Anabolic steroids and improved game play

December 19, 2005

Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa, Jose Canseco, Raphael Palmiero - boy could/can these guys crush the ball. Add a little steroid magic and BOOM - records are broken in a big way. Perhaps.

I've often pondered why it is that anabolic steroids seem to prefer home runs over other types of hits. What exactly is up with this? Has anyone else noticed this?

For example, when a steroid using Canseco hit a hard ground ball to short, why didn't the ball travel so hard and fast that would rip through the infield before the shortstop could even move? Or if the shortstop was Jeter, simply tear the mitt off of him? How come these home run monsters aren't jumping inches higher and nabbing  potential home runs off the wall? How come steroid abusing players aren't running faster and stealing more bases? Why aren't triples and doubles and RBI numbers shy-rocketing? Why aren't fastballs going faster? Why only home runs?

It seems mighty odd to me that only home run numbers are on the rise. Eventually somebody had to hit more home runs in a season than spindly Maris. It's not like McGuire hit 140 homers right?

And when sprinters or runners use steroids how come their performances are only a fraction of a second better than their competitors - like they are whenever records are broken? And not always. Ben Johnson the Canadian Olympic sprinter a few years back who was stripped of his gold medal in the 100 meters didn't win all his heats and races. Are we saying that non steroid sprinters aren't going to run any faster anymore? No one is sprinting the 100 meters in 7 seconds. That would be a great idea - let a few athletes use them. Let them compete. Let the slowest sprinter use them and see if he wins. Something tells me he won't. Let's see if in fact they do any good! This would allow other athletes to see that steroids really don't enhance performance much if at all and destroy their need to take the dangerous substances. Nifty idea eh?

Anyway I sure do find it interesting.

    

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