Home Runs and Steroids

Suspicions of steroid use surround the home run kings, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa. All three of these players had their eye on breaking all-time records: Roger Maris’ single-season record of 61 and Hank Aaron’s career record of 755. Did these players need to jeopardize their health and take steroids to break the home run records? Should Maris still have the record? Should Hank Aaron keep his record?

Similar to what my minister, Rev. Meek, preached about at Round Hill Presbyterian Church last Saturday night (I talked about this a few days ago in my blog), we baseball fans are all a bit guilty and responsible if Bonds, McGwire, and Sosa cheated to break these records. There was tremendous excitement around watching Sosa and McGwire break Maris’ record, as well as watching Bonds then break McGwire’s record. I am as guilty as anyone else of tremendously enjoying the quest to break the single season home run record, so I too am responsible for putting the pressure on these players to accomplish it. If Sosa, McGwire, and Bonds all did take steroids, then Maris should rightfully still have the single season record. If McGwire and Bonds took the steroids, but Sammy is innocent, as he claims, then he deserves the single season record of 66. McGwire hit 70, and then Bonds wanted the record so badly, he probably felt pressured to take steroids to beat McGwire and hit 73. It’s a vicious cycle. One player cheats to get the record, and the next guy has to cheat to beat it. Is having this record really worth cheating and jeopardizing one’s health?

While the players may have had to cheat to beat Maris’ single season record, and to even beat Babe Ruth’s 60 in a season, I contend that players do not have to cheat and jeopardize their health to beat Hank Aaron’s career record of 755. The requirement to beat Aaron’s record is hard work: A home run hitter has to be willing to play for a very long time and work very hard to keep himself in great shape.

Barry Bonds did not need to take steroids, cheat, jeopardize his health, and besmirch his record and reputation to have a chance to hit over 755 home runs in his career. Back when Sosa and McGwire were locked in the struggle to beat Maris’ record of 61, the media was talking about three players in the running to beat Aaron’s record: Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Ken Griffey, Jr. No one even mentioned Barry Bonds. But even then, I felt that Barry Bonds had the best chance to do it. These were my thoughts on how Barry would accomplish it. I never envisioned Barry hitting 73 home runs in a season. I felt that Barry would hit 40-50 home runs each year. He seemed to be in top condition for his age, and he seemed to be a player who improved with age. I figured Barry would play until at least 45 and that he might even end up a designated hitter at some point late in his career. Because of his inflated ego, he would naturally want the career home run record. Probably around the age of 44 or 45, Barry would finally hit 756 and pass Aaron.

Mark McGwire is out of baseball and Griffey has been plagued with injuries. It is still possible that Griffey and Sosa could hit more than 755. But Barry is very close to doing it with 703 career homers. He’s injured right now, but he’s only 40. It is too bad Barry may have jeopardized his health and his reputation by taking steroids, since Barry could have beat Aaron’s record honestly through hard work and longevity.