baseball player, Matt Port, he states that "steroid testing should be allowed to .
weed out the abusers and rule breakers. If a ball player makes it the big .
leagues then they are good enough to play. They don't have to compete with .
the "big boys". This is why we have superstars to cheer for. How much fun .
would it be if everyone hit home runs?" (Interview) Mr. Port does make a .
concise point because it really would not be any fun watching home run after .
home run. Granted many people love to see the long ball and according to .
Chad Curtis, former major leaguer, "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.' " (Saraceno, Sports NP). It is fascinating to watch a .
homerun travel nearly 500 feet but to know it was synthetically produced doesn't .
mean as much.
When a player takes steroids and gets really good, they get to make all .
this money and for what. Once they are hurt, they go on the disabled list, get .
paid, and take more steroids to "get better". According to a Sports Illustrated .
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". (Saraceno, Sports NP) Many of the .
amateur players, minor league players, take steroids to get by. In a recent .
editorial by Todd Jones, relief pitcher for the Colorado Rockies, "They talk to a .
journeyman who is 27 and is petering out at 89 mph. Or a player who is hitting .
fly balls to the track and is sitting in the minor leagues with two kids and a wife .
who has to work to make ends meet. That is the problem teams face. Some .
guys feel everybody is taking something and they're getting passed by, so they .
should take something to get to the next level and perform at their highest level.
