A Not So Minor 'Roid Rage

In the wake of the suspension of three Braves' prospects for use of performance-enhancing drugs, I wonder. Is Bud Selig's drug program working? Players are getting suspended, often for 50 games or nearly a third of the baseball season, yet I am unsure if the system is truly persuasive. Now, the number of Major Leaguers caught for drugs since 2003 has severely dropped, luckily. Off the top of my head, I can only name two people caught for drugs in the past two years, Manny Ramirez and Edinson Volquez. So, maybe the system really does shy possible users away, that is at least the case in the Major Leagues, where players live a charmed life. Traveling is great. Charters from city to city, the nicest hotels the town has to offer, and great food, all paid for by the team. For the most part, job are secure, and they are making millions, so why waste it on drugs, right?

The real problem, I hope Bud Selig realizes is in the minor leagues. The money is poor, and jobs are tough to maintain. A player struggles to feed his family, and, as a result, he decides to bend the rules. Find a substance that can increase muscle, and suddenly, he is hitting twice as many home runs. People begin to notice, and, his salary triples, going from Single-A to the Big Leagues.

Since 2003, 25 major league players have been suspended for performance-enhancing drugs. That is less than 1% of MLB players, yet there have been more than double the cases in the minor leagues, not including these three Braves: Gerry Rodriguez, Yoel Campusano and Amadeo Zazueta as well as the Twins' Mike Harrington.

And don't expect these numbers to drop. As we have seen throughout sports, new drugs will come out, seemingly undetectable to urine tests. Perhaps the only solution is to finally switch to blood tests, able to be frozen and then, when the time comes in the future, to determine if the athlete was truly cheating.

-DR