[pete_b]

Did anyone hear the news about the organization that is going to screen supplements and distribute them to players. I think its interesting that baseball is taking this steroid issue by the horns. I think its a serious issue and needs to be addressed. Lets just hope that corruption doesn't creep into this one. I applaud baseball for not just putting a bandaid on steroids and then hopes it goes away. They are really trying to solve the problem. Here is the link if anyone cares.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BBO_STEROIDS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT &CTIME=2006-03-06-18-45-38

[Lefty Noob]

Yeah, heard about this yesterday. The company is NSF International of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Basically, baseball's going to have these guys test to make sure there are no banned susbstances in the supplements, and then they'll be available for sale right in the clubhouse. This does two things for baseball - it cuts down on guys honestly trying to follow the rules but failing tests because of some supplement they take, and it eliminates this as an excuse for those who fail for other reasons but falsely accuse a supplement. Basically, it closes that loophole. Great move, baseball.

[xdavidwattsx]

I guess the skeptic in me wonders what MLB is getting by "selling" the supplements or acting as a middle man.

[Lefty Noob]

Relief from Congress? No more people calling for asterisks to be put next to records [at least not in the future] perhaps? I don't think they directly benefit monetarily, but they certainly will reap the rewards in terms of image.

[EmpireWF]

Lefty got it right, this is 2 things...MLB saving face and helping the health of the players. There's no question steroids and equally harmful supplements can cause a lot of damage to the bodies of players down the line. Also, MLB doesn't have to hear that all of their top players are on the juice. They're doing a decent job but ofcourse, it could be better.

[xdavidwattsx]

Originally Posted by EmpireWF

Lefty got it right, this is 2 things...MLB saving face and helping the health of the players. There's no question steroids and equally harmful supplements can cause a lot of damage to the bodies of players down the line. Also, MLB doesn't have to hear that all of their top players are on the juice. They're doing a decent job but ofcourse, it could be better.

All, I'm saying is color me unconvinced. MLB has a LONG way to go.

[Lefty Noob]

MLB has a LONG way to go.

No doubt about it. What are more people talking about today - this or the Barry Bonds book excerpt? Tomorrow morning, most people [if they ever heard of it to begin with] will have forgotten all about this story. Meanwhile, everybody and their mother will be talking about the detailed accounts of Bonds shooting up. To most fans, baseball is still a sport full of cheaters and druggies.

So what do Bud Selig and his MLB cronies need to do to change that image/reality?

[xdavidwattsx]

Originally Posted by Lefty Noob

No doubt about it. What are more people talking about today - this or the Barry Bonds book excerpt? Tomorrow morning, most people [if they ever heard of it to begin with] will have forgotten all about this story. Meanwhile, everybody and their mother will be talking about the detailed accounts of Bonds shooting up. To most fans, baseball is still a sport full of cheaters and druggies.

So what do Bud Selig and his MLB cronies need to do to change that image/reality?

They could start by handing out actual penalties. 10 day/game suspensions? What a joke.

Further, are fans naive enough to believe Bonds and a few spare players that have been caught are the only ones doping up?

Please. It's an insult.

[pete_b]

You might say that MLB has a long way to go. However, lets assume that this Congress, which is mostly Republican(consersative) right now, never mandated Baseball to administer drug tests and punishments to its players. Let's assume for a moment that this "society" believes that players can do to their bodies whatever they see fit. Now with all this in mind...how far has Baseball gone. Pretty darn far in my opinion. I'm not sure how baseball players should be viewed. I'm not sure if we should have the attitude as a society that players should do what they want or the other side of being protective. What I do know is that Baseball is not quite willing to go the whole way and neither should they have to be.

[xdavidwattsx]

Originally Posted by pete_b

Let's assume for a moment that this "society" believes that players can do to their bodies whatever they see fit. .

I will never make such a silly assumption. If that's something you use to justify your stance, then god help us all and if MLB can't do anything to fix their image without Congess breathing down their neck then god help baseball.

There are ZERO excuses for their lax stance on cheating in baseball.