[Jimgolf]

Clemens has been soundly lambasted by the NY media, while Petitte has been lionized ("I only tried them twice", sort of like the old Clinton defense, "I didn't inhale.")

The media have harped upon Clemens' "banned substances" phrase, since steroid use was not banned by MLB until 2003 and HGH not until 2005.

Michael Kay, the Yankee broadcaster who appears on the local ESPN radio outlet, claimed that taking steroids or HGH was as bad as what Pete Rose did, since both things jeopardized the integrity of the game.

I don't think I need to go into how ridiculous that is, but how bad is what Clemens and Bonds have been vilified for?

I think too many people think steroids and HGH are a magic formula for throwing a fastball or hitting home runs. The only thing they do is allow an athlete to lift weights more frequently. They don't need to take off for recovery like a typical weight lift regimen requires. The player still has to do the work to improve.

The number of players on the list that made you ask "Who?" shows how little effect steroids really have. The player with talent can work to get significantly better, but the scrub or the lazy athlete is still a bush leaguer.

The real impact of this is that all these former or current players have been named by 2 or 3 sources. This is just the tip of the iceberg. There is no doubt in my mind that this period of baseball history will long be referred to as the "Steroid Era" and that all accomplishments from this era will be viewed with an invisible asterisk, and that all players will be under suspicion for some time to come.

ARod is sure to become ARoid at some near point of time.