Drugs and America's Pastime

Melky is going to have to get used to sitting on the bench, after his 50 game suspension for PED's. 

With the recent suspension of Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera for PED (performance enhancing drugs) use, many baseball fans have begun to wonder how many other players are currently using these drugs. Every player who is doing well in the season is a suspect.

For example, Cabrera was doing great, phenomenal. He was having the best season of his career. hitting 41 points above his best season. Fans thought it was a great story, "Oh he's finally doing well", he made his first all-star game, and even had 2 hits. Then BOOM. The story gets out that he tested positive for PED's. He gets suspended for 50 games. Then Victor Conte comes out and says that there are lots of players who still use it. This further puts this season in speculation.

But why? Why would players want to use drugs? Why would they want to get suspended? Maybe they thought they could avoid it, like Ryan Braun did. Melky might've thought he could have come up with the "urine excuse" like Braun did. Unfortunately for Melky, he could not, and he is forced to miss the next 50 games, unable to compete for a batting title.

It's obvious to say that drugs are ruining baseball. All of these suspensions, and scandals are killing the game. Melky did not only reach of the love of Giants fans, but fans around the country who wanted to root for the underdog. Now they will look at him with disrespect.

All of this can be attributed back to Barry Bonds. He stole the home-run record away from a man who did it the old fashioned way. And he truly did it the old fashioned way, there were no computers, or advanced metrics, like there are today. Bonds just ruined it. He cheated. It is unfair, but that is baseball nowadays. There is always a way to cheat.

Let us hope and pray, that Mike Trout and Andrew McCutchen, the respective leaders in batting average are not taking PED's.