Drugs are bad for you

Neil H and I many moons ago spoke about our thoughts on drugs. I am very much on the side that hates performance enhancing drugs and Congress and Bud Selig have seemingly forced the strongest union in North America to back down as yesterday we saw MLB impose strict new drug laws in the game of baseball.

From next season a failed drugs test for either steroids or amphetamines and you will be sitting out for 50 games. Strike two would see you watching from the sidelines for 100 games and strike three, you're out! I am pleased that we have got this far as to get the baseball union to agree to this is really quite something. I think it should be strike one and a years ban and then any second positive test should see you receive a lifetime ban.

I don't like drugs, I make no bones about it and think players have a responsibility to the paying public and most importantly the youth of today to show that they can play the game cleanly and that is the right way to do things. Professional sportsmen who take drugs are cheats and they are robbing the fans of watching a sporting event on an even keel.

This is a strong message sent out by the powers that be and players should realize that the American public do not care for cheaters in sport anymore. I think most knew that steroids were rife but didn't care but things have changed. The players don't all want to be tarred with the same brush and they want to play in a clean sport.

Atlanta Braves catcher Johnny Estrata told mlb.com "That's going to shake it up a little bit, (the amphetamines part of the deal) Amphetamines have been around since the days of Ty Cobb and Mickey Mantle. It was kept hush-hush and just accepted. Now that they're in the public eye, guys are getting criticized for taking them. I've heard guys say they'd retire if they can't take amphetamines. I don't know if they're joking or not."

So some players aren't going to be happy with this, tough. You get paid very handsomely and are role models to thousands of people, if they can't get up to play in front of legions of fans then I personally wonder if they are doing the right thing with their lives. Drugs are bad, we should be preaching this and I think this news will save lives, bit dramatic you might think but I think it will.

Good job Bud. That isn't something I thought I'd ever type...