03:20 PM ET  10.21 | You heard it here first, Philadelphia Phillies first basemen Ryan Howard has tested positive, for H2O. That's right...H2O. In the wake of a steroid controversy fueled by the resurgence of the Spanish Inquisition and their chairman, Bud Selig, the MLB has required mandatory testing for H2O. I mean, how else could a man hit 58 homeruns during the decline of the heralded steroid era.
The problem with hush-hush accusations of Ryan Howard's somewhat remarkable feat is that it really isn't that remarkable at all. Especially when the MLB has such a "solid" testing program in place to detect players that want nothing more than to ruin the game. But if you break down the numbers through history, 58 homeruns is more common than you think. Since 1921, hitters have achieved 50 or more homeruns in a season 39 times and you would be surprised to hear some of the names on that list. Guys like Brady Anderson, Luis Gonzalez, George Foster, and even Roger Maris all look suspect on a predominantly homerun hitters list where throughout their careers there appears only 1 big spike in the HR column. But surely you can't tell me that Maris or Foster were on the juice, can you? Logical explanation, H2O.

Furthermore, the rest of the players that appear on that list of 39 include the game's biggest sluggers and overall biggest players. We all know that Babe Ruth transcended the game and other players in stature during his day, but in today's market he is overshadowed by a need for physically fit specimens that focus only on the game and their health. Combine that with the live ball era of raised pitching mounds and juiced baseballs, the eventual rise of homerun statistics were bound to make a leap.

Now Ryan is a big boy, and I mean big. Standing in at 6'-4" and 230 pounds, he towers over a much more sloppy Babe Ruth and his 6'-2" 210 pound frame. Combine that with an offseason in the weight room and a dedication to the batting cage, you have to expect the numbers he and David Ortiz are putting up. Hank Greenberg was a monster in his day at 6'-3"/210lbs as was Jimmie Foxx, 6'-0"/200lbs and the numbers don't lie. Overall, you have to expect big power from the top big men.

Ultimately, I am not condoning the close-mouthed accusations against Howard, as I feel baseball needs to pursue a cleaner image, but historically, size and numbers seem to coincide with those special players. H2O or not, Ryan Howard is emerging as the next big man in the spotlight and we have to except it and the MLB's testing policy if we are ever going to move past the tragedy of a steroid era.