Monday, April 17, 2017
Weekly Post #12: Drugs & Alcohol in 1986 (due April 23)
Not necessarily the same class of PED as talked about in Game of Shadows, but amphetamines and alcohol we abused regularly in the mid-80s, especially on the championship Mets. An interesting piece from an insider about the culture of the team. Should these players be banned from Hall of Fame consideration? Their records torn down? What are your thoughts?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I think this article is a reminder of the fact that you never know what's going on behind the scenes when it comes to celebrities, athletes, and all of the other figures we see in the media. While this story is pretty shocking, I would bet a lot of money that the same thing has been done on other teams, whether in the MLB or any other professional sports league. I think the media creates this godly image of celebrities, athletes, and other figures in the media, and this prevents people from remembering that all these people are people too. They aren't perfect moral humans and are subject to all of the same temptations that we are, and they act on these temptations just like us.
ReplyDeleteThis article brings a lot into light. It first talks about how common drugs were to use as a player on the Mets. This shows that many of people at this time felt like they needed to be reliant on drugs in order to play at the competitive level that is demanded of all Major League players. At the time, drugs were the thing to do to feel better. There have been many scientific advances since this point so it makes sense that they were using a larger amount of somewhat recreational drugs. That still does not make it legal, but justifies the use of these drugs somewhat. As for banning the players from the Hall of Fame, I'm not entirely sure what I think. I think that either all players who use/used drugs should either be banned completely or not at all. This would eliminate bias and allow for a more concrete regulation of Hall of Fame player. If players who have used drugs are not allowed in the Hall of Fame it would give players and incentive to not use drugs.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis is just yet another case of players doing whatever they can to get an edge and beat out the competition. I surprisingly hold a lot of sympathy for these players who are beaten down by a 155 game schedule and constantly anxious about where their next contract might be coming from. What the players were participating in did not set a good precedent for the league but in all honesty, it was what was keeping the game interesting. The game needs to progress in some way if it wants to remain alluring to America’s general public. Having these players down amphetamines like they were candy was doing just that. I don’t think they should be stripped of their reputation or banned from the hall of fame considerations for giving everything to the game even the well being of their own bodies. I know it's not a popular viewpoint but I don’t really have that much of a criticism towards those who use PED’s or amphetamines to enhance their level of play. I personally feel they make the game better boosting batting averages, breaking records, and advancing the game to levels no one could have thought was achievable. If individuals want to risk their own health towards their profession I see no reason why they shouldn’t be able to. Sure it creates “bad publicity” and some say it’s cheating, but this is only a result of the social expectation that has been upheld over the years that the use of these PED’s is almost criminal. I think it’s plausible that someday PED’s will be legalized for player use, starting at smaller doses and raising as newer technology and information comes out about these drugs.
ReplyDeleteI think that this is an extremely difficult issue to grapple with. As hard as it is to talk about steroids and HGH, drugs which have definitive positive athletic effects, and how challenging it is to see the players underneath both as physical specimens and as people, it is that much harder when it comes to drugs which don't necessarily have any positive effect at all. Drugs are bad, particularly those that cause long term physical harm, like alcohol and amphetamines too, and I do not think it is difficult to criticize players for ingesting them. They are only hurting themselves. And that is the important part. Using drugs like amphetamines and alcohol does not give players a significant edge. For a sprinter, taking a stimulant like an amphetamine could enhance performance but for players whose games regularly last 3 hours or longer, the same cannot hold true. And alcohol cannot be seen as a PED whatsoever as it decreases coordination and muddies perception, two of the most important characteristics for playing good baseball. Was the players' use of these drugs wrong? Absolutely. Should the MLB have temporarily suspended all of those involved and made a real effort to stop amphetamine and alcohol use if they had found out about the Met's use at the time? Without a doubt. But did the drugs the players took give them any sort of an edge beyond their mentality that warrants their accomplishments to be tarnished with asterisks or taken down entirely? I don't believe so. In the future the MLB should do more to prevent their players from harming themselves but that is about the extent of the concern.
