December 12, 2011

I really thought the steroid/ PED era was over. Manny had retired. Big Papi got caught. A-Rod confessed. There was no way this new class of superstars would be dumb enough to drug their system in order to give their statistics a little boost. I may have been wrong and why not? I've been wrong before.

Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers took something. We don't know exactly what as of yet but his testosterone levels were deemed as being extremely high after testing positive in October. Unreported by major news sources, it has also been rumored that Braun's second drug test reported negative results for performance enhancing drugs. He is currently appealing the ruling of a 50 game suspension. In the history of Major League Baseball, 13 players have appealed their punishment. All have lost. The saddest part of the suspension is the millions of dollars he will be losing. (He is inked to make more than 19 Million dollars next season, you do the math).

While I don't condone steroid use, very few people understand it's effects. They perceive it to be a drug that instantly gives you big muscles and helps you hit the baseball really far. Wrong.

Barry Bonds was one of the greatest home run hitters of all time before he began taking steroids in his mid-30s. Steroids help speed up muscle recovery. A baseball season is a marathon filled with scrapes, aches and pains. Now do you see the benefit and incentive? Especially when a guy is in his 30s and his body is already banged up and slowing down.

Braun is not even 30. But he wanted to continue to post big numbers well into the 2nd half of the baseball seasons. I feel you bro. Hey, whatever he took was working. He got the payday many professional baseball players can only dream of. He'll be back.