Sports Talk

Maybe you've heard that some athletes (baseball players, sprinters, etc.) have taken performance-enhancing drugs in their pursuit of perfection. I dunno, it's not a big story or anything, but it was in the news a bit over the last few years. Anyways, after most revelations (Rafael Palmeiro, for instance), I've tended to raise an eyebrow but also shrug my shoulders. I mean, we all knew that this underground cheating occurred...who cares if a semi-famous ex-Cub best known for his killer mustache got an edge? Yeah, it's disappointing and deplorable, but I'm not gonna lose sleep over it.

That said, there are some players who could just break my heart if it were ever revealed that they were users. You know what I'm talking about: as cynical as we spectators may be--especially with the recent revelations about Tim Donaghy and Spygate--there will always be athletes whom you idolize, not just for their accomplishments but also for their respect for the game. To that end, I came up with a roster of ten players who would devastate me if it were ever shown or proven that they had doped. When formulating this list, I did my best to consider a wide range of sports, even though steroid allegations dominate only a few games. I also limited this to athletes of my generation.

Also Receiving Votes: Roger Federer, Josh Hamilton, Michael Phelps, Andre Agassi, Tony Gwynn

10. Lance Armstrong: An easy pick whom most persons would have higher (or should I say, "lower"?) on their lists. If I cared at all about cycling, I'd probably feel the same way. You know his story by now, so let's move on.

9. Barry Sanders: He's pure talent...it'd be a shame if it were ever shown otherwise.

8. Cal Ripken, Jr: Okay, you caught me, I kinda had him at #8 by default. Still, he definitely deserves the Top 10; although the significance of his record remains debated, he played in over 2,000 consecutive games. What's more, he played well (400+ HR's, 3000+ hits). If he had illegal help in outlasting the Iron Horse, it would be a tragic blow for baseball purists.

7. Roger Clemens: Oh, wait.

6. Greg Maddux: Ahh, that's better. Mad Dog is easily the most cerebral pitcher I've ever seen play. (Don't believe me? Read this article. Actually, read it regardless.) He didn't need 100 mph fastballs to get out of a jam; he just out-thought you. It's virtually impossible that Maddux ever doped, if only because he had no need to, but he had so much respect for the history of baseball that it'd be tragic (and inconceivable) if he were to tarnish it.

5. Walter "Sweetness" Payton: Possibly the most beloved Chicago athlete ever (yes, that includes a certain #23), Sweetness had the workhorse mentality that led to ferocious off-season training. In fact, a hill in my hometown bears his name because Sweetness ran up the 92 foot elevation as often as 20 times per day (citation). Plus, he had more toughness than entire teams: for instance, he deliberately refused to run out-of-bounds, even in practice. Chicago takes so much pride in #34 that a steroid accusation would cause riots.

4. Tiger Woods: You want tough as nails? Give me Tiger Woods. Give me the 2008 U.S. Open, playing on a torn ACL AND a fractured leg. He's a hero to (professional and amateur) athletes everywhere. When you consider the fact that he has served as an unimpeachable role model for young golfers around the world, you realize how badly a steroid charge would damage his sport.

3. Michael Jeffrey Jordan: Self-explanatory.

2. Michael Johnson: 43.18. 19.32. Any questions?

1. Junior: No sport suffers from steroid allegations as much as baseball. In its fight to remain relevant with a new generation, baseball can't offer the pure athleticism showcased in the NBA or the ever-present drama of the NFL. Baseball relies on its place in history as a way to remain relevant. No other sport can compare the legends of your grandfather's era to today's superstars in quite the way that baseball can. We cared so much about McGwire and Sosa in 1998 because they were chasing records that had survived for decades (I pluralize "records" because we care as much about Ruth's 60 as Maris' 61). Each generation of baseball has its own quirks (a "dead ball", for instance, or a higher pitching mound), but fans can generally compare and contrast Babe Ruth with Mickey Mantle, Henry Aaron, and Albert Pujols. But, if the "Steroid Era" captures the brightest lights of our generation, those stars will be incomparable to their predecessors. Baseball will lose much of its history, and, by extension, will lose much of its allure.

Okay, so that's why I put a baseball player at the top of the list. Why The Kid? Gosh, he's just so pure. That sweet swing, that backwards hat, that speed and defense. Kids in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Boston all had Mariners jerseys, back before they even knew where to find Seattle on a map. He's the player you'd pretend to be when you were at-bat in Little League. Anyone else remember seeing the highlights of that up-the-wall catch in Yankee Stadium? What about the back-to-back home runs with his dad? Griffey's got 600 home runs and 10 gold gloves, and he played the game with the respect and honor it deserves. We all grew up idolizing Griffey; in some ways, he's our last player left. Bonds, McGwire, Sosa--they've all been tainted forever. If we lost The Kid, too...