All ESPN has been talking about recently is been Alex Rodriguez and his admission that he took steroids from 2001-2003. I am already tired of this story. Is it awful that he took this substances? By today's standards, yes. By the standards of MLB in 2001-2003, not at all. He did what apparently every standout star was doing. And here at JFLANland, we have already forgiven him. We forgave A-Rod because he came out and told everyone he took these PEDs (performance-enhancing drugs). It is the same reasons why people have forgiven Andy Petite, Jason Giambi, and even Miguel Tejada. If those who keep denying their involvement with steroids (Clemens, Bonds, Palmeiro) or those that have run away from the question and shut up entirely (McGwire) would admit that they took PEDs, we would forgive them faster.
Now, to those who think the Steroids Era has eternally tarnished the game of baseball, I ask them to remember where the sport was in 1994. It didn't exist. The players were on strike. There was no World Series. The Montreal Expos were the best team in baseball. Mass hysteria. Along with Cal Ripken Jr's Streak to pass Lou Gehrig, the home run summer of McGwire and Sosa saved baseball. It is now stronger than ever despite the cloud of steroids hanging over clubhouses and every player. One could look at Bonds, Sosa and McGwire and say that they killed their legacy for the sake of the game.
What to do now? Moving forward? Simple. Test everyone monthly. Harsher penalties for those who get caught. The MLB Players Union needs to realize that many fans are starting to lump all the players together under the steroid umbrella. Some players have already voiced their anger at those who have besmirched this era of baseball (Roy Oswalt especially). Now its time for them to convince the other players to agree with them.
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