Baseball Digest: Use of steroids has stained majors, but the game will survive

THROUGH ITS LONG HISTORY, MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL HAS SUSTAINED A variety of assaults on its well-being, its integrity and its popularity with the masses.

These attacks randomly include:

* Throwing of the 1919 World Series by the Chicago White Sox, costing Joe Jackson, one of team's banished players, almost certain entry into the Hall of Fame.

* The fatal beaning of shortstop Ray Chapman by pitcher Carl Mays in 1920, and serious injuries suffered by Mickey Cochrane in 1937, Joe Medwick in 1940, Tony Conigliaro in 1967, Paul Blair in 1970 and Dickie Thon in 1984 from being hit in the head by pitches.

* Widespread drug abuse (mostly cocaine) admitted by at least 19 players in the 1980s, including Dave Parker, Dwight Gooden, LaMarr Hoyt, Keith Hernandez and Steve Howe.

* Gambling on baseball by Pete Rose when he managed the Reds in 1987, a restriction that Rose flagrantly ignored.

* Illegal doctoring of bails by such pitchers as Gaylord Perry, Don Sutton, Whitey Ford and Don Drysdale, and illegal corking of bats by such hitters as Sammy Sosa, Norm Cash and Graig Nettles.

* Anti-social behavior of such hostile characters as Albert Belle.

* A pre-emptive strike by the Players Association that forced owners to cancel the 1994 World Series.

* And, finally, the festering scandal of steroid use by current and former players.

While none of these assaults have failed to destroy the game at the major league level, the last-mentioned scandal gained renewed attention with the recent publication of Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big, a tell-all book by Jose Canseco who named names in revealing players to whom he introduced the use of steroids.

Describing himself as "The Godfather of Steroids," Canseco pointed a finger at Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, Ivan Rodriguez and Juan Gonzalez.

His allegations about steroid use also included Bret Boone, Wilson Alvarez and Dave Martinez.

In addition, he stated (Jason) "Giambi had the most obvious steroid physique I've ever seen in my life," and wondered what Barry Bonds did in the off-season when "he showed up in spring 2001 (the year he hit 73 home runs) with 40 pounds of added muscle."

Canseco's charges were met with outright denials or responses that skirted the issue. Yet, it's hard to believe all of his allegations were the result of an over-active imagination.

As other athletes, baseball players have used anabolic steroids to become bigger, stronger and faster. With increased muscle mass, hitters can drive a ball much farther, improve their home run production and make stratospheric sums of money.

The temptation is great for players to take this path to immense wealth. What seems to be overlooked in this most recent baseball scandal, however, is the long-term harm that steroids, if not used properly, can do to the body.

Side effects linked to steroid use include heart disease, liver cancer, kidney and prostrate problems, atrophy of the testicles, acne and hair loss. Users subject themselves to tendon and ligament damage because tendons and ligaments don't grow at the same rate as muscles.

That being mentioned, it also should be pointed out steroid use created an unfair playing field until Major League Baseball and the Players Association finally woke up and agreed to take preventative measures to solve the problem.

Their agreement, when coupled with federal legislation, broadens the list of banned, performance-enhancing substances that a player might take to include not only steroids, but steroid precursors, masking agents and diuretics.

But, for fans who have a true grasp of baseball's history, there will always remain questions about the validity of records set during the steroid era, such as McGwire's 70 homers in 1998, Bonds' 73 dingers in 2001, and Sosa's string of 66, 63 and 64 over-the-fence clouts in a four-year period (1998-2001).

It's unlikely those records will be trashed because it cannot be completely proven they all were achieved with the help of steroids.

They might best be portrayed, however, as a slap in the face to such former players as Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson and Roger Maris who excelled on natural talent.

Before he started the 2005 season as manager of the Washington Nationals, Robinson touched on the subject. He hit 586 career home runs and for a long time ranked fourth on the all-time list until Bonds soared past him.

He wondered whether the recent power explosion in the majors will dwarf his own, high-tiered accomplishments.

"Probably before I take my last breath, I'm going to be about 99th on the list," he told the Associated Press. "And, I'm afraid people are going to say, 'Frank Who?' There will be such huge numbers up at the top, they're going to say, 'You must have been a singles hitter who hit a few home runs.'

"I wish I had stayed fourth. It has a nice ring to it. You're up there with the elite, with the top guys in baseball."

While the records of some steroid-era players are bound to be held suspect in the minds of today's fans, the game as played in the major leagues should prove once again it can overcome human foibles and remain a favorite source of entertainment for millions of people, young and old.

It will remain so simply because it's too good of a sporting creation to be beaten permanently into the ground.

As Hall of Fame announcer Harry Caray used to say, "You can't beat fun at the old ball park."

DUE TO A TEXT BOX ERROR, THE CHART ON PAGE 13 OF THE APRIL ISSUE OF BASEBALL DIGEST DID NOT INCLUDE THE 2004 ST. Louis Cardinals among 100-victory teams whose top winning pitcher had 16 or fewer victories.

Lowest Win Total for Pitching Leaders of 100-Victory Teams

Year  7 Team                  Wins   Top Winning Pitcher           Wins

2004   New York Yankees      101    Jon Lieber/Javier Vazquez      14
1941   New York Yankees      101    Lefty Gomez/Red Ruffing        15
1975   Cincinnati Reds       108    Don Gullett/Gary Nolan/        15
                                    Jack Billingham
1976   Cincinnati Reds       102    Gary Nolan                     15
1967   St. Louis Cardinals   101    Dick Hughes                    16
1977   New York Yankees      100    Ron Guidry/Ed Figueroa         16
1995   Cleveland Indians     100    Charles Nagy/Orel Hershiser    16
2004   St. Louis Cardinals   105    Jeff Suppan                    16