Trouble in Baseball Paradise Again

Just when I thought it was safe to enjoy our nation’s favorite pastime without the specter of Barry Bonds’ possible involvement with steroids hanging over my head, a new series of allegations about steroid use rears its ugly head.

On Tuesday, federal agents raided the Scottsdale home of Jason Grimsley, a journeyman pitcher who admitted in April to using steroids, amphetamines and human growth hormone. He also allegedly provided names to federal agents, a move that received a lot of criticism from several baseball players and coaches, including Sox manager Ozzie Guillen and pitcher Jeff Nelson (who is now on the DL).

Grimsley was released by the Arizona Diamondbacks the next day. In all likelihood, his baseball career is over.

Two things trouble me. First of all, just how prevalent is steroid use? It seems steroids aren’t just being used by the big name players. If borderline players such as Grimsley are using these performance enhancement drugs, how many other average-Joe players are using them? The steroid scandal appears to have many layers, and federal investigators and league officials have only peeled away the top few. How many more layers of this scandal will be peeled away before the real problem can be fully resolved?

Second, it seems to me that one way to address steroid use is to find the users and sellers, and remove them from the game — permanently. But to many players, coaches and fans, naming names is a copout, an act of cowardice. The attitude is you don’t hang your fellow players out to dry. To them, it is more important to protect the players at all cost than to protect the integrity of the game. I’m especially curious about Guillen’s comments. He and Nelson must both know players that may be part of this scandal. Why else would they be so critical of Grimsley’s actions? Who are they protecting?

While I understand the “let’s stay in this together” act, maybe it’s time to get over it. In light of these new allegations, we cannot lose sight of the big picture. While naming names is not the most ideal or pleasant scenario, it may be a necessary evil, like having surgery to remove a tumor. Without those names, investigators have no leads to follow up on. By remaining silent on the issue, players and coaches are only helping to cover up the problem. Such cover-ups may help the players who may be guilty, but it doesn’t help the game. As someone once said, “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.”