I don’t give a shit about steroids. There, I said it. Not sure I meant it, but I said it. But I’m pretty sure I meant it.
Why does anyone care so much about steroids? Because of the “home run records” that were broken? Because the 500 Home Run club is seemingly as easy to get into as a Walmart?Because Barry Bonds’ head is the size of a small car? Steroids are nothing. They just make you stronger IF you use them properly and work out diligently (and, by the way, just eating properly and working out diligently will pack big time muscle on your frame too). But what does that really mean?
Frank Howard was a giant among men at 6’8”. But it was “little” Mickey Mantle, 5’10” and 185lbs who hit the tape measure home runs. Why didn’t Frank Howard have 500, 600, 700 home runs…in fact, why didn’t he have at least 400? It was Mickey who said before he died “if they would just shrink the league down to 8 teams in the AL and 8 in the NL, baseball would be just as good as it used to be”. What he meant to say was “if I had a chance to hit in these small ass ballparks against this shit ass pitching, I would have hit 1000 home runs”.
If you’re going to hold guys back from the Hall of Fame or put asterisks next to their names just for using steroids, then I am going to have to insist we do the same for anyone who played after the league went from 154 to 162 games. And I’m not stopping there. Anyone who played after the last major team expansion? Asterisk them because they are hitting against pitchers who shouldn’t be in the majors (think about the #3, #4 and #5 starters in both leagues…and a lot of the #2’s). Anyone who’s played at Coors Field has to be asterisked because it’s a fact the ball travels further there. Anyone who has played in a stadium built within the last 20 years or moved their fences in? Asterisk for them all! Anyone who’s had Lasik surgery (steroids for the eye?) or Tommy John surgery? Asterisk and asterisk. Players who weren’t able to have those procedures done are at a disadvantage. Anyone who played once it became faster to fly to LA from NY than take a train to Pittsburgh? Asterisk. You play in a dome? Enough said.
And let us not forget that the hitters weren’t the only players using steroids during the “steroid era”, whatever that means. I played in college and some guys were juicing in the late 70’s. Bouncers at the college bars were juicing. You’re going to tell me that steroids didn’t find their way to the Major Leagues back then? Bullshit. In any event, Pitchers were taking steroids during the “steroid era” too. It’s the chicken and egg thing. Who had the advantage? Probably the hitters.But not because of steroids. We all know damn well MLB had a rabbit ball in play (steroids for the ball?) during the late 90’s/ early 2000’s. That’s the single most reason for the home run surge. Guys who would have 25 home runs and 40 doubles starting hitting 40 home runs and 25 doubles. The ball was jumping out.
I could go on but I think you get my point. People are naturally bigger and stronger today. Nutrition is simply better and personal trainers and workout regimens and personal chefs are the norm for multi- millionaire ballplayers. From the beginning of time up to the 60’s, players had to work a second job to make ends meet. Nowadays?Huge salaries, smaller stadiums, mediocre pitchers, more games and better “everything” is what created the home run derby decade…er, I mean “steroid era”.
Hey, it ain’t the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog. And if you want to be a great hitter in baseball, you gotta have the talent, commitment and technique. By the way, did you know that Maris going from 39 home runs (career high) to 61 is a larger percentage jump than Bonds going from 49 (career high) to 73. And if you really look at Bonds’ career, it eerily resembles Hank Aaron’s. Take away the 73 and put in a 40+ season for Bonds and they are even. They each never hit 50 or more (except for Bonds’ one season). If Aaron could hit over 700 poking 30 to 40 a year… why can’t Bonds? They both played forever.
Just being big and strong? Go tell that to Greg Maddux.
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