FanNation - The Republic of Sport

Cowboys-Celtics-Chisox said 03/15, 07:50 PM
You say the difference between steroids and previous PEDs is that 'roids alone are proven to enhance. This is simply not true. Comparing amphetamines to drinking coffee is dangerous naivete.

While many of the things you mention are indeed a placebo effect and/or superstition or old wives tales, not all are.

Amphetamines are also a proven performance enhancer, can only be obtained legally by prescription, and have been used by baseball players since their inception in the 50's. They aren't just some caffeine pills from the corner convenience store. In fact, MLB has put them on their performance enhancing drugs list and banned them.

Would you be ok with your High School child popping greenies to gain an edge on the field? After all it's just like drinking a couple of cups of coffee, right?

While the effects of Amphetamines are not a pronounced or long lasting as anabolic steroids, they are still a very effective short term performance enhancer and have been used by ball players to great effect for more than half a century

If Bonds loses the HR crown to steroids, then Aaron loses it to Greenies. I guess Babe Ruth and his eyedrops should be recognized as the true Home Run King

Cowboys-Celtics-Chisox said 03/15, 08:32 PM
It's not a matter of if they impacted stats in an equal way. I never claimed they did. At the same time, you can't be a little bit pregnant.

You don't absolve a car thief for stealing a Honda just because other guys stole Mercedes.

The Mickey Mantles, Willie Mays, and Hank Aarons of the world used greenies because it was the performance enhancer that was available to them.

The entire purpose of the TD was to point out that 'roids, while getting a lot of attention in this day and age, were simply the latest method of enhancing performance to gain an unfair advantage on the field.

Nobody was searching Mickey Mantles locker for little green pills in those days largely because there wasn't the animosity between players and the media, nor was there near the amount of media around. Generally one or two beat writers to cover a team, and those writers depended on cooperation of the players to put food on the table. You don't bite the hand that feeds you so the use of PEDs were an open secret.

Today we have incredible competition among the media to come up with a "gotcha" story to feed the publics unquenchable thirst for dirt. Today Mantle would be seen as a womanizing cheater.

Cowboys-Celtics-Chisox said 03/15, 09:14 PM
"However, the topic being "Roids didn't invent a better form of baseball through chemistry""

Ah...but that's NOT the topic. Read it again:

Roiders didn't invent better baseball through chemistry.

Not Roids...Roiders. There is a significant difference.

I never said steroids weren't an improved method of using chemicals to enhance performance, only that those using 'roids didn't invent the idea of using chems for that purpose. And, in fact, ball players have been using chemicals for precisely that reason for over a half century.

Again, this isn't about steroids being more effective...everything is more effective as technology has advanced. Bats, balls, gloves, face masks, and performance enhancers have all evolved over time.

Just because Mantle used inferior equipment doesn't mean he wasn't playing the same game. And just because the PEDs available to him weren't as potent as some of the designer stuff around today doesn't mean his performance wasn't enhanced as a result if it's use.

Anabolic steroids were just an improvement on the age old concept of using whatever you can to gain a competitive advantage regardless of the consequences.