This week’s big news centered around the “Mitchell Report” and its allegations that steriod use around Major League Baseball involved many more players than just Barry Bonds. Superstars like Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte were dragged into the juice blender. Worse still, perhaps, is the notion that adult leadership knew about the use of performance improving substances but turned a blind eye. Here’s an excerpt from today’s Washington Post:
Perhaps what is most chilling in the Mitchell report is the casual business-as-usual comments of general managers and scouts as they discuss what they assume is the steroid use of players such as Lo Duca and Gagne. No problem, just factor it into the price of the deal, like a bad knee or a problem hitting the change-up. The report also gives us new characters to disrespect, such as Giants General Manager Brian Sabean who, when his trainer brings him information about drug use, says, in effect, you take care of it. Or Cards Manager Tony La Russa, who once told “60 Minutes” how much he knew about steroids in his Oakland clubhouse long ago yet, when quizzed for details by Mitchell, suddenly says he “exaggerated” for TV.
So as the media (including DT, obviously) hits “puree” we’re all obliged to figure out how we feel about the issue. So your Sunday Paper question is this: Is this scandal much ado about nothing or a sad commentary on the pressure to win in professional sports or something else altogether?
– Ward
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I enjoy your blog very much. It has been very good for reading interesting and timely information about military developments.
The sports (entertainment) pieces have left me cold, however. They seem very odd and incongruous to the DefenseTech blog, and have sapped some of my desire to read DefenseTech. Maybe opening another blog called SportsNews would be a better venue for this type of entertainment news … We appreciate and thank you for the hard effort required to provide the Defense info that you do, and respect the fact that you can include anything that you want in your blog.
Don’t mean to leave anyone cold. The Sunday Paper is the one time each week we might color outside of the lines. As Joe Satriani says after an extended jam, “Thanks for indulging us.”
Sad little men playing a childrens’ game and calling it a career. Cheating at it too. Who cares? Most major sports in the US is nothing but a jobs program for felons anyway.
Just put the sports news with the daily comics, as its all just a bad, tired joke.
Good Afternoon Folks,
I’m not sure what the big deal is here. There is no purity in sports, over the years the equipment, playing fields, rules etc. have evolved. Drugs are just another factor of the game. I mean really is there a difference between a player taking a pain killer shot in order to stay in the game or Barry Bonds taking what ever to bulk up and hit home runs, get real there isn’t.
Drugs are technology and should be treated as such. The people making decisions to use or not in professional are adults. The know that the window for making money is only a few years at best and that making money in entering the fans who want more and more for there ticket price. If that shortens one life that like a steel worker or roofer who take risks daily to earn their bread should be feft to the individual.
Let Drugs evolve with the game.
ALLONS,
Byron Skinner
When I was in the military during the 80s & they started the drug screening against pot & cocaine,I felt that the one drug that the military could care less about was anabolic steroids.Why? Because the use of anabolic steroids could be used in the creation of “super soldiers.” I wonder if this attitude might still be in existence today in our armed forces.I’m not at all advocating the use of steroids for our military,but in war the object is not a gold metal like in the Olympics.Its not in a “sports” trophy.The goal is to win & since most of our troops seem to be viewed as disposable & throwaways,the temptation to use steroids to create “super soldiers” must be great.The health risks would be off set by the fact that they’d probably be killed in combat anyway.
This is much ado about nothing…they keep moving the bar on what performing enhancing drugs are…
The saddest thing about this is that its the Mothers of America club and the castrated males that luv them that are constantly lowering the bar on what a performance enhancing drug is. Show me one more picture of Barry Bonds now compared to what he looked like coming out of Triple A and I’ll raise you 100 recruits after bootcamp. They all look like they were injected after lights out but they weren’t they just put the time in. And I’ll say this without hesitation, the biggest segment of the population using anabolic steroids are the Military, State and local Police departments and lastly Fire departments. So Congress GIVE ME A BREAK and stop reaching for the low hanging fruit. Tackle the tuff stuff and leave this minor issue alone.
I’ll go along with the rest of the “let technology reign” posters. It’s going to happen anyway, the players know what they’re doing, so let’s stop obsessing about it.
In the long term it is a good thing. Baseball moved on after other scandals too. It will be a good object lesson.
Good Evening Folks,
On the issue of the military using drugs, to enhance the performance of soldiers, they have been at it for a long time. A hundred years ago more men died of desease then in battle, in Iran and Afghanistan soldiers dieing from desease is very rare. The reason is of course everybody gets vacinated against nearly anything that can get them. This like it or not is biologicaly modifing soldiers to enhance their performance.
How can American soldiers can fight all night then function during the day with only a few hour sleep or pilots fly long missions, amphetamines.
The future for the American service personal is more biological modifications. Currently the military can give the BRAC 1 & 2 tests to see what emotional problems a soldiers is biologicaly prone to. Those at risk can be sourted from those not at are at lower risks for certain missions. In the future genetic modifications to construct the “Super Soldier” who has more strenght, improved eyesight, better hearing, run faster and consumes fewer calories and water are not out of the question.
ALLONS,
Byron Skinner
On the issue of wheher military/law enforcement should pump ‘roids to build muscle mass: what about the effect that all those hormones etc. are going to have on their health (not to mention their masculinity)?
Plus — is it really that much of an advantage in modern warfare to be built like a brick s**thouse? Surely anyone who decides to put on that kind on muscle mass is going to just make a bigger target out of himself and a great drain on food/water supplies.
@ Solomon: How many of those 100 recruits you’ll raise me bulked up like that in their late 30’s? Barry Bonds went from being normal to hulk in just about one off-season. I myself gained 15 pounds in basic training. But then again, I was SEVENTEEN YEARS OLD. Also, how many adults do you know whose head, wrist, hands and feet had a growth spurt in their late thirties?
As for military, police and firefighters being the biggest steroid users — do you have any facts to back up this incredible claim? Maybe I’ve had a sheltered life in my 20 years of service, but I have not seen the kind of steroid/hgh use that would even come close to being described as pervasive. Then again, I’ve mostly been around knuckle-dragger types, so what do I know. Do some do it? Absolutely. I’ve worked with guys that have. They were definitely the exception.
Good Morning Folks,
All good argurments about bulking up but they don’t wash. Tha military spends and lot of time and money on PT and physical conditioning as it is now. If you made soldiers bodies more efficient as to the use of water, calories and oxygen you would have stronger soldiers who requird less time engaged in PT and they would have more time to train on weapons and their MOS’s.
The concern about what this does to one body is really not a concern of the military. Most careers are over by the soldiers mid fourites and serious health problems, if they happen usually don’t really set in for ten years. Besides when you join the military you are going into the most hazardious job in the world.
For the military if they had a study source of smaller, stronger members armored vehicles, aircraft and other equipment could be designed smaller.
One interesting project that DARPA is working on and was made public a couple of years ago is creating a soldier who could stay underwater without an air supply for 15–20 min. This is no pie in the sky program but one being actively worked on now.
ALLONS,
Byron Skinner
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