An interesting Sports Illustrated Special Report on steroids by Tom Verducci

[Jobu Voodoo]

One part that really stood out to me was this...

"Ninety percent of all drafted players never spend one day in the big leagues. Steroid users made the odds even worse for clean players."

Anyway, feel free to check it out here...

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...#ixzz1wKl3HXjU

[Captain Cold Nose]

One part that really stood out to me was this...

"Ninety percent of all drafted players never spend one day in the big leagues. Steroid users made the odds even worse for clean players."

Anyway, feel free to check it out here...

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...#ixzz1wKl3HXjU

If steroids were lightning in a bottle, sure. But they're not. The latter statement is way too general for me to buy into.

[Iowanic]

They were lightening enough for the biggest homerun hitters in the past 15 years to use them.
Every player who hit more then 61 hr's in season was a roider.
Since roid-testing began, no one's crossed the 60 mark.

Not lightening in a bottle? Perhaps static-discharge in a needle instead?

[Captain Cold Nose]

They were lightening enough for the biggest homerun hitters in the past 15 years to use them.
Every player who hit more then 61 hr's in season was a roider.
Since roid-testing began, no one's crossed the 60 mark.

Not lightening in a bottle? Perhaps static-discharge in a needle instead?

They don't work for everyone. What the elite players did with it has zero to do with guys struggling to make it. Use of steroids is not an assurance of success no matter how many times you point to the same two or three players.

[Jobu Voodoo]

It is still does enough for me to believe that it makes the odds worse for clean players.

[Captain Cold Nose]

It is still does enough for me to believe that it makes the odds worse for clean players.

And that may well be true. But the statement still seems to me to be a convenient pure condemnation without anything to back it up.

[Iowanic]

Yes. We all remember all those clean players not complaining publically about having to compete against roiders....

[Cap78]

just finished reading the article in my magazine...sad what chances people are willing to take, and realization of what it does in the long run...however, turned his life around in the end

[PVNICK]

The article makes it out based on the quotes from the people involved as though while they did not make "a racehorse out of a donkey" they sure helped. Its one guy or two that they discuss, but the pitcher went from @ 86mph to mid 90s. Anyway there also is mention of greenies which are described as being much more than just straight caffeine in pill form that I cavalierly assumed for the "but Aaron used a greenie once crowd."

This is just a thought but perhaps the making major leaguers or starting level major leaguers out of inherently unskilled players may be why the truly skilled players were able to set them selves apart so much OPS+ and ERA+ wise during that time. Not that I've put any researched or math to it much less analyzied the "skill" level across time but this is the internet and this is a discussion board.

[Captain Cold Nose]

Yes. We all remember all those clean players not complaining publically about having to compete against roiders....

Did you read the article or was your mind made up the first minute you heard the word steroid?

[Iowanic]

"When we allow the corrupt to go unspoken...."

"The rationalizing and enabling goes on even today by players, fans and media,"

"With steroids you could do those things you otherwise couldn't do."

Yep. I read it.

[Iowanic]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/tom_verducci/05/29/dan.serafini.steroids/index.html?sct=obinsite

And a bit more .....