ReplyDeleteThis is really tragic in my eyes. The extents and risks to which they pushed themselves taking amphetamines from the jar or the beer to kick it up or the Cuban coffee from earlier days, all of it is an even unhealthier example of the trend that's examined in Game of Shadows. That trend being the atmosphere of competitive league baseball becoming dominated by players who feel the need to use these drugs to reach the top and then the only way to get anywhere is to do the same, with really disastrous and awful health results in this case, or a total loss of prestige and respect in the case of Bonds and Conte and BALCO when it was all revealed. And really, I think that this issue of ultra-competitiveness is really endemic to such a massively competitive sport. People do want to see superhuman feats, play beyond the peak of human performance. And that kind of atmosphere and demand makes the use of substances, to try and enhance one's play however possible, inevitable. I don't really think that the game i this form is sustainable or possible to continue to exist as the original intent of the sport, as something fun that people would play and could play with no stakes other than enjoyment of the game. Now the game is huge and as such a big sport, I don't think it's possible to not be corrupted and filled with this mess of influences and pressures anymore. It's just not feasible.
ReplyDeleteI thought this piece was one of the most interesting articles we have read all year, and really connects with Barry Bonds and BALCO. The way Darling explained his seasons with the Mets and the team's drug use during that time in such a casual way brought to light the very likely possibility that most teams were using drugs, and that drugs were deeply rooted in baseball's culture. His mention of "Cuban coffee" in Willie Mays and Hank Aaron's time was pretty shocking to me, but revealed my own skewed perception of professional baseball players. The public eye molds them into who we want them to be, and doesn't allow them space to stray from this mold or be who they are. Barry Bonds was an interesting example of someone who defied this. He was unapologetically himself, and although he wasn't necessarily moral or a nice guy, it is impressive that he stayed true to his beliefs in the eyes of millions.
ReplyDeleteLike players who took PED’s in the 90’s and early 2000’s, I do not believe that these players should be banned from the hall of fame, nor have their records torn down. They were playing in an era where these drugs were used openly by many players and the MLB did almost nothing to stop them. These players are playing a highly competitive game where their performance is highly representative of the contract and pay that they will get. I understand their mentality of wanting to be the best, and these drugs that were very popular and not enforced against, helped these players out. I am not advocating for people to use them, because it is cheating and they are not good for you, but I do not believe in taking away awards that were earned by these players regardless of the help they had from drugs that were not enforced against. I find this very similiar to my stance of steroid use in the Selig era, where I do not believe those players should be punished due to the lack of enforcement. Overall, it's a shame these players too these drugs, but it was part of the culture and not enforced against, so I do not believe that their records should be tainted.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that these players should have their records torn down or names banned from the hall of fame. They pushed themselves to the extreme, utilizing materials common amongst, as the author stated, every team. Based on how Darling explained the hype built just by knowing that they had taken amphetamines and fueled that with beer, I think it's definitely possible that some of the courage and confidence that they thought the mix they imbibed was actually psychosomatic. From what we've learned about the level of play required to succeed at this level in professional baseball, I don't think it'd be feasible to attain the same level of success and perform with this inhuman strength if you weren't taking something that gave you a boost, whether it's main effects were that it made you think you had a boost or if they physiologically altered your ability to perform at a higher level. I think that this mix of amphetamines and alcohol was and is very dangerous, and it's honestly impressive that many players on the Mets were able to win a World Series whilst tipsy and tweaking.
ReplyDeleteThis piece works effectively alongside our Game of Shadows reading as it provides a contrast to Bonds' behavior. The Met's players, despite consuming vast quantities of amphetamines, should retain their place in the hall of fame because, in my opinion, their use of amphetamines was distinctly different from that of Barry Bonds. From this reading, I felt that the use of the amphetamines for the Mets players was not to gain extreme strength but rather to help them continue to play for the remainder of the season. The vibe I get from Bonds' steroid consumption seems more intentional than the way the Met's players used it. Similar to Phyllis, I was surprised by the "Cuban coffee" used by players during Willie Mays and Hank Aaron's time and this further solidified my belief that amphetamine use in baseball is not uncommon but rather a part of the sport. While I believe that the Met's players are still worthy of their World Series win, I'm still undecided as to whether or not I think that Bonds' should be in the HOF as well.
