Time For Baseball To Clean Up

What's worse? Gambling? Or Steroids?

I'd say steroids. When Pete Rose admitted betting on baseball, a bunch of kids didn't suddenly be all like "Hey Guys, lets bet on baseball!!!"

But when Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, and Charlie the bat boy started hitting mammoth homeruns that were mistaken for missle launches by the Pentagon, you better believe there were kids out there who started thinking... hey... "I wish I could do that."

And how did Jose, Mark, Sammy, Barry, and Gus, the beer salesman start hitting so many homeruns? Well, they used magic juice-- Steroids.

Is there a better way to sell illegal drugs to kids than pumping their idols full of them and showing how great they become?

For this reason, Bud Selig should grow some cajones and baseball should immediately ban all these gorillas from the game for life.

Harsh? Tell that to Shoeless Joe Jackson, who still isn't allowed into the Hall of Fame despite having a .375 batting average and no errors in the series he supposedly threw.

All the players above blew up like balloons, hit for more power than anytime earlier in their careers, and, when under increased screening and scrutiny... immediately lost their baseball playing ability.

If nothing is done, what message does it send? It's ok to cheat? It's ok to take something harmful to your long term health (and gential size) just so you can jack a few homers?

Say it ain't so, Bud. Say it ain't so.