It’s Time for Baseball to Step Up
In the wake the of the recent admition by Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Jason Grimsley to federal agents that he used steroids, Major League Baseball stands at a pivotal point. MLB needs to step to the plate, throw down the gauntlet on this issue and say to the world that steroid use will not be tolerated.
Under the current collective bargaining agreement, there is a “three-strikes you’re out” policy for steroids. First offense, a 50-game suspension; second offense, 100 games; third offense, you’re banned for life.
Tough yes, but at this point, I think the fans of the game want this situation out of baseball. I think a first-time offender should be banned. Plain and simple - if you cheat, you’re done.
Essentially, this is a customer relations issue. The fans that pay for the tickets to MLB games, buy hats, jerseys, bats and pay $12 for a hot dog and a beer don’t want to see records that have stood for years broken by guys on steroids. Baseball’s image has been teetering on the edge since the strike of 1994. For years fans didn’t come back to the game. Then in the summer of 1998 Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa put on a show that made the country fall in love again with our “national pastime.”
But all that good could be thrown away if MLB doesn’t draw a line in the sand (I realize that both McGwire and Sosa were on steroids at the time). If MLB doesn’t, I think the fans will once again walk away, and this time the damage may be permanent.