re: Mark McGwire: "I could have hit 70 HRs without PEDs!"

quote:

---

I'm of the opinion that if you're weren't striving in that respect then, you weren't trying, and it's not like MLB was doing anything to discourage it so they're culpable in that too. By most accounts, it appears a level playing field existed relative to who was juicing then and therefore I won't minimize what Mark, Sammy, Raphael and Barry did, one of the hardest things to do in sports is hit an MLB pitch and these guys DOMINATED.

---

Eh, I can't agree with all of this. Everyone was not juicing and that had nothing to do with whether or not they were trying. Steroids were never legal, they just weren't testing for them like they are now. Griffey was not a user and I don't think anyone would ever say it was for a lack of caring about becoming the best he could be. And there are plenty others just like him.

And yes, one of the hardest things to do in sports is hit a baseball. However, PEDs help increase bat speed which makes hitting a baseball that much easier and turns deep fly outs into homeruns. Sosa is a perfect example of someone whose career took a dramatic spike once he started juicing. Sosa was nothing more than an above average power hitter for the first 7-8 years of his MLB career. Then, he jumps from 36 homeruns in 1997 to 66 in 1998 and 5 straight seasons of 49+. Players don't just find themselves in their 10th year in the majors. That's where the disconnect comes. He was a good player but he was not one of the best in the game until he started cheating. He had made 1 all-star team in 9 MLB seasons before 1998.