No Steroids, No Corked Bat, No Homers...

[Clandestino]

I know this probably should go in the baseball forum, but only like 2 people would comment... I hate baseball, but I am forced to see highlights every now and then...

Just heard, that Sammy Sosa is on pace to only hit 25 homers or less... He hadn't done that since 1994... In those seasons before he started having 40, 50 and 60 HRs per season he'd had seasons of 8, 10, 7, 26, etc...

[batman2883]

With all the drug testing for steroids and such, not many players are being able to hit the long ball anymore. Its so sad how baseball could fall so tremondously into a slump of using drugs.

[ObiwanGinobili]

makes you wonder......

was Roger Maris on the juice? Mantle?
Mantle still had hit 40 Hr the year before the run with Maris for the record.
I'm sure there was some kind of "enhancement" available at the time.....
did they use it?
did they not use it?
If they were "pure and natural" then what baseball is really missing is actuall talent being spotlighted. I know there are some very talented players out there.. but it seems that only big hitters and SO pitchers get the highlight reel constant attention.
Maris and Mantle were both smokers. Mantle was a very heavy smoker and he drank ALOT......so if they were juice free.. they were just really really good.

[TheTruth]

I dig the longball.

[N.Y. Johnny]

makes you wonder......

was Roger Maris on the juice? Mantle?
Mantle still had hit 40 Hr the year before the run with Maris for the record.
I'm sure there was some kind of "enhancement" available at the time.....
did they use it?
did they not use it?
If they were "pure and natural" then what baseball is really missing is actuall talent being spotlighted. I know there are some very talented players out there.. but it seems that only big hitters and SO pitchers get the highlight reel constant attention.
Maris and Mantle were both smokers. Mantle was a very heavy smoker and he drank ALOT......so if they were juice free.. they were just really really good.



Maris and Mantle is probably safe to say weren't on the juice. Maris just doesn't seem to be the type of guy that would be a cheater, he busted his ass all the time and just wouldn't be one to go on juice.
Mantle was a partier and a drunk and was always out late at nights and didn't really take good care of himself and still did what he did half injured all the time.
I have always thought that if Mickey had taken better care of himself the players would be chasing his Single Season Home Run record and Career record, he probably would have come close to the Babe's 714
but he was always hurt and didn't get there.

HR production is down this year and that makes you wonder? after the 94' Strike i think the juicing was at a high and thats what inflated the numbers you had guys hitting 50 or more and then Bond's setting the record now at 73.
I believe if these guys all juiced the single season Homers record is still 61!
Roger Maris' 61 :drunk :drunk :drunk :drunk

[ShoogarBear]

Back in those days, guys did greenies (amphetamines) and drank like fish. Probably didn't help their homers, though.

Read Ball Four.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

My theory on steroids is that it causes these guys to fall apart at a younger age because the steroids cause their bodies to do things that are unnatural for that person's genetic makeup.

I think athletes are much more injury prone now as a result of the enhancing drugs.

But, back on topic, my guess is that most of the home-run records set in the last 10 years or so wouldn't have happened were it not for the "juice".

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

IIRC, ESPN had a report a month or so ago about how there hasn't been any major decline in HRs.

I think they were able to show that the decline also had to take note that many of the usual candidates for HRs were also injured (though you might give that to the steroids).