Steroids in Baseball: A Hope For Innocence

In the United States of America, citizens have lived by the freedom of being innocent until proven guilty. In the baseball world, however, players have recently been accused by the fans and media before they have actually been proven guilty.

Do I blame the fans and the media? No.

Am I one of those people who prematurely writes these players off? Yes.

But with my pure love and passion for the game of baseball, it is my sincerest hope that evidence is overturned and these players can move on with their lives and careers.

Obviously, the likelihood of this is slim.

Don’t get me wrong, I was one of the fans booing Barry Bonds as he closed in on Hank Aaron’s home run record.

I turned against Roger Clemens last spring when he appeared to lie in court. I was heartbroken to see that in the summer of 1998, the Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa home run race could have been a fraud.

Honesty is the best policy. I applaud players like Andy Pettitte who came clean, even if it wasn’t until after he had tested positive. Alex Rodriguez admitted to his faults, but some believe that he is still hiding additional information.

Yet, in order for baseball to get over this “steroid era,” the players need to be proven innocent.

Unlikely? Yes. Impossible? Possibly.

But a fan has to have hope.

Hope to move on from this era and get past tainted Hall of Fame numbers and records with asterisks.

Hope to restore America’s Pastime.

Hope to bring fans back to the true game they love.

Call me ignorant, but I’m crossing my fingers for innocence.