Jose Canseco and steroids

Haven't posted in a while because I've been so busy working at the pool. I just made it through seven straight 11 hour days. But it doesn't mean I haven't been paying attention to what's going on. I noticed Jose Canseco got a deal with some independant baseball team (I wonder if they signed him because of his impressive performance in the Surreal Life softball game) and promptly had a press conference accusing the MLB of not being tough enough on steroids. And the funny part is...I'm listening to him. For all the crap he got when his book Juiced came out, many of the things written in it have come true. He's been the most honest in this whole steroids ordeal even if he's been doing it all for the money and publicity. And the more and more I listen to Canseco the more and more I think the guy is a very sharp guy. He makes vague statements about steroids that can't be proven right or wrong (so he keeps himself out of legal trouble), but the comments are pointed enough so that they draw attention to what's going on.

But with how competitive pro sports are, I don't think this steroid thing will ever be solved. Someone will always be coming up with some new drug that will get you stronger and faster, whether it's human growth hormone or something even more advanced. Athletes are always going to be trying to get that extra edge, because we as fans expect them to have that extra edge. I remember back before Sammy Sosa hit those 66 home runs in 1998 that he was a huge target of the Chicago media. IN 1996, Sammy hit around 40 homers in a contract year, and the Cubs rewarded him with a big time deal, thinking he was coming into his own. But then in 1997, Sammy flopped, hitting something like 20 homers. And the media and fans were all over Sammy and all over the Cubs about the huge contract. The rest is history, as 1998 was the historic year in which Sosa and McGwire went on their epic chase together. And even though it has not been proven, we all know Sammy did something illegal along the way. BUt you can't blame him completely. He had all this pressure due to the demands of his huge contract. He had to find a way to appease the fans and the media.