by Eric Yang
Staff Writer

America’s pastime has been tainted, bringing disgrace to some of its players and along with it, a loss of interest from fans.

It’s a crime when players cheat to taint the game and its credibility. Players in various sports use steroids to gain a competitive advantage on the field.

Steroids have a drastic effect on the body and while most players know this, they would much rather have the glory, stats and money. Steroids can cause heart attacks, strokes and baldness along with high blood pressure, and aching joints.

Compared to other sports, baseball is not getting it done. Their testing policy still has many flaws that make fans feel like the game is unfair. There is currently no blood test for all illegal drugs that players must take.

Baseball is also trying to save face with their image. With Congress on their heels, they decided to add a punishment policy that does not do its job. Yes, it’s a three strikes you’re out policy, but when big name players get away with it, something is wrong.

Yes, they can catch a Mike Cameron (free agent) or Jose Guillen (free agent), along with many other small names, but managed let Roger Clemens (free agent) and Johnny Damon (Yankees) go. These are two big stars that were never punished for their actions.

Steroids have ruined and tainted the talented perception of non-juicing types like Alex Rodriguez (free agent), Vladimir Guerrero (Angles) and Bernie Williams (retired). Those are all guys who are or were, at one time, great players. Williams is, arguably, one of the top players of his era and nobody talks about him because he is statistically overshadowed by steroid using big names.

Steroids also have a huge impact on the pitching side of the ball. Pitchers, both starters and relievers, need time to recover from outings. Starting pitchers need only three days of rest consistently compared to the usual five. They also need three to four days in between games to recuperate from the many pitches they throw at nearly the start of nearly every game.

Any pitcher who uses steroids hits his top velocity on much shorter rest than those who are on and off the high point. It’s a matter of recovery, because when the pitcher feels fresh,he can get maximum velocity, unlike when he does not he would be under his max range.

Cheating is a crime in baseball and it’s up to Bud Selig to do something about it now, before fans discredit the players and abandon the game many of us still love.