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by Joe Cantiello

I caught you knockin' on my cellar door,

I love you, baby, could I have some more

Ohhhhhh, ohhhhhh the damage done

I hit the city and I lost my band,

I watched the needle take another man,

Ohhhhhh, ohhhhhh the damage done

I sing the song because I love the man,

I know that some of you don't understand

milk blood to keep from running out

I've seen the needle and the damage done,

a little part of it in everyone,

but every junkie's like a setting sun...

-- Neil Young

INTRODUCTION

Whether you know or not that something is ultimately wrong at the time you did it does not make it any less wrong or you any less culpable insofar as the damage done. In one case, I pick up an “unloaded gun”. It goes off. It kills someone. And in the other case, I have a loaded gun and intend to use it to commit a crime. It goes off and kills someone. The intent in each scenario is distinctly different. In one example there is not intent to do any wrong to anyone and the other example is hell bent on complete wrongdoing.

However, in both cases someone is dead. The end result is the same. A person has died no matter the intentions of either scenario. I specify this distinction between intentional wrong and unintentional wrong that can arrive at the same ultimate result because steroids is just that type of conundrum.

In the past I have written on performance-enhancing drugs: steroids, human growth hormone, or whatever else you wish to call the illegal drugs that athletes use to enhance their performances. I have taken the slant that no one is without blame regarding the usage of these drugs -- drugs that are either illegal in the USA or illegal without a medical prescription due to the need for monitoring under a doctor’s supervision.

Today, in an Alice’s Restaurant sort of way, I intend to begin to address the baseball player specifically in regards to performance enhancement. To do this I may touch upon certain enablers within Major League Baseball’s structure, up to and including the Players Association, the Commissioner’s Office and the club owners. I will include these factions and specific names only to show how pervasive and insidious the specter of PEDs are to the very fabric of an athlete’s world and psyche and those around him that profit from his enhanced use of these drugs.

Profit comes in many forms and is different to many people. Profit can be monetary, it can be the gratification of ego, or it can manifest itself as status in a specific sports hierarchy. We most specifically think of profit as that which comes to the athlete in the form of monetary reward, higher salary awards and more advertising revenue through brand association, and through intense ego gratification and status.

But at what cost? At what cost does the athlete, especially the professional athlete, utilize these performance-enhancing drugs? At what cost does he or someone else stick a needle in his gluteus maximus? To me, the cost is an ultimate cost and comes in two parts. Both parts are inseparable when examined closely. The first cost is the harm it does to the physical being that is the athlete. Then there is the harm that comes along psychologically and emotionally, which contributes to the physical being breaking down even further.

The second is the spiritual manifestation of what these insidious drugs do to the very core of the being’s self. Yes, I am going to touch upon stuff some of you may not want to hear and may speak out to as being poppycock. But believe me, I am not going to whitewash anything, and I am going to minimize the religious part of spirituality, but I am going to maximize that the spiritual essence of man, the soul of a man, is deeply and forever wounded and affected by the usage of performance-enhancing drugs. I am also not going to approach the issue of PEDs in a hysterical and fanatical anti-steroid manner rather I am going to look at the issue of PED use from all sides of the issue the bad…. and the good.

BEGINNING THE MODERN ERA... OF DOPING

The beginning of PED usage in MLB as far as I can determine is with Tom House. (I am sure there was PED usage before this point if House admits to using while he was a MLB player, between 1971-1978, but this is the first verified instance that I am aware of so I use this as the starting point.) Tom House, in May of 2005, admitted to Ron Kroichick, a San Francisco Chronicle reporter, that he used steroids for a couple of seasons during his career (1971-1978). [San Francisco Chronicle, 5/3/2005, “House a ‘Failed Experiment’ With Steroids”]

House acknowledged trying steroids for "a couple of seasons" during his playing days. House said in the article that performance enhancing drugs were widespread in baseball in the 1960s and 1970s. House says it was common knowledge that the competition had chemical help and the joke was they never got beat but rather got out-milligramed. House stipulates that players felt it was necessary to keep pace by doing amphetamines (greenies), human growth hormone and “whatever steroid” they could get their hands on.

