Time to touch upon baseball's black eye, steroids. Since the Mitchell Report's release in December there has not been a letdown in coverage by the sports media as it graces front pages of both online and print media everyday. The biggest story to surface has been the naming of Roger Clemens in the report. I have seen his attempts to clear his name, none have been convincing. In little time he has taken the focus from Barry Bonds and it will be a while before he can deflect it from himself.
As a lifetime baseball fan, I was disappointed to see how prevalent steroids has been in the sport. Although, I am not ignorant to the fact that it has been a recurring problem. What I find problematic is the everchanging policy of what is banned and what isn't. Anything that can harm the human body should be avoided altogether and be continuously banned. I am aware that competition breeds cheating since many will do whatever it takes to keep their position. Too many negative things have happened in the sport at many levels that the line has to be drawn somewhere.
I applaud the recent action by MLB to join the NFL in an anti-doping research collaborative headed by the USOC in order to create a drug-fighting partnership. They have also launched a new branch of the Commissioner's Office that will focus into looking into drug use in the sport. I see all this as an attempt to save face and move forward. I am ready to move on and look forward to the 2008 season.
