Another pitcher testing positive for steroids. This time it's Tampa Bay relief pitcher Juan Salas who has a splendid career ERA of 4.56!

A couple of interesting things to me about this.

#1 If many pitchers are using or have used steroids doesn't this balance out the advantage of the supposed multitude of hitters who have also used steroids?

#2 This guy sucks. Like almost all of the guys who have actually tested positive, this guy is nothing special. Why, if steroids are such a magical potion, do so many of the players who test positive suck so bad? This is another one of those rhetorical questions, friends.

The answer is steroids are not going to make you a good player. They may help with recovery time from injuries and give you a boost in strength but if you suck, you suck. If you're great then you're great. Being a baseball player is not like being an offensive lineman. It's a skill game. You either have the skills or you don't. The influence of steroids on baseball has been highly overstated in some ways (how much they effect your skill) and greatly understated in other ways (it's clear that most of the players in the bigs have used some form of PED yet we keep hearing about ONE guy over and over who has never even tested positive.)

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Contributed by Josh
8 Comments:
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Don't kid yourself: Steriods provide a big boost in strenght... We're taking about a player who hit over 100 more homeruns from the age for 35-40 (258) verses his peak years of 24-29 (157). Something wrong with this picture?

Don't get me wrong Bonds was a first ballet HOFer before steriods, the only difference is he has now cheated to break the records.

Please don't be so gullible....you must be a Giants fan.
May 8, 2007 at 12:17 PM  

Blogger IHateU said...
Clemmons is so roided it's not even funny :/

The crappy players who test positive can't afford the good stuff. Still no test for HGH.
May 8, 2007 at 12:43 PM  

Blogger IHateU said...
Just for shits and giggles:

1. The Cream
2. The Clear
3. HGH
4. Insulin
5. Testosterone decanoate
6. Trenbolone (Cow steroids)
7. Winstrol (Palmero)
8. Clomid (Infertility drugs)
9. Deca-Durabolin
10. Norbolethone
May 8, 2007 at 12:48 PM  

Blogger Josh said...
Hello "anonymous" ! Perhaps there are other explanations. Maybe Bonds rested on his tremendous talent through most of career but came back strong from his 1999 injury with a new work ethic. Perhaps only then did he finally reach his true potential as the greatest hitter of all time. Personally I think he did use some form of PED (HGH.. clear.. cream) and that helped him come back stronger and faster. But many other players have used these substances without the results that Bonds has had.

And anyway the point is not whether Bonds used or not, I think he almost definitely did. But how many others have used and are not getting the same lynching?

It's the pinpointing of only going after Bonds that annoys me. It's got to be all or nothing. Either you want all players who have used PED out of the game (in which case MLB would be just absolute shit cuz most of the players would be gone) or you just say.. aw fuck it. whatever.

Personally I'm in the "aw fuck it. whatever." category.

Players have always tried to get an edge, today that edge = the list that ihateu just listed... good stuff.

Do we look back at the Pittsburgh steelers of the 70s and talk about steroids? The steroids curtain?

Are we going to go back and strip ihateu's Oakland A's of their 3 consecutive AL championships in the late 80s? Canseco & McGwire were almost certainly using something or other...

My point is you can't just go in and pinpoint certain players or certain teams. PEDs are ALL OVER ALL OF BASEBALL. and they still are now.

I really feel its the bonds witchhunters that are being "gullible" by acting like their players and their teams arent involved.
May 8, 2007 at 1:46 PM  

Blogger Josh said...
i'm working on my next post now.. it's about how overrated hank aaron is.
May 8, 2007 at 1:52 PM  

Blogger Josh said...
ihateu - i do have a hard time believing that given what even the crappy players are paid that they couldnt afford any "good" drugs.. i mean? how expensive could they be. even the shittiest mlb players make like half a million dollars a year. i know just normal people that buy and use steroids... i cant imagine that are THAT expensive.
May 8, 2007 at 1:54 PM  

Blogger IHateU said...
I think they just buy crappy steroids because they are stupid. Palmero wasn't terribly bright. Tho there are those rumors he nailed Sandberg's wife. VIAGRA!
May 8, 2007 at 3:39 PM  

Blogger Josh said...
well there's always stupidity. the world's most prevalent particle. mmm do i ever like to say prevalent particle.
May 8, 2007 at 10:17 PM