During the interview with Kroichuk House said, "I pretty much popped everything cold turkey. We were doing steroids they wouldn't give to horses. That was the '60s, when nobody knew. The good thing is we know now. There's a lot more research and understanding.... I'd like to say we were smart, but we didn't know what was going on. We were at the tail end of a generation that wasn't afraid to ingest anything. As research showed up, guys stopped."

House is of the opinion that six or seven pitchers on every staff were trying or experimenting with PEDs. House further says he stopped all PED usage “because he went to school every offseason, (House holds a PhD in Psychology, with a focus in sports psychology), and learned about their potentially damaging long-term effects. House became nervous about shortening his life, not just his career. House, as an educator to young people after his career as a player and coach, says, “I'm about as anti-steroid as you can be, not through research but through first-hand knowledge. I try to aim people toward research and make it clear it's an unacceptable choice. It's OK to ask questions, but it's not OK to experiment. The risk-reward isn't worth it. You may get lucky in the short term, but the medium- and long-term effects are if not life threatening, then close to life threatening."

After his career as a player House coached in the majors, specifically with the Texas Rangers in 1985 when he worked closely with Nolan Ryan. Ryan noted his work with House during his speech at his induction into the Hall of Fame. House has also worked with the Houston Astros, San Diego Padres and the Chiba Lotte Marines. House has advised the American Sports Medicine Institute and has written or co-written a number of instructional books on baseball.

Absorb that reality for a moment. 1960s and 1970s... steroids were known about and being used. And why should we believe House? Let me answer that question with another question. Why should we believe Jose Canseco these days?

The more that comes out, the more that truth is revealed. We have no reason to doubt ex-players who speak to PED usage and involvement because each time someone is asked about Canseco’s allegations, the reply invariably comes back full of denial, innuendo and obfuscation regarding any involvement on any level. It increasingly becomes the revelation that they are the liars and Canseco is the bastion of truth. Take it as fact because it is so: Canseco is many things, but we are slowly and surely finding out he is not a liar.

We can see the whole dirty little secret of PEDs has a history that goes far and wide already in the 1960s and the 1970s. Fast forward to the 1990s. The three arguably most-prominent men in Major League Baseball address the issue of PED use in baseball. What we find is that these three men speak many different words as more and more evidence is brought to the surface regarding PED use in MLB. The truth is, they may be in the prime leadership positions but that does not make them totally responsible or honorable as the facts are unveiled.

Donald Fehr, Gene Orza and Bud Selig respectively represent different sides of the age-old struggle between labor and management. Fehr and Orza represent labor and Selig represents management. The paradox here is that in actuality Selig, as the commissioner of baseball, is supposed to represent all the divisions and segments of baseball but in fact is the figurehead for the owners or management. (That in itself is a story for another time.)

The reality is that these three men either promoted steroid use directly or indirectly by their actions or inactions and by their words or by their sounds of silence. But when the stuff hit the fan, all three of these men made grand pronouncements regarding the evils of these drugs and how the scourge of steroids needed to be eradicated from the framework of the grand institution of baseball. But where were these leaders when leadership was actually required? Were they addressing an issue that already was known to be a reality in sports? Or did they fiddle around while the institution was beginning to go up in flames?

PART 1: STEROIDS DEFINED AND SOME STEROID USES:

THE GOOD, THE BAD & SOMETIMES THE UGLY FACTS

But, first, exactly what are steroids?

Naturally-Produced Steroids

It might surprise some readers that steroids are necessary for life. The endocrine system is made up of glands which secrete hormones. There are eight major endocrine glands in the body. The gland that is most significant for this article is the adrenal gland, which is located on the kidneys. The adrenal gland is segmented into an outer cortex and an inner medulla. The adrenal cortex is essential to life. Failure or removal of the adrenal glands leads to death.

The adrenal cortex is a factory for hormones. The adrenal cortex consists of three regions, with each region producing different types of hormones. Chemically all the regions are steroidal. At least two or three dozen different steroids are synthesized and secreted from this adrenal tissue, but two classes of particular importance are mineralcorticoids (which produce aldosterone) and glucocorticoids (which produce cortisol).

