Steroid allegations overshadow achievements - MLB - ESPN

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Steroid allegations Here's Jhonny! Will putting Jhonny Peralta in LF give Tigers' offense a overshadow achievements boost? Last summer, Bud Selig proclaimed this was a golden age of . Caple » Now, history is destined to recall this period as baseball's Steroid Era. Head Of The Pack Recognizing a team leader Updated: March 14, 2005, 5:57 PM ET By Buster Olney | ESPN The Magazine from each of the playoff teams. RECOMMEND 0 TWEET 0 COMMENTS 0 EMAIL PRINT Photo Gallery

A newspaper report linking Mark McGwire to steroid use in the early 1990s all but guarantees Spirit Of The Season that steroids will be as much a part of the former St. Louis Cardinals slugger's legacy as home Pedro Alvarez and the Pirates runs, and adds more bulk to the evidence that -- from 1988 to 2004 -- baseball was thick with have proven ready for artificially enhanced stars. October. Stark » McGwire was known only for the home runs in the MLB Home » marvelous season of 1998, a year in which he wrecked 2013 ' single-season record of 61 and finished with 7, an incredible 70. Even an Associated Press story that on October summer about how he used Andro -- a steroid precursor - archived - did not dampen the enthusiasm. McGwire repeatedly 11-10669 denied using steroids, well into his retirement. No. Now the New York Daily News has records that allegedlyv. Bonds, in U.S. detail McGwire's steroid use, withcited the newspaper report coming on the heels of 's published assertions of steroid use by players.

Dating to 1988, the and have distributed a total of 34 MVP awards. Of those, the

winners of 13 -- almost 40 percent -- have been linked in Getty some way to the steroid controversy, either through Mark McGwire hasn't announced personal admissions, grand jury testimony, published his decision on whether he'll accusations or congressional subpoenas. appear at the March 17 hearing ALSO SEE on steroids. Report: McGwire linked to 'roids in '90s In the same way, the six greatest single-season performances in baseball history -- three seasons of 63 or more by Sammy Sosa; two seasons of 65 and 70 by McGwire; and the 73 homers clubbed in 2001 -- have been linked in some way to the steroid controversy. Szymborski: Teams that need big offseasons There may be many more revelations to come -- and, ironically, probably for the same reason Olney: Beltran's offseason suitors that some of the steroid users injected themselves: Money. The best-selling success of Bowden: FAs who can cash in this October Canseco's book has demonstrated that anybody who claims to have inside knowledge and is Jedlovec: Potential free-agent bargains willing to speak out -- and perhaps tell stories about former teammates -- can make some Law: Royals the CBA's big loser money. As the Daily News story demonstrates, we may be hearing more from personal trainers and steroid suppliers. Ads by Google

All indications are that this controversy won't deter most fans from paying to see games. Even 1 Tip To Lose Belly Fat as steroid suspicions swirled around Bonds last summer, the led the NL in MiracleGarciniaCambogia.com road attendance as fans presumably flocked to see the player who will probably finish his Cut pounds of stomach fat every week by using this 1 weird career as the game's most prolific home run-hitter. old tip. Tennis, basketball courts But the achievements of Bonds, Giambi, Caminiti and now McGwire will always be viewed customcourt.com through a clouded prism, instead of through the pure crystal that we remember Aaron, Mays, volleyball , multi-game & more component sales or we build Robinson and Ruth. Stock Set To Take Off

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=olney_buster&id=2011727[10/7/2013 9:21:31 AM] Steroid allegations overshadow achievements - MLB - ESPN

Standing among the living members of 500-home run club before the All-Star Game last www.CannabisBiotech.com summer, commissioner Bud Selig proclaimed this was a golden age of baseball. Since then, Puget Technologies Poised For Huge Growth. Invest two sluggers with him that day have been directly implicated with steroid use and another has Today! been called to testify about steroids. Jerseys MarianoRivera.Fanatics.com And history is destined to recall this period as baseball's Steroid Era. Buy Mariano Rivera Jerseys Here! The Mariano Rivera Fan Shop. Buster Olney is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. Click here to read his blog.

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Buster Olney | email Senior writer ESPN Magazine/ESPN.com Senior Writer, ESPN The Magazine Analyst/reporter ESPN television Author of "The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty" Archive

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http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=olney_buster&id=2011727[10/7/2013 9:21:31 AM]