Comments on: Javy Lopez on steroids: "I'd be stupid enough not to use 'nitro' too"

By: Todd Hundley is the starting catcher on the All-Steroids Team — The Good Men Project Magazine

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 11:48:42 +0000

[...] than 20 home runs in a season before exploding for 30 in 1996, at age 31? Or Javy Lopez, another known ’roider, who holds the single-season home-run record for catchers with 42? We ultimately passed [...]

By: Gary

Gary — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:23:31 +0000

Just to clarify. I’m not bringing this up to condemn Javy. I’m bringing it up to demonstrate that the leagues didn’t care before outside pressure forced them to care.

By: Gary

Gary — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:19:25 +0000

Javy admitted trying steroids in a Mar. 2, 2003 Washington Post article by Amy Shipley. The article, mostly about greenies, was entitled “Stimulants are a Major League Hit”.
For those putting together a timeline, that was spring training before his monster contract season. And for the O’s fan who posted a reply, that was 10 months before the O’s signed him.

By: CharlieH

CharlieH — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 18:17:12 +0000

If everyone took steroids in the same amount, or if every batter was allowed to use aluminum bats, or if pitchers were allowed to pitch with dead balls, if the game was equal for all the players, then that would be fair. Some players had major advantages over other players becuase of the use of PEDs. Some teams won more games, maybe World Series, because their players used PEDs. So there was a kind of fix going on. I don’t like cheating. I don’t like teams that cheat and win, I don’t like players that game the system. The steroid era is hopefully over with, at least for MLB. That doesn’t mean people will forget what happened. Players and teams cheated and got away with it. Making excuses doesn’t change anything.

By: Epdog

Epdog — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 13:04:45 +0000

Kudos to the guys at Atlantabaseball.com. Just got finished listening to the interview with Javy. Steve and Curt were restained and insightful. Once Javy got into the subject they just let him roll and it was a delight to hear. This is the stuff and approach that makes real news in an interview.

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By: homerboy

homerboy — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:37:18 +0000

Yeah, man. I say more steroids not less. Why shouldn’t everyone take them? If we want to see the best athletes possible, we should want every pitcher throwing 95mph gas, every hitter smacking 600 foot bombs, every starting left fielder hitting 65 to 75 homers a year. Who doesn’t like that? I want to see Aaron’s stupid record broken 50 times in the next 20 years. That’s the game I want.

By: Rays fan

Rays fan — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 11:50:31 +0000

One other thing–I hope Javy’s statements do not lead to condemnation…not because I condone PED use, but because it’s part of illustrating just how widespread steroid use was before testing. I’d like every player who used them to feel they can come forward now without getting tarred and feathered.
I also want the MLBPA to agree to blood testing to eliminate the ability to use HGH and blood doping techniques without detection.
Without these two things–more/better testing & full/open discussion of the past, the PED era continues.

By: Bud Selig

Bud Selig — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 11:44:46 +0000

I’m terribly sorry ….. that you have to continue to sleep like a vampire! BWAHAHAHAHA

By: Rays fan

Rays fan — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 11:44:04 +0000

Well said!
I also agree with Moses Green. There’s still no testing for HGH, and the dollars involved mean that there will still be players trying to get an edge and labs willing to make “designer steroids” or perform blood doping, etc.
One more thing to add with the temptations–PEDs are even in high school & college locker rooms in some places with kids hoping to big enough/fast enough/strong enough to get noticed by scouts to be drafted. They are in the minor league clubhouses with players hoping to break through to the majors as well of course.

By: Wells

Wells — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 11:15:20 +0000

Of all the apologies we’ve seen, I keep waiting for the most important one of all- that of Bud Selig. When will he bravely step forth and tell us of his regret over turning a blind eye and creating/fostering the steroids era?
Please Mr. Selig! So I can sleep at night.

By: BC

BC — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:02:23 +0000

Of course he juiced for a contract. Look at Brady Anderson, Luis Gonzalez and Greg Vaughn. All of ‘em – one astronomical year that happened to be a contract year. It was all over the place.

By: Greg

Greg — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 09:57:43 +0000

Finally someone in the Reporters field said what everyone else outside of sports thinks. They all ignored it for selling more paperws, making owners richer & yes Bud Selig is the #1 culplrit. That all shucks thing he does sucks too.

By: BTfromVT

BTfromVT — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 09:47:08 +0000

To quote Ice T “Dont hate the playa, hate the game.”

By: Moses Green

Moses Green — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 09:42:39 +0000

Right on brother. One very small quibble – use of past tense with ‘incentivized.’ Makes it seem like it’s not still happening with other PED’s, which it is. The incentivizing system is still in place, only the specific drugs in question have changed.

By: RobRob

RobRob — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 09:04:41 +0000

Yes yes, the record book is all that sportswriters care about, finally a voice of reason. And it's not just the record book, but the home run record specifically. Decades upon decades of lionizing the special few who have hit 60 home runs in a season, or 700 home runs in a career leaves sportswriters no choice but to tear down anyone they deem unworthy or those records because to do otherwise would invalidate the decades upon decades of lionizing those special few.

I'm starting to get a handle on this now. The reason that people are so up in arms about steroids is that they are perceived as a shortcut. If Javy Lopez shows up at age 32 in the best shape of his life through hard work and vitamins, people say he's a great example of the American mythology. If he took steroids in addition to those vitamins, well then he has a moral failing to take the easy way to stardom.

Americans loathe the shortcut. Whether it's steroids, or cutting in line at the DMV, or the perceived favoritism that welfare supposedly offers the poor to not work, we hate on the shortcuts. It's bullshit though, right? We all know that money buys anything, but we dream that our society is a more egalitarian place. A place where hard work and vitamins can get you a $22M contract from the Orioles.

And this is why cortisone shots, Schilling's bloody sock, and the standard excuse when admitting to PEDs come into play: Recovering from injury. It's the unemployment insurance of professional sports. We don't fault those for whom unfortunate circumstances lead them to need that crutch to heal.

By: Wouter

Wouter — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 09:02:10 +0000

Yes, a great summary of the situation. Kudos to Lopez as well, for being this candid about it.

By: Bobs

Bobs — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 09:01:39 +0000

Craig-
This is the best, most honest piece on this subject that I’ve read. Not all players who took steroids were superstars, many were border-line players. And only a few of them had viable career choices if they had to leave the game. Thus, given the choice between making millions to play baseball, and stocking shelves at Home Depot, they chose to take steroids to increase their earning potential and prolong their careers. I don’t blame them. We all do what we are rewarded to do, and MLB rewarded steroid use. Fans who are indignant about steroid use should look in the mirror and honestly think about what they would have done if they were in the same position as many players.

By: Grant

Grant — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 08:58:54 +0000

As an Orioles fan I suppose I should be outraged, but everyone knew that contract wasn’t going to end well for them either way. Whatever. Spring Training can’t get here fast enough.

By: Phil

Phil — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 08:37:44 +0000

I’ll join the chorus. Thanks for the touch of sanity.

By: Corky

Corky — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 08:35:00 +0000

Craig, you are the voice of reason. Well stated.

By: Eric Solomon

Eric Solomon — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 08:23:27 +0000

Craig – spot on. Bravo.