The Positive of Steroids for Baseball

Alex Rodriguez deserves a thank you from baseball fans. After Barry Bonds and his steroid filled body passed Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron atop the all-time home run leader board the game felt tarnished. Rodriguez was the clean-cut person destined to knock Bonds off his perch and restore dignity and fair play to baseball’s most cherished record. That dream is now a fallacy, but the more important issue is that home runs might not be part of baseball’s future. Recently championships have been built on pitching, defense, speed, and clutch hitting. Home runs might sell tickets but they don’t win games.

One of the best offensive teams in baseball history was the 1980’s St. Louis Cardinals. They scored runs in bunches (in part thanks to Astroturf) but never had a glut of power hitters. Tom Herr was an All-Star second baseman that once had over 100 RBI in a season while only hitting one home run. ONE! Herr couldn’t hit home runs in batting practice but was a truly effective run producer. He is the model of what baseball players have become. Players that can hit the ball, take a walk, advance a runner, steal a base, and win with their glove and mind, not just with 22 inch pythons.

Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis were both in the top three of American League MVP voting in 2008. Both players won Gold Gloves and were catalysts for their team. Either player can hit anywhere in the batting order, can get on base, and have some power, but don’t rely on just the longball. Both men are doubles hitters that can drive in runs in a variety of methods. These are the men that are the modern day legends, the players that prove that you don’t need to hit a home run to make a difference for your team. When Barry Bonds complains that he can’t get a job, remind him of the success he had with the Pirates in the 1990’s and how he was a complete player, not just a medicinal freak.