Aldosterone is a steroid that regulates the body’s electrolyte balance. Electrolytes are essential for normal function of cells and organs. Electrolyte imbalance can be a sign of many different problems, among them being: renal or kidney failure, self starvation, bulimia, anorexia and cancer. Any of these complications can lead to major health complications or death.

Cortisol is synthesized from cholesterol and is involved in many body functions, among which are proper glucose metabolism, regulation of blood pressure, insulin release for blood sugar maintenance, immune function and inflammatory response. High levels of cortisol can cause poor cognitive performance, suppress thyroid function, create sugar imbalances such as hyperglycemia and the illness diabetes, decrease bone density and muscle tissue, lower immunity and inflammatory response in the body and slow wound healing. Cortisol imbalance will lead to an increase in abdomen fat and the associated health problems such as heart attack, stroke, and high bad cholesterol (LDL) and low good cholesterol (HDL). So, the reality is that, without steroids, we can’t live a healthy life and will actually die.

It is anabolic steroids that upsets the apple cart, however... but even anabolic steroids in and of themselves are not bad. But, if a person were to listen to the media, to Congress, to Fehr, Orza, Selig and many others throughout sports and society, it would seem that steroids are the next worst thing to happen to mankind. This is another falsehood perpetrated by many hysterical and fanatical anti-steroids people, specifically in sports, including the MLB leadership triumvirate. First they deny the use of PEDs; then they disguise or avoid addressing the so-called problem of PED usage; and now they cleverly try to make it seem they hate PEDs, have always hated PEDs and it has no place in sports or society.

This is unrealistic and as far from the truth as heaven is from hell. Steroids are not the “bubonic plague of baseball”, as USA Today once said. This is not to diminish what steroids are or what they can do in the wrong hands implementing the wrong methods but anabolic steroids are not, by themselves, evil. The truism, then, is that the evil here is not steroids but is rather in how steroids are employed by people. No one, at least I hope no one, thinks PEDs should be doled out with the morning repast as easily as if they were to be gulped down like so much breakfast orange juice -- but the mass hysteria surrounding the issues are clearly preventing an objective and realistic look at what steroids are, what they do, and how they can be utilized correctly in life and in sports. Make no mistake about this issue, though -- steroids or PEDs can be very dangerous. They are a sector of biochemical science that can kill if used incorrectly or wrongly.

Anabolic Steroids

Anabolic steroids (specifically synthetic anabolic-androgenic steroids) are basically synthetic versions of testosterone. They are often used to promote growth of muscle and bones because of their ability to increase cell growth and division but can also increase growth in other bodily tissues as well. First discovered in the 1930s, anabolic steroids have many medicinal uses. Bone growth, appetite, puberty and muscle growth can all be stimulated with use of anabolic steroids. Cancer patients and people suffering from AIDS can utilize steroids in treating chronic wasting that these diseases promote. Anabolic steroids work for this type of treatment because they stimulate the patient’s appetite, enhance the processing of protein and increase muscle mass and strength. Anabolic steroids have been researched for medicinal purposes since the middle of the twentieth century. Other successful uses are:

*

Bone Marrow Stimulation: Anabolic steroids are now being replaced by synthetic proteins. *

Growth Stimulation: Anabolic steroids are now being replaced with growth hormones. *

Hormone Replacement Therapy: This helps men with low levels of natural testosterone. *

Puberty Induction: Anabolic steroids have been used to help boys who have extreme delays in the onset of puberty.

However, though anabolic steroids have benefits for medicinal purposes, they are controversial because they can be abused, especially and specifically, by athletes for training purposes and for expedited recovery from injuries. As with any powerful drug that is misused there can be detrimental results and serious health consequences.

In the early 1990s American drug companies stopped the marketing of anabolic steroids in the United States. Because of this action by the drug companies, two effects have occurred: (1) the illicit market for anabolic steroids has become a huge and profitable industry and (2) the emergence of counterfeit steroids, which can be very dangerous to use. Because of these effects people who want to use anabolic steroids need to purchase them from other countries or find anabolic steroids on the black market. These steroids are often counterfeit or else have been originally produced for treatments in veterinary medicine.

