Why aren't the players leading the charge?

I'm sure part of the problem is nobody really knows for certain who's taking what. But another part could very well be that the number of players taking stuff is really much higher than most of us ever thought it was. Various sources have estimated
that upwards of 70+ % have taken PED's. That makes the players not taking it in the minority and more likely to stay quiet.
If there is someone speaking up, that person may be Frank Thomas.

Everyone knows who is on PED, HGH and steriods. YOu show up with no hair, acne on your back and looking like the incredible hunk, and suddenly throwing 5 mph harder or hitting bombs now, well duh you are juiced.


Some MLB players are so stupid they bring their steroids, HGH and other drugs and leave it in their locker. If you are gonna be a cheat, have enough brains to shoot up at home.

How about afraid of getting trashed by everyone ?

Its the players union that is the biggest paet of the problem when it comes to cleaning up the mess.

Look at the difference in track for example.

OK. Let's try an exercise here. Let's assume our kids have all made a major league team. After the excitement of making the team wears off they call and tell you that they know for a fact that 10 players on the team are using PED's.
Since it goes without saying that kids of posters on this site are all highly ethical, wonderful young men, it would be interesting to find out what we would tell our sons to do in this situation? Lead the charge to clean up the locker room? Tell the Manager/ GM about the problem?
For me, my first reaction would be to tell him to stay away from the stuff and try not to socialize with those players but my advice would probably end there.

Im not expecting a 22 year old rookie to stand up and lead the charge. Im expecting the veterans that say they love the game and all it stands for to stand up and lead the charge. The guys that are in their 30's and established ml players. Man up and speak up or you are just a big a part of the problem as the guys that are using.

quote:

Some MLB players are so stupid they bring their steroids, HGH and other drugs and leave it in their locker.

and pay for them with personal checks and credit cards.......

It really needs to come from the user's.
They need to man up and say yes there was a problem.
And for the love of the game , were going to try and clean up the mess we created.

The owner's and Manager's need to quit rewarding user's with big contract's.
The Union needs to protect the Clean Player and his working conditions, with a fair and equitable work place.
JMO
EH

Frank Thomas was adamant about the problem prior to the report. Pettite did make an apology-statement.

I would be exceedingly pleasantly surprised to see players come out, users or no, and demand a vote for increased/better testing and harsher punishments (I'm in favor of banishment, meself) from the Union.

"Who" would be the question.

Rookies and journeymen would be afraid for their own jobs. Users are going to be looking for amnesty or protection. There's a small pool of players who would be effective.

Pro athletes have a diferent set of experiences than we do. At some point at least, even if that isn't the main motivation for some now, they were doing this for the love of the game. (How many of us can say that about our jobs?) Lobbying to take that away from teammates would be difficult --- after all, they have their place in MLB and the existence of players who cheated to get there or stay there didn't effect them.

Then there's the "taking away a man's livelihood" aspect. We would all immedietly think that they've made their millions, it's not like they "need the job". But some of the Users aren't on 7-8 figure salaries and some may be ill-prepared to support themselves back in the Real World. And it would seem that any number of them don't regard money as the rest of us do, such as the stories about Bonds dumping his $900 an hour, experienced lawyer for the cheapie guy without experience in that aspect of the law or the NBA player a while back who said he was "just trying to put food on the table" (apparently not realizing he could put food on Sudan's table for what he was making ) or the NY rookie who thought he had hit the lottery with the league minimum salary until he saw the cost of apartments in NYC (um, son, do you think EVERYBODY who manages to live in NYC makes over $300K a year?)

I am not in ANY WAY condoning their silence; just understanding that it's going to take quite a pair to do the right thing. And should any of them possess that equipment, they'll have a fan for life in me.

The culture in baseball is one of sticking up for one's team mates, for backing them up no matter what. There are good aspects of that way of life. It is hard for the players to break away from such a long standing way of doing things.

I think the players could collectively agree as Union members to allow more rigorous testing and stiffer penalties instead of allowing Fehr to fight the issue tooth and nail.
But players calling other players out, or turning someone in ? I don't see that ever happening, as mentioned before, players gonna stick together on the field and off.

I'll be pleasantly surprised if and when the Curt Flood of steriods steps forward. Several former players have spoken out. It will take several current guys to speak in one voice to make an impact. The stuff is really bad, for kids especially. Maybe it will happen.

First of all the MLB players are not responsible for what your kids do--

Secondly and probably more important if you, as parents, do what is needed and due diligence is performed there should be no problem


You talk to your kids about dinking and driving don't you?---The same should be done with PED's

You are preaching to the choir. Tell that to the parents of the million or so kids on PED's.

quote:

Originally posted by Dad04:
Tell that to the parents of the million or so kids on PED's.

million kids on PED's?

Dad04

Isnt that the responsibility of the parents not MLB players ?---why do you keep pawning off the parental responsibility to players in the PROS?


CPLZ


most of his posts are delusional

Per Johns Hopkins. They estimate a million. The Mitchell Report used 300,000, which experts claim is very light. I'll try and find it.

I would recommend a read of the Mitchell report. The blame is distributed towards all parties but the MLBPA is most accountable and could do the most to fix the problem.

Do those numbers include legit use of steroids? My daughter has asthma. Without steroids she would probably be dead. I know it is a different type of steroid, but I would like to know if the 1 million included other uses or just kids who use for sports.

You're absolutely right, as usual, TR. I certainly know I'm the only influence in my children's lives and that they listen raptly to my every golden word. Sometimes taking notes. Which is to be expected as I am not only always right, but am, indeed, The World's Foremost Expert.

Parents talk to their kids all the time about drinking and driving, recreational drugs, etc and how many DUI's and driving fatalities caused by drinking are there each year? If you follow TR's logic (sic), parents talking to their kids about PED's takes away the need for institutional oversight and testing. Indeed, why have laws against drinking and driving if all that is required is a fire-side chat with our ever-devotional off-spring.

Orlando....igball...I am laughing my --- off. Now I understand, the MLB players associated with PED's never got good advice from their parents about not using PED's to cheat.