Nothing But A 'Roid Rage?

Jose Canseco's book, due out February 14th, is said to implicate multiple All-Stars of steroid use. He names names and isn't shy about it. Mark Mcgwire, Juan Gonzalez, Ivan Rodriguez, Rafael Palmeiro. These are big names. Well respected names. These are supposed to be the good guys. These charges by Jose are no small matter.

Baseball is making strides toward cleaning up the game but we will probably never know the truth about whether these players used steroids. That's either good news for them, or good news for Canseco, we'll never know.

This is such a tough situation because the initial reaction most people have is to think "guilty until proven innocent." We think Canseco wouldn't say these things unless they were true or he had some type of grudge against them. It doesn't make sense that he would just make it up. The response from the accused, on the other hand, is obvious. Of course they're going to "categorically deny any steroid use."

We want to believe them. We want to toss Canseco's comments to the side and forget he ever said them. But if none of it is true, why would he say these things? Does he really need money from book sales so badly he would stoop to making false accusations that no one can prove to be false?

I don't know. McGwire and Gonzalez did put on a lot of muscle over their careers. Does that make them guilty? McGwire admittedly used Andro before it was a banned substance and that kind of supplement can make a big difference. Even Creatine can add 20 pounds of muscle over an off-season if used with proper nutrition and a vigorous workout schedule. And in 2000, Gonzalez was one of only two players who volunteered to be tested for steroids. That makes me think Canseco's estimate of 80% of players using steroids might not be that far off. It also makes me think Juan is in the 20%.

Here's what I've decided to do. I'm going to give these guys the benefit of the doubt. I think, until Canseco comes forth with some sort of proof, I'm going to assume the extra muscle on these athletes came from hard work and legal supplements. If they didn't do it, they don't deserve the public scrutiny. If they did, the new, stricter rules should stop them from continuing, and their consciences will have to deal with the past.