| Authored by Randolph Charlotin - 19th July, 2009 - 10:28 pm
 I first heard it on talk radio (big mistake). A caller suggested that St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols might be on steroids because of his out-of-this-world first half.
What was even more disappointing was that the radio host encouraged the discussion. I quickly changed the channel.
A few days later, on the same radio station (but a different show ? I haven't learned a thing), another caller made a steroid allegation about Pujols. The host then put the question out to the public. Yes or no, do you think Albert Pujols is using performance-enhancing drugs?
Friday night, Pujols hit two more homers to bring his total to 34 dingers this year. It probably only reinforced the skeptic's belief that Pujols isn't doing this naturally.
My question is, how do they know this? In today's perspective, any above-and-beyond performance can't be real. In other words, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
That's a really unfortunate way to view excellence. Records used to be meant to be broken. Now any record-setting pace is doubted. Fans won't be able to truly enjoy sports if we are skeptical of any individual or team achievement.
Raul Ibanez can attest to being doubted. At 37, he got off to a torrid start, batting .329 with 19 homers and 54 RBIs in his first 55 games of 2009. A blogger tried to investigate Ibanez's start. The blogger didn't say he suspected Ibanez of cheating, but by putting an athlete's name and the "S" word in the same post it automatically became a charge once the article was sifted by third and fourth parties.
Ibanez sternly declared he was clean and was willing to test to prove it. That shouldn't be necessary as Joe Posnanski from Sports Illustrated (excellent research by Posnanski) proved Ibanez just had his typical annual hot streak. Ibanez won't be the last player that gets called out.
Which brings us back to Pujols. From Day One he's been one of the best players in Major League Baseball. He's an annual MVP candidate, consistently hitting for average and power. Even playing with a torn elbow ligament in 2008, Pujols lit up pitching by batting .357 with 37 HRs and 119 RBIs.
If Phat Albert put up those numbers despite the elbow injury, what he could do when healthy?
Maybe that's what the first half of 2009 was for Pujols. Besides the 34 dingers, his average is .334 and he batted in 89 so far. But instead of being in awe, some think, "Aw, come on! He must be juicing!"
If Pujols is, it's nothing more than Juicy Juice Plus Calcium or an equivalent supermarket product. Pujols never tested positive, he's listed as the same size today as he was in his rookie year (I'll admit, those measurements aren't always accurate), and while this season is building towards Albert's greatest, it isn't a ridiculous spike like some of the superstars that failed drug tests or have strong ties to performance enhancers.
That won't stop some from questioning the legitimacy of outstanding performances. The likes of Mark McGuire, Jose Canseco, Alex Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa, and Rafael Palmeiro make us cast shadows on greatness when it used to be a spotlight.
Now, if all the factors don't add up, we're convinced it's enhanced. Prince Fielder is fat and a vegetarian. He shouldn't have that kind of pop in his bat. Ryan Howard averaged over 50 homers in three consecutive seasons and is on pace to eclipse 50 again. Naw, you know what's up wit dat. McGuire was Pujols' teammate for a season. Why wouldn't McGuire share his "secrets" with Albert?
We need to take a step back. We're changing from fans to jurors, and the court of pubic opinion is never fair. We can't change the drug policy, and I wait to see the day an armchair analyst creates a 100 percent accurate test for HGH and other substances that can't be detected.
Integrity is important to all of us, but being skeptical about the incredible takes away from what is supposed to be fun and can ruin it for everybody else. But doubters will always speak out, and they will be heard, creating clouds over the players and game we enjoy watching.
I miss what used to be a game to us.
Read more by Randolph Charlotin at his New England Patriots blog at RandolphC.com. He can be reached at talktome@randolphc.com. |
