What Grinds My Gears-Steroids in Sports

Now I understand how the first two words that come to mind in connection with the word steroids are baseball and Barry Bonds. Now I absolutely love baseball, but I believe steroids have been, and always will be, the biggest black-eye in the face of America's past time, but what really grinds my gears is the way everyone decides athletes can get away with the 'I didn't know what I was putting in my body,' excuse, because you and everyone else knows that is bull crap! You are professional athletes and you get paid to keep your body in shape!! For example Alex Rodriguez, a.k.a A-Roid, told ESPN's Peter Gammons he was guilty of using Performance Enhancing Drugs during his interview on February 9. When asked exactly what substances he was taking, A-Roid said: "It was such a loosey-goosey era. I'm guilty for a lot of things, for being negligent, naive, not asking the right questions. To be quite honest I don't know exactly what substance I was guilty of using." So to sum it up he is apologizing for taking steroids, but not owning up to what he took. A-Roid is the quintessential Yankee, he will do whatever he can to win and be baseball's greatest player, and we will look the other way until he gets caught, he apologizes and everyone forgives him. Take off the blindfold and stop letting athletes get away with things we could never get away with!!!!

Now Rashard Lewis is also on the long list of 'cheaters.' I don't care what anyone says, if you take something that is on the banned substance list, you are a cheater. How can you not tell your staff what you are taking, unless you know it is illegal?!?! Lewis is just like every other selfish athlete trying to get a leg up on the competition. If you don't know what was in a substance, make a phone call to the trainer and make sure you aren't taking anything you aren't supposed to! You are responsible for everything that goes in your body. I don't care who you are, this just proves steroids are a bigger problem than any of us could have ever imagined. Don't just assume the problem is just with baseball, because Lewis proved to us it's not, everyone is trying to get a leg up on the competition and for that reason, everyone needs to have a drug policy, don't take PED's!!!!! Be responsible for what you are doing and try to set a much better example for those who look up to you.

These things happen, but at the same time I believe we are too quick to just believe some of these stories athletes tell us. How many times will we hear the excuse these two athletes have used and let them get away with it before we start doing something about it? Only you, as the fan and a human being, can decide. Don't get me wrong I believe in second chances but someone, somewhere needs to draw the line.

To read ESPN's story on Rashard Lewis, click here.