Comments on: Bill James Comments on Steroids http://www.thebronxview.com/2009/07/23/bill-james-comments-on-steroids/ Sat, 31 Jul 2010 15:11:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Scott Ham http://www.thebronxview.com/2009/07/23/bill-james-comments-on-steroids/comment-page-1/#comment-1883 Scott Ham Wed, 24 Feb 2010 19:50:21 +0000 http://www.thebronxview.com/?p=1605#comment-1883 Why should players be held to a lesser standard than the rest of society? If steroids are illegal in society, and a player has taken an illegal steroid to gain a competitve advantage, that should be morally ok because MLB didn't negotiate punishment with the players union? Do I have to curtail judgment against a player that beats his wife because MLB can't suspend him for it? Sure, it's easy for me to sit at a keyboard and point fingers at guys who used steroids and call them cheaters. If I lived and worked in the same environment, I would certainly be as tempted ad anyone else. But let's be realistic about the climate these players created: nobody spoke about it, nobody was honest about it, people received their steroids from the Ridomsky's of the world. For a mass of people who supposedly didn't break any rules, they certainly acted like a bunch of guys who didn't want to get caught doing steroids while playing baseball. Even if they technically weren't cheating, they knew and acted like they were doing something wrong. With that type of behavior, if they weren't cheating, what were they doing? Why should players be held to a lesser standard than the rest of society? If steroids are illegal in society, and a player has taken an illegal steroid to gain a competitve advantage, that should be morally ok because MLB didn’t negotiate punishment with the players union? Do I have to curtail judgment against a player that beats his wife because MLB can’t suspend him for it?

Sure, it’s easy for me to sit at a keyboard and point fingers at guys who used steroids and call them cheaters. If I lived and worked in the same environment, I would certainly be as tempted ad anyone else. But let’s be realistic about the climate these players created: nobody spoke about it, nobody was honest about it, people received their steroids from the Ridomsky’s of the world. For a mass of people who supposedly didn’t break any rules, they certainly acted like a bunch of guys who didn’t want to get caught doing steroids while playing baseball. Even if they technically weren’t cheating, they knew and acted like they were doing something wrong.

With that type of behavior, if they weren’t cheating, what were they doing?

]]> By: Ron http://www.thebronxview.com/2009/07/23/bill-james-comments-on-steroids/comment-page-1/#comment-1882 Ron Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:16:20 +0000 http://www.thebronxview.com/?p=1605#comment-1882 This writer seems to miss the essential point of the argument, probably because James himself muddied the waters. There was no "cheating," prior to 2002, because there was no rule. The so-called "Vincent edict" carried no force of law. What on earth is so hard to grasp about that? Anyone who claims a player cheated by taking steroids before 2002 is committing slander. Have you got that part? This writer seems to miss the essential point of the argument, probably because James himself muddied the waters. There was no “cheating,” prior to 2002, because there was no rule. The so-called “Vincent edict” carried no force of law.

What on earth is so hard to grasp about that? Anyone who claims a player cheated by taking steroids before 2002 is committing slander.

Have you got that part?

]]>