ReplyDeleteThese players knowingly used banned substances to enhance their performance. The MLB would not be setting a great precedent by respecting their records and allowing them into the HOF; inaction on their part would imply support or at least neutrality on players breaking explicit rules. At the same time, it is likely that many of the players would have performed at HOF levels without any performance enhancers, especially with much of the amphetamines taken only giving mental boosts. The league must find a way to honor the accomplishments of the Mets players without implying their support for breaking league rules. I believe they should give recognition to the players, perhaps even in the form of HOF plaques and busts, but place asterisks explaining the extenuating circumstances of each player. This would allow the league to explicitly show their condemnation of the illegal actions of the players while still respecting the accomplishments each player made.
ReplyDeleteThe story behind the Mets is just another that shows how drugs are such a big part of baseball. A common theme that comes along with these drug stories is that the players turn to them because they want to do their best and turning to drugs helps take some of the pressure off. That's what Barry Bonds, BALCO, and the Mets players did to gain extra strength and confidence. Using drugs as a crutch is not the way to win, however. Even though it seems drugs are so deeply imbedded into the sport that it can be hard to uncover every case, I think it is important to punish those who break the rules and cheat their way to the top. The MLB needs to keep this consistent, especially if they want to clean the sport up.
ReplyDeleteI don't think any of them should have anything they've earned taken away from them. However, their actions should set a precedent for a higher standard for athletes today. The attitude of this article presented their actions as "low" and not something that would happen today, which is a good thing in my opinion. Hearing that the players didn't think they could continue playing without the amphetamines or beer was sad to me, and also that they played through so many injuries and probably let themselves get injured easier because they knew they'd have the jar to keep them going. I think it was a shame that they had this mindset, but they shouldn't be punished for it so much later than it happened.
ReplyDeleteShotgunning a beer before a game seems insane to me and that should not be something that is acceptable. Would you show up to the work office after chugging a beer? No! To me it appears to be unprofessional. I can't begin to imagine how much stress and pressure major league players are under, however I don't think that alcohol is the right way to take off the edge. Baseball is not only physical but it is mental, if a player can not handle the pressure then they shouldn't be playing in the major leagues. I do acknowledge that extreme pressure can lead and be a cause of anxiety. That being said drinking is not the way to remedy anxiety, there are prescriptions that will be better suited and more professional. Although I don't entirely condone how the players were elevating their game, I do not think that they should be banned from the hall of fame. The article states that everyone at the time was doing it, and although that does not make it ok, it evens out the playing field a bit for that time, meaning that the players should be recognized as the best of their times.
ReplyDeleteI think that these players should retain all of their hall of fame spots, records and other awards. The culture of baseball and performance enhancers (if these can even be considered to be PEDs) was so different back in the 80s that they can not truly be comparable to modern day. Reading this didn't give me a "vibe" even near to the level of Bonds or the prominent PED users of the last twenty or so years. The article did not really touch on teams other than the Mets so I have no idea how widespread amphetamine use was at the time, but it sounds pretty extensive and while that does not make it right in the least I think it does provide some counterbalance. There are a lot of parallels in this article to Game of Shadows, specifically about using drugs as the edge (or crutch) for players to perform just a little better (or good enough to stay in the MLB). Speaking honestly if baseball was my passion and I knew if I didn't get an edge by using illegal substances I would be off the team I would probably follow the same path as these players, however I doubt the #1 team at the time would have shared this circumstance so I feel much less empathy.
ReplyDeleteThis is such classic American hypocrisy to me. I do not think any of them should be banned or records torn down for their actions off the field. This stuff was happening all the time and there was no story about it back then. It was blatantly going on right in front of the media, but they did not want to cover it because god forbid our national game is tainted at all. Of course there is coverage nowadays when in hindsight we will just say "Well that's how they did it in the eighties". If anything these substances would lessen their focus and play, and although immoral do not think they should be punished for it.
ReplyDelete