| About the Book |
| The Cheating Report |
| Join the Conversation |
| About David Callahan |
More:
Tennis
College Athletics
Other Topics:
Baseball
Baseball players have always wanted to put the ball over the fence and pitch their way to stardom. But now the financial incentives of being a star are greater than ever. Salaries -- and pay equities -- have been rising rapidly. In 1997, the top baseball player was paid $10 million a year. Today the top player is paid $25 million a year. During these same three years, the minimum union salary paid to men sitting on the same bench as these mega-stars only increased from $150,000 to $200,000. Not surprisingly, more players will doing anything to get into the top ranks of sluggers -- or stay on top.
Focus: THG Scandal
A federal grand jury is investigating a west coast company, BALCO, that has allegedly produced and marketed a new designer steroid, THG, that cannot be detected by drug tests. The probe may blast the lid off of doping by some of baseball's top stars.
 |
How the THG story broke |
|
|
Interview with Donald Catlin, who exposed THG doping |
|
|
BALCO case puts spotlight on steroids |
|
|
Steroid scandal looms large for baseball |
|
|
Baseball puts THG on banned list |
Scope of Cheating by Drug Use in Baseball
By all accounts, the use of performance-enhancing drugs has soared in professional baseball over the past decade. Steroids, human growth hormones, and amphetamines top the list of banned drugs players use. While hard facts are available on the the problem, top players have made various estimates.
Drug Testing in Baseball
The major leagues have begun to get more serious about reducing drug use by players. The first results of a new testing policy were announced in November 2003. But the testing policies have been criticized as fig-leaf approaches that can be easily circumvented by savvy players.
Barry Bonds
Long stalked by accusations of using steroids to pack on extra muscle, Bonds is among the players caught up on the BALCO scandal. His trainer, Greg Anderson, is a target in the probe and prosecutors called Bonds to testify December 4 in the case.
Sammy Sosa
Slugger Sammy Sosa has also long been dogged by allegations of steroid use. But in June 2003 he was caught up in a different kind of cheating scandal when he was caught using a corked bat.
|
|
Sosa's bat part of cheating culture |
|
|
Head to Head: Sammy Sosa |
|
|
Sosa's corked bat another blow to baseball |
Mark McGwire
When he broke Roger Maris' home run record in 1998, slugger Mark McGwire admitting to using a natural substance called androstenedione, which has steroid-like properties. The substance is banned by the Olympics, the NFL, and the NCAA, but allowed under major league rules. It was not used by Roger Maris.
 |
McGwire on de facto steroid |
|
|
Study: McGwire's androstenedione use encouraged young boys to use steroids |
|
|
McGwire let off too easily for doping |
Pete Rose
Should Pete Rose be admitted into the Baseball Hall of Fame? Some argue that his crime was minor, that everyone does it. Maybe that's the problem.
|
|
Baseball ambling uncovered |
|
|
Read the agreement between Rose and the MLB |
|
|
Public believes Rose should be let in |
|
|
Will Rose be back in baseball soon? |
Little League
Danny Almonte was the phenom of the 2001 Little League World Series. But when it was revealed that his father had conspired with the coach to doctor Danny's age, an uproar ensued.
|
|
Almonte, Bronx records wiped away |
|
|
Another Twist in Danny Almonte Saga |
|
|
He's still dominating: post-scandal success |