Eradicate PED’s Immediately!

Recently, I decided to test my baseball network by soliciting them for their input on various baseball related topics, including their opinions on PED suspensions and how they would recommend eradicating PED’s from baseball.  Perfect fodder for my Facebook & Twitter & email networks I’d hoped. I actually have hundreds of email contacts alone from the various baseball leagues I play in but wasn’t sure what kind of response I’d get.  In fact, knowing some of the characters I have played with over the years, I was surprised so many of them even knew how to spell PED’s never mind send me their input!  But I was pleasantly surprised and got some revealing insights and some intriguing recommendations.  It’s a small snapshot in respect to the MLB fan base, but the sentiments mirrored recent fan and public reaction to the recent Biogenesis related suspensions.

I’ll refrain from including recent A-Rod related reaction in Chicago because he’s been getting booed like that for years!(Editors Note:  John Sterling Claimed they were cheering.  Seriously.)
As far as opinions on what the length of a suspension should be for first PED offense, just under half of the respondents thought that 50 games were sufficient enough. A few short years ago, one would have thought the balance would have opted for less than 50 games for a first offense, but not today. Nope! Over 50% called for a minimum of half a season with the majority of this group leaning towards a full season ban for first offense! First offense, one full season! Did you hear that Commissioner? The winds are definitely blowing and we’re hoping that professional baseball is listening!

The consensus for second and third offenses were almost unanimous with 92% indicating they wanted no less than a full season ban for second offense and a resounding 100% said, “Strike Three and You’re Out . . .FOREVER!”  Fans have taken their lumps for turning a blind eye during the heyday of the PED era, particularly when home run records were being shattered back in the late 1990’s.  It was more like we were just swept up in the excitement of being a fan during such an (apparent) incredible era.  But we’ve taken a step back and are realized we were caught up in our own fandom legacy.  For a moment, we thought we had one up on our Grandparents and Parents who had filled our heads for years about how the players of their era were so much better than the players of our era. We wanted to prove our baseball generation was the best so badly. We wanted bragging rights over previous generations and future generations (our kids) so fiercely that we adopted “selective sight & hearing” and didn’t (want to) see or hear the steroid chatter.  But now, we’ve realized our love for the game needs to be pure as does the game itself and now we are demanding change!

The most intriguing suggestions came in response to how to eradicate PED’s from baseball. Sure there were the obvious responses such as longer, more rigid punishment, more frequency to testing & in-season testing. In-season testing would require a huge concession from the player’s union which is why we, the fans, need to put as much pressure on the players and Commissioner Bud Selig as possible. Any of these suggestions, which I call “low hanging fruit,” would make an immediate impact on the use of PED’s in baseball. If nothing else, baseball needs to take a long hard look at itself and make some major concessions and changes or risk losing huge chunks of its fan base.

This is where the more intriguing ideas come in to play. Ideas such as having a Zero Tolerance Policy, end of story! A simple but effective idea especially combined with more frequent testing that included in-season testing. Some suggested a concession for non-muscle building stimulants like Adderall, opting for suspensions rather than immediate banishment. In either case, all of those suggesting Zero Tolerance indicate it would need to be for all (banned) muscle/strength related performance enhancers, no exceptions.

Then there are the most thought-provoking ideas that affect the teams themselves of players who test positive for banned substances. A common suggestion centered on forfeiting games like the college ranks has done on top of individual suspensions or bans. Perhaps a team would forfeit 5 wins for each offense within a specific span of time. Or perhaps they would simply forfeit a set number of games for any player who tests positive or even forfeits all games that player participated in for that season. That seems the most logical (you cheat 100 games, you lose 100), but it also seems unrealistic and unfair. But it would definitely be a deterrent!

Another idea was to vacate a portion or the player’s entire contract, while allowing the team the right to an additional year of arbitration. This would safeguard against players testing positive to get out of a “crappy” contract, assuming the impending suspension wasn’t more than 50 games. Trust me that could happen, especially in the era of the Scott Boras’ of the world. (Can you say “Shark Week?”)?

My Clients Would Never Go For Such A Deal

Outside of an immediate ban, my FAVORITE idea adopts a page from a couple of old-time board games appropriately named, “Sorry” and “Trouble.” You remember those games (if not, Google them), when you landed on your opponent’s piece with yours; they had to go all the way back to START!? Well, how about when a player is caught using PED’s, that on top of his suspension and on top of his team forfeiting games, he forfeits his contract rights and has to go all the way back to START and play for minimum rookie salary again; With all related rights around arbitration and Free-Agency set back to START as well! Like I said, SORRY. . .TROUBLE!

The only way any of change is going to happen is if the player themselves and WE THE FANS demand it. We need to make some noise! I’d suggest that you send an email to the MLB Commissioner, Bud Selig’s office but he doesn’t use email or Twitter. (OOT)! So for now, I’ll be sending my complaints and ideas via USPS mail (http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/about_mlb/) and via Twitter to the MLB Public Relations Dep’t Tweet to @MLB_PR

It can’t hurt! Can it?

Tell Jimmy Derochea what you think: Tweet to @jimderochea

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