Okay--so we now know that, most likely, plenty of ballplayers in the '90s and beyond used steroids or HGH, and it's raised questions about the game, its integrity, and how we should view superstars like Roger Clemens.
My take: the Steroids Era happened. It can't be undone. Everyone will have to live with it, not wallow in it, and accept their share of the blame (Commissioner Selig for too often ignoring it, Don Fehr and the players union for fighting effective testing, the fans for not caring). Baseball now simply has to move forward. And that means protecting the integrity of the game through rigorous testing for steroids, and figuring out how to test and protect against HGH.
We should, further, make sure we understand just what happened here, and not whitewash it. I'm inspired to say this because--well, look at what we saw yesterday: Andy Pettite admits he used HGH. But he also claims that he only intended to use it to "heal", and not to gain an "edge." But Mr. Pettite, lookit, by using HGH in that way you ARE gaining an edge. You're wanting to heal from an injury FASTER than would someone who didn't use it. That's an edge. That's an advantage. Don't try to minimize what you did. I fear he won't be the only one--I've noted some fans, since the Mitchell Report broke, eager to condemn without reservation players from other teams who were named in the report, but..well...making excuses for the players named from their favorite teams. Don't go there. Be objective. And start cleaning up this mess, baseball.
