MLB: Can We Put The Steroid Era Behind Us Now?

Barry Bonds is out of a job, Sammy Sosa is out of a job, Jason Giambi should be out of a job.

Can we finally agree that the Steroid Era is effectively over?

As of Tuesday, Major League Baseball was on pace to hit 1000 fewer home runs this year than in 2006, what we can probably consider the last Steroid Era year. Also, fastball velocities from pitchers are the lowest since 1996.

There could be another reason to look at the Steroid Era being over, as well.

Out of the eight youngest teams in Major League Baseball, four of them were leading their divisions as of earlier this week. The Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Angels, Minnesota Twins, and Florida Marlins are all putting a stamp on the competition.

Is this a coincidence?

Some people are going to see this as an asinine stance, but I'll be paraphrasing Colin Cowherd here. So don't blame me, and hear it out.

Let's just play a game and say that there is NO steroid use in baseball going on right now.

Who is going to benefit most from that?

If the veteran players were using the juice and are now off of it, they're going to suffer. Plain and simple.

But look at the young kids, the ones who haven't made enough money to quit baseball right now and live the luxurious life. These are the kids who are too young to take a chance to tarnish their names, don't have enough money to spend on HGH, and haven't needed to use steroids or HGH to keep their bodies in shape.

Is it a coincidence that these young kids are all taking the league by storm right now in what is supposed to be a steroid-free Major League Baseball?

I'll buy that argument.

Being underrated as a team and trying to prove the doubters wrong (Marlins, Rays) is one thing. But when you have a second baseman with the best swing in baseball leading the majors in home runs, it's a HUGE step forward for getting the legitimacy back in baseball.

As of today, May 18, the best home run hitters in baseball aren't the bulky 240 pound guys. We've got Chase Utley, Dan Uggla, Alfonso Soriano, and Ryan Braun knocking them out.

What do all these guys have in common? Well, at least in my opinion, they all have some silky smooth swings and put the ball where it's supposed to be on the bat. In other words, they're GOOD. They're not benefiting from steroids and HGH, they're just plain good.

So here's a toast to baseball and hopefully bringing back the great game our parents all knew. Some people will whine that it's not as exciting and the numbers aren't as big without steroids, but I for one don't care.

I would rather watch a legitimate baseball game knowing that the best players on the field are the ones with the most skill, not the ones who can tolerate the most needles.

Baseball's history is trapped in the timeframe of 30-70 years ago, when steroids weren't even a thought. That's when baseball was pure and had the most fans. My dad experienced it, your parents experienced it, but we haven't experienced it yet.

But get ready.