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As we look at baseball from the big-picture perspective over the past month, no off-field controversy grabbed more headlines than the stunning news that emanated from Arizona a few weeks ago. Diamondbacks pitcher Jason Grimsley, it was revealed, agreed to cooperate with federal officials in their pursuit of an investigation regarding the use of HGH, or Human Growth Hormone in the game of baseball.
Although HGH is not specifically tested for under the new baseball steroid policy, it is considered an illegal substance and was therefore part of the government’s continuing investigation into the issue as it relates to baseball. We’d like to tackle a few questions/issues that arose as a result of this news.
How effective is the new steroids policy in baseball?
That one is easy - it’s a step in the right direction from the complete anarchy that baseball players enjoyed for years, but it’s a very small step, and the truth of the matter is that illegal performance-enhancing drugs are still being used and abused on a regular basis. HGH, the substance that Grimsley was using and, allegedly, distributing, is not even one of the substances tested for under this new policy, as detection of HGH at a minimum requires a blood test, and the current tests involve only an analysis of urine.
In short, there’s a long way to go in order to have effective preventative testing and hopefully ultimate compliance with the rules and regulations of not only baseball but of the United States.
Will there be a domino effect with HGH the same way there was with other steroids?
It’s too early to say definitively, but it’s probably safe to guess that there will be a similar effect. Government documents that were released at least on a limited basis recently contained several names of alleged HGH users that were “blacked out” in order to protect the players’ privacy and potentially Constitutional rights.
We saw what happened when the first wave of the steroid issue hit. It started with a few names here and there, and before long, more and more names of players past and present began to appear in the media to the point where the public began to question nearly every player in baseball, especially those who were enjoying a high level of success. The same pattern will probably play out with HGH.
How has the HGH controversy changed the scope of the ongoing steroids issue?
HGH has changed the scope of the steroid issue in at least one fundamental way. During the past few years, as steroid use in baseball became the talk of sports fans everywhere, most assumed that pitchers would never use performance enhancers, as building muscle is not necessarily an aid to a pitcher’s overall skills.
Jason Grimsley changed all of that in an instant. Not only is Grimsley himself a pitcher, but his admission of the use of HGH opens the scope of suspicion to pitchers everywhere, as HGH’s primary benefit is in its ability to aid in recovery. A pitcher’s arm takes a severe beating every season, and HGH allows a pitcher to not only recover more quickly, but to maintain the zip on a fastball and the break on a curve more effectively.
Will the HGH controversy be the “last straw” for baseball?
Probably not. The steroid controversy and the resulting moniker of the “steroid era” will always be looked upon with a frown by those who lived through the era. Forty years from now, fathers will tell their sons that the enormous offensive numbers put up during this era were a result of “cheating.” This is obviously not good for the game.
However, baseball has survived game-fixing scandals in the World Series, World Wars, segregation and multiple work stoppages, yet it has always survived and continues to capture the attention of millions of fans every season. Baseball will survive and ultimately move on.
By Jay Nault sponsored by www.stubhub.com/ . StubHub sells sports tickets: www.stubhub.com/ concert tickets, theater tickets and more to just about any event in the world. Please link to this site when using article. |
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