A-Rod Admits to Steroid Use

Today was a big day in the baseball world with Alex Rodriguez who arguably is the best player of our time admitting to steroid use during 2001-2003 while playing for the Texas Rangers. Although the news comes at a time when baseball seemed to be moving along positively since the Mitchell report, it is not so much of a surprise for myself and those who understand the dynamics of the sport and the silent culture of the game. I hear arguments all the time about these topics but never from anyone who has played the game at a high level or even professionally for that matter. The reason baseball is so different from most other sports is that it is probably the hardest to play as you grow from a youth to an adult. The game weeds out those who do not handle the mental, skill, and athletic pressures that come along with the increasing quality of competition on top of the politics within it. Steroids do make you stronger over a longer period of time allowing your body to recover and perform a bit more fresh day after day compared to while not using them. However, use does not change hand /eye coordination, it does not change mental toughness and focus night in and night out. I still challenge anyone to try and hit a 94 mph fastball tailing in on you or take a contrasting 84 mph breaking ball back up the middle in the couple hundredths of a second that your brain actually has to process every pitch from a pitcher purposely trying to prevent you from hitting the ball at all. 50 plus homers, 70 plus homers, you still have to hit the ball.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out for sure. We've seen what they have done to the big homie Bonds, I wonder if Bud Selig will ever get investigated over all of this. The players are only the product, it's the owners and the commissioner running the show and creating the culture or lack thereof in the sport.