Under federal law it is illegal to possess or distribute anabolic steroids for non-medical uses. They are often distributed just like any other drug through dealers after being smuggled into the United States. They are frequently sold at gyms and competitions as well as through the mail. A major concern, among many other concerns, regarding these types of steroid procurement is sterility. The demand for these black market steroids has created a market with estimated sales of up to $400 million a year, according to a NIDA Research Report, Anabolic Steroids: A Threat to Body and Mind.

Anabolic steroids can be administered in oral, injectable or transdermal forms. Oral forms are the most convenient, but they often need to be chemically altered so that it reaches the bloodstream before the liver breaks it down. Steroid abusers can and do take hundreds of times more than the medically recommended dose. Also, many people who use steroids illicitly often combine several different types of steroids to boost their effectiveness -- a method called stacking.

Oral anabolic steroids can often be very hard on the liver and may even cause hepatotoxicity when taken in high doses or for long periods of time. The injectable anabolic steroids are often put right into the muscle tissue and the transdermal forms come in creams, gels or patches that are administered to the skin.

Whether any steroid is used for medicinal or other reasons, they can produce many unwanted side effects. These include: high blood pressure, increased bad cholesterol levels and lower good cholesterol levels, increased acne, hair loss and baldness, prostate cancer, liver damage and excessive growth of oral gums, trembling, severe acne, fluid retention, aching joints, jaundice, and liver tumors. Also, people who inject steroids with shared needles run the risk of contracting or transmitting hepatitis or HIV, the AIDS virus.

There are methods to decrease the negative side effects of using steroids, and athletes and bodybuilders often do what they can because of their increased use of and dependency on the substances. One of the effects of using some anabolic steroids is the suppression and the production of testosterone and the conversion of the steroid into estrogen. Therefore, because of this reaction in the body to these steroids many people take estrogen inhibitors with their steroid cycles. Also, to reduce the effects of the suppression of natural testosterone production in the body, many people also use a post-cycle therapy or “cycling” to reduce the effects of a temporary reduction of testosterone in the body. Cycling users take steroids for six to twelve weeks or more, stop for several weeks, and then start again. Experienced steroid users also use frequent blood work to keep an eye on possible liver damage, high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol levels.

The use of anabolic steroids by athletes is relatively new. As mentioned earlier, testosterone was first synthesized in the 1930s and was introduced into the sporting arena in the 1940s and 1950s. A common misconception is that Nazi Germany utilized steroids for many different and nefarious experimental uses, among them utilization of the drug for soldiers’ endurance. There is no evidence one way or the other that supports this allegation regarding the use of steroids by the Nazis.

Another rumor, and one that may have more substance, has it that even the Babe himself, George Herman Ruth, once had himself injected with extract from sheep’s testicles with the intention of increasing his already formidable power at the plate. (Nothing is ever new under the sun.) The story says he only did this once and it made him very sick. The Yankees were supposed to have covered it up by telling the papers that he had one of his famous bellyaches.

By the 1950s synthesized testosterone derivatives were produced that were market-ready and less toxic, and these are what are known today as steroids. The first athletes to utilize steroids were Olympians. When the Soviet weightlifting team -- thanks, in part, to synthetic testosterone -- walked off with a pile of medals at the 1952 Olympics, many on opposing teams, including American team doctor John Ziegler, determined that they should have the same advantage. Ziegler returned to the United States and developed Dianabol with CIBA Pharmaceuticals, which in 1958 became the springboard for a new era of pharmacology.

During the Cold War days between the East and the West both sides were using steroids, sometimes without the Olympian athlete’s knowledge, to pump up their respective country’s medal totals. After the symbolic fall of the Berlin Wall and East and West Germany were united once again, records discovered revealed tens of thousands of incidents of steroid training use and of doping of athletes.

Although physicians soon realized the drug had unwanted side effects, it was too late to halt its spread into the sports world. Early users were mainly bodybuilders, weight lifters, football players, and discus, shot put, or javelin throwers-competitors who relied heavily on bulk and strength. As we would see soon enough, the potential benefits were soon being noticed by many other sports...

Submitted 5/4/2009

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