by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright April 3, 2006
All Rights Reserved.

aunching an investigation into steroid abuse by single-season homerun king San Francisco Giant Barry Bonds, Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig claims he's concerned about the “integrity” of the game. Yet MLB didn't have a drug policy in place until Sept. 2002, when Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) threatened tough congressional action. Few people complained about steroids when retired St. Louis Cardinal slugger Mark McGwire broke former Yankee Roger Marris'47-year-old record, crushing 70 homers. While suspicions were raised about McGwire using androstendione, a nutritional precursor to steroids, no one impuned McGwire's reputation after he broke the record. Jealousy of McGwire prompted Bonds to start using steroids in 1998, claim Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, authors of “Game of Shadows”—a new book about Bond's steroid abuse.

      Breaking open MLB's steroid scandal, former Oakland Athletic slugger Jose Canseco exposed the dirty little secret in his 2005 book titled, “Juiced,” naming his teammate Mark McGwrie and others. Canseco's book drew vicious condemnations and denials both inside and outside MLB. Trashed as a liar and huckster, Canseco showed courage outing America's favorite pastime. “I don't think there's any doubt that it's a fabrication,” Canseco's former manager Tony La Russa, who currently manages the St. Louis Cardinals, told Mike Wallace on CBS' “60 Minutes,” Feb. 18, 2005, only days before Canseco's book was released. “I am absolutely certain Mark has earned his size and strength from hard work and a disciplined lifestyle,” La Russa told Boston Herald sports writer Howard Bryant, perpetuating the steroid cover-up and trashing Canseco as a money-grubbing opportunist.

      Canseco opened up a can of worms about professional and amateur sports where competition drives athletes to seek any advantage. In the world of high-tech medicine, steroids, human growth hormone and a variety of performance-enhancing molecules designed to reduce estrogen and increase testosterone have been abused in amateur and professional sports. Despite the denials, Canseco's revelations prompted McCain to pressure MLB Commissioner Bud Selig to adopt a tough new drug policy in 2002. Severe penalties already existed in amateur sports, banning athletes from competition for first-time offenses. Recall Canadian Olympic Sprinter Ben Johnson's 1988 disqualification from the Seoul Summer Games, after testing positive for stanozolol, handing the gold medal to his nemesis American sprinter Karl Lewis, first headlining the steroid controversy.

      All eyes are now on Bonds who stands at 708 homeruns, only seven shy of breaking Babe Ruth's lifetime record of 714 and 47 dingers from all-time former Atlanta Brave homerun king Hank Aaron at 755. While there's no evidence Bonds currently takes steroids, Selig announced March 29 that former U.S. Senator George Mitchell (D-Maine), currently chairman of Disney and director of the Boston Red Sox, will conduct an investigation into his steroid use. Disney, which owns ESPN sports network, features weekly behind-the-scenes stories of Bonds' life, raising concerns about conflicts-of- interest. If Mitchell's probe reveals Bonds' steroid abuse, MLB could place an asterisk next to Bonds' records. No one has ever offered scientific proof that so-called performance-enhancing drugs improve reflexes and hand-eye coordination needed to increase homerun production.

      Without a drug policy in place before Bonds broke McGwire's record Oct. 6, 2001, MLB has no business dredging up past behavior. With “Game of Shadows,” Selig wants to know whether Bonds used steroids since the Sept. 2002 ban went into effect. If Bonds tests positive for banned substances now, it's a different story. Spending time invalidating or discrediting MLB's greatest hitter seems prejudicial, when you consider Selig's past reluctance to create and enforce a fair drug policy. “Nothing is more important to me that the integrity of the game of baseball,” said Selig, announcing a probe into Bonds' alleged steroid abuse. With his knee healthy, Bonds batted 625 with four homeruns in the preseason. Baring an injury, it won't take long for Bonds to break Ruth's lifetime record. Instead of praising Bonds' talents and work-ethic, Selig remains fixated on steroids.

      Announcing a new steroid investigation at the start of the ‘06 season, Selig hopes to hype the controversy, driving more PR toward MLB. Whether Bonds used steroids in the past doesn't detract from his remarkable feats on the field. Untold numbers of ballplayers used performance-enhancing drugs and remain unknown and off the record books. Winning the National League's Most Valuable Player seven times comes from talent and determination, not high-tech drugs. Athletes in all sports seek to capitalize on modern medical and nutritional science, where drugs and supplements promise the world but rarely deliver. Pfizer's Viagra may improve sexual performance but steroids, human growth hormone or other molecular compounds don't increase reflexes or hand-eye coordination needed to hit homeruns. Instead of trashing Bonds' achievements, MLB should get ready to celebrate.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging the Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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