Apr 27 2009
2002 World Series Peak of Steroid Use in Baseball Says ESPN Writer
Howard Bryant, senior writer of ESPN.com dubs the 2002 World Series Game between the Anaheim Angels and San Francisco Giants as the peak of what is referred to as the steroid era. He also highlights the participation of dirty doctors like Ramon Scruggs, who was responsible for supplying performance enhancers to the players of the Anaheim Angels, and other figures like trainers, agents, and managers, who benefit from steroid-powered players.
In his article, Bryant mentions a recent report by The New York Times about interviews done by federal agents with four major league players, as part of the ongoing criminal investigation of Ramon Scruggs; where the players gave almost the same reasons for using steroids. Troy Glaus of the Anaheim Angels told the investigators that he used them for a shoulder injury; Greene said he was afraid of losing his career and not being able to support his family, Valdez, like Glaus took steroids to heal physical injuries, and according to Times, Schoeneweis told federal agents he felt that he was in bad condition. The excuses given by each player have been heard before; they were not using steroid to cheat, they were using steroids for survival.
On the other hand, dirty doctors like Scruggs gave the same justification for their actions. Scruggs told the Times that “these players benefited from restoration, not performance enhancement…Steroids don’t make someone a good athlete or a bad athlete; they may make you stronger, but they don’t make you a better athlete.” nevertheless, Scruggs is only part of the long chain of personalities who contribute to the distribution, use, and cover-up of steroids. Of course there are other health professionals who supply players with the drugs. There are dirty trainers who take the phrase “do whatever it takes to win” to the extreme and turn a blind eye to what steroids can do their players. And there are agents who even act as bridges between their clients and people like Scruggs.
As Bryant points out, although these exposes are no longer surprising to the eyes of the public, what’s apparent is that, the credibility and legitimacy of the 2002 MLB World Series “champions” and many others are now questionable. In Howard Bryant’s words:
“The 2002 Angels, for example, are the legitimate champions of an illegitimate time, just as Bonds is the legitimate home run champion of a discredited era. In spite of Angels manager Mike Scioscia’s unyielding public stand in opposition to drugs, people around the game point confidentially to that club as one of the premier steroid-fueled teams thanks in part to a bullpen rife with career minor leaguers who suddenly began throwing in the mid-90s after their 30th birthdays.”
Troy Glaus was the MVP of that 2002 World Series, which is looking more and more like the definitive Steroid Series. Glaus, Brendan Donnelly, as well as Schoeneweis, all of whom have been caught up, played for the Angels that season. On the Giants, there were Bonds, Benito Santiago, Marvin Benard, David Bell, and Rich Aurilia. And that doesn’t include the players who were also suspects.
Moreover, if the players using performance enhancers do not receive any disciplinary action; if like Glaus, they even continue to earn millions of dollars; these players will most likely continue using this “wonder drug” and probably, more will even follow their footsteps.
