Major League Baseball is increasing their efforts against performance enhancing drug use, and in many ways, it still isn't enough.
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According to reports, Major League Baseball and the Player's Association are close to an agreement that would increase the amount of punishment for steroid users. At present, players who test positive for performance enhancing substances will be suspended for 50 games as a first time offense. A second time offense will result in an 100-game suspension and a third will result in a lifetime ban. The new plan calls for an 80-game suspension for first time offenders, a full season ban for second time offenders and then a lifetime ban for third time offenders.
An unnamed source from the negotiations also told Baseball writer Bob Nightengale that penalties aren't the only aspects of improvement for the drug agreement.
“The new agreement will not only increase the drug penalties, but also implement widespread carbon isotope testing, the official said, hoping to dramatically increase the detection of a synthetic testosterone.”
This should come as no surprise to anyone. The revelations by Tony Bosch, who exposed a great amount of flaws about Major League Baseball's drug testing policy on 60 Minutes, were detrimental to the game. There are still Major League Baseball players who are cheating just for the money. In fact, a former Major League Baseball player who remains close to the game (and asked to remain nameless) told me he believes there are still a good amount of players on performance enhancing drugs.
“I would have to pin it to a 5-10 percent number of guys still on steroids which is a much better number than the 60-70 percent who were using during the last two decades. There will always be guys trying to buck the system with the latest drug or masking agent to beat a drug test. The suspensions last year for Braun, etc sent a good deterrent so expect it to decrease a bit more but always expect a few outliers who will try to buck the system.”
The proposed agreement by Major League Baseball and the Player's Association will help the fight against drug use, but only by a little. Why is it you think athletes take steroids? Is it to set statistical records? Nope. All the drug users in professional sports want money. If Major League Baseball and other organizations took the money out of drug user's pockets, then there would be fewer drug users.
If I were the Commissioner, I would set the first suspension at a full season, with no pay. The second suspension would be not even be qualified as suspension. Let the drug user play, but automatically set his salary at the Major League minimum. The current Major League minimum is set at $500,000. If Ryan Braun makes $25 million one season, force him to play an entire season, working hard and playing hard, at $500,000. The team would get the benefit of the player on the field and the player wouldn't be making the money he wants. And the team should have the right to fine the players if they are acting lazy. So, if Braun wasn't trying under this penalty, the team could fine him to the point where he is playing for them for free. It may sound strict, but steroids are an evil that must be expelled from the game.
The Player's Association wants Steroids out of the game. They would probably agree to an idea like this because a majority of players want steroids gone faster than a Nolan Ryan fastball. While Major League Baseball is trying to step up their efforts, they must realize that steroids must be expelled from the game in order to build a brighter future.
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