. 

Before we go any further, imagine this scenario: Choose the one guy in the building who could never beat you in a footrace. Tell that guy you'll give him $1,000 if he beats you. Oh, and invite the whole office to watch. I guarantee you that guy would put everything he's got into trying to beat you. A lot of cash, along with the threat of public embarassment, has a way of motivating people. That guy would run harder than he's ever run before. But he wouldn't beat you. He wasn't fast enough yesterday and he wouldn't be any faster tomorrow. Not if you gave him all the money in the world. 

That guy may not go so far as to stick a syringe full of testosterone in his ass. But next time there's a "revelation" about an athlete who did ... he just might understand.


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