With Alex Rodriguez at the forefront, performance-enhancing drugs shoved their way back into the headlines last week.
The New York Yankees third baseman admitted to ESPN’s Peter Gammons that he used steroids during his time with the Texas Rangers from 2001-03.
“The guys that take the easy way out are guys are cheating themselves and cheating the game,” said Sinclair Pride baseball coach Steve Dintaman. “It sucks that it’s going on in baseball, but it goes on in other sports, too.”
Dintaman doesn’t see Rodriguez earning a spot in Cooperstown after hearing the news.
Junior-college programs do not test their players due to a lack of funding, according to Dintaman.
“If we had the funds to do it, I’d love to drug test,” Dintaman said.
Players from the Pride reacted to the confession, mentioning Rodriguez’s honesty.
“I was surprised but I was happy that he admitted to taking it and not lying about it,” said Pride catcher Corey Throckmorton. “I still look at him on the same level because he still has to have his athletic ability to hit a baseball.”
“You can’t take away from how good of a player he is,” said Pride infielder Taylor Hoisington.
Since players are not tested in high school or junior-college levels, steroid usage is not uncommon in a prep locker room.
“When I was in high school, I knew a bunch of football players were taking anabolic steroids,” Throckmorton said. “I think the reason why some players don’t do it is if they know they have the chance to get drafted, they’re going to have to pass that test.”
“It goes on at the high school level so much because it’s accessible,” Dintaman said. “Some people think it’s their only way out.”
Throckmorton believes steroids affect an athlete’s strength, not their overall performance.
“You still have to have the athletic ability to know how to play and know what to do,” Throckmorton said.