Comments on: Steroids Did NOT Make Baseball Better http://www.sportsfan4.com/baseball/steroids-did-not-make-baseball-better/ Boston Sports for Fans Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:23:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Adamhttp://www.sportsfan4.com/baseball/steroids-did-not-make-baseball-better/#comment-967 Adam Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:34:39 +0000 http://www.sportsfan4.com/?p=1358#comment-967 You're right Matt, this debate will rage on for a long, long time.It'd be tough to retroactively pick out who was and wasn't using so I'm afraid the record books are probably permanently tainted.As for your last line, that'd be quite the Public Relations nightmare:"MLB forces players to do drugs"Would love to see the bonanza that would erupt from that press release! You’re right Matt, this debate will rage on for a long, long time.

It’d be tough to retroactively pick out who was and wasn’t using so I’m afraid the record books are probably permanently tainted.

As for your last line, that’d be quite the Public Relations nightmare:

“MLB forces players to do drugs”

Would love to see the bonanza that would erupt from that press release!

]]> By: Matthttp://www.sportsfan4.com/baseball/steroids-did-not-make-baseball-better/#comment-943 Matt Tue, 02 Jun 2009 22:46:51 +0000 http://www.sportsfan4.com/?p=1358#comment-943 This is a topic that will constantly have people arguing back and forth over for years. Any record that involves power numbers will be scrutinized and combed through with the "did he or didn't" during the era of time where PED use was prevalent.There are the purists out there that don't enjoy the power game aspect of the sport and all the inflated power numbers are tarnished and probably feel they shouldn't be kept as records, or have it recorded that there was cheating involved. Then there are those that enjoy the game the way it is with huge homeruns, guys whose only job on a team is to hit the ball (the DH).Just like any business the customer knows what they want and what they like. MLB is a business and if huge homeruns and 15-10 games are what the majority enjoys and they continue to buy tickets then it is going to be what it is. Records that are broken need to be investigated and if found to have had a stretch where they were using PED (which weren't against MLB's rules at the time) then it needs to be noted.Or eveyone needs to take them and then we're back on a level playing field. This is a topic that will constantly have people arguing back and forth over for years. Any record that involves power numbers will be scrutinized and combed through with the “did he or didn’t” during the era of time where PED use was prevalent.

There are the purists out there that don’t enjoy the power game aspect of the sport and all the inflated power numbers are tarnished and probably feel they shouldn’t be kept as records, or have it recorded that there was cheating involved. Then there are those that enjoy the game the way it is with huge homeruns, guys whose only job on a team is to hit the ball (the DH).

Just like any business the customer knows what they want and what they like. MLB is a business and if huge homeruns and 15-10 games are what the majority enjoys and they continue to buy tickets then it is going to be what it is. Records that are broken need to be investigated and if found to have had a stretch where they were using PED (which weren’t against MLB’s rules at the time) then it needs to be noted.

Or eveyone needs to take them and then we’re back on a level playing field.

]]> By: Adamhttp://www.sportsfan4.com/baseball/steroids-did-not-make-baseball-better/#comment-942 Adam Tue, 02 Jun 2009 22:07:52 +0000 http://www.sportsfan4.com/?p=1358#comment-942 Eddie, I think you're partly right about steroids and the home run mania helping push baseball out of the strike and back into the mainstream audience. It certainly added excitement to some fans to see all the home runs and big scores.But, I think your second point is even more valid. The inflated numbers have made it very tough to compare eras and might have tarnished the legacy of baseball a bit. Of course, it makes for great TV and sports writing to be able to debate the different eras, which I'm sure the MLB loves as it generates buzz for them. As the saying goes, there is no such thing as bad publicity. Eddie, I think you’re partly right about steroids and the home run mania helping push baseball out of the strike and back into the mainstream audience. It certainly added excitement to some fans to see all the home runs and big scores.

But, I think your second point is even more valid. The inflated numbers have made it very tough to compare eras and might have tarnished the legacy of baseball a bit. Of course, it makes for great TV and sports writing to be able to debate the different eras, which I’m sure the MLB loves as it generates buzz for them. As the saying goes, there is no such thing as bad publicity.

]]> By: Eddiehttp://www.sportsfan4.com/baseball/steroids-did-not-make-baseball-better/#comment-931 Eddie Tue, 02 Jun 2009 19:29:30 +0000 http://www.sportsfan4.com/?p=1358#comment-931 Pretty interesting. I was one of the people that said it made it better. I feel that if it wasn't for players using steroids, the game may have never recovered from the '94 strike. The Sosa/McGwire home run chases captured a nation and brought baseball back to the forefront of America's consciousness. However, the inflated numbers have pretty much desecrated some of baseball's most hallowed records, which in the end could destroy the game. Pretty interesting. I was one of the people that said it made it better. I feel that if it wasn’t for players using steroids, the game may have never recovered from the ’94 strike. The Sosa/McGwire home run chases captured a nation and brought baseball back to the forefront of America’s consciousness. However, the inflated numbers have pretty much desecrated some of baseball’s most hallowed records, which in the end could destroy the game.

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