Rick Ankiel, WOW! Why did this guy ever pitch?

[FlamingLonghorn]

Originally Posted by Table 5

yeah, kids love it when dad is dead at 45. Would you want your parents to sacrifice their health and many years of life just so you can live in a nicer house? I dunno about you, but I think doing this kind of stuff is probably one of the worst lessons you can ever teach your kids.

You don't have to keep on doing it after you get your millions. Doing HGH or steroids for a year is not going to cause you to die at 45. I know a ton people who did roids in high school and their early 20's some are in the upper 30's and they haven't had any ill effects yet.

[jam26]

I have done a lot of things over the years that were damaging to my body, but I don't think I would ever take steroids to gain an edge competitively. I would simply not get any enjoyment out of my accomplishments knowing I wasn't playing within the rules.

Of course, if I knew everyone else I was competing against was doing it, it would be difficult not to partake. Tough call without being in the situation.

[Bobblehead]

Originally Posted by Sowa

You don't have to keep on doing it after you get your millions. Doing HGH or steroids for a year is not going to cause you to die at 45. I know a ton people who did roids in high school and their early 20's some are in the upper 30's and they haven't had any ill effects yet.

I'm not sure you can make a blanket statement based on you friends what aren't even 40 yet.

You may be right, but just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean there aren't ill effects still to come.

[habernac]

Ankeil's response:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3009688

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by Sowa

You don't have to keep on doing it after you get your millions. Doing HGH or steroids for a year is not going to cause you to die at 45. I know a ton people who did roids in high school and their early 20's some are in the upper 30's and they haven't had any ill effects yet.

None that you know about. With steroids, a lot of the ill-effects are sexual...doubt your friends want to shout that from the roof tops.

Besides, i doubt all you need to do is take this stuff for one year, and then magically have a great sports career for 15 years.

[Sylvanfan]

Well my wife works in a hospital pharmacy and apparnetly steroids of some type are a very common treatment for patients and are used for a large spectrum of treatments. Taking them as a prescribed treatment to recover from a surgery or whatever likely isn't going to kill you when you're 35 and it's hardly illegal. But taking them routinely for no good medical reason other than to enhance yourself physically is dangerous and against the rules of the sport.

Lets face it not everyone is taking these so they can work out like a machine and get WWE or UFC or NFL type huge like some of those guys are. Some people have used them to help recover from an injury as part of a prescribed recovery process. There is a difference and the context in which they were taken and the quantity taken does make it different in my opinion. IMO if Ankiel took this and it was prescribed and he took the amounts prescribed during his recovery process than I say thats fully acceptable. It's the guys like Canseco and Bonds who took them just to bulk up who cheated.

[Bulisian Spinorama]

Originally Posted by Table 5

you don't even mention playing the sport in your list. you'd fit right in.

Any reason you are attacking everyone in this thread?

[Slava]

I voted yes in the poll. I hate cheaters and what they've done to sport in general. That being said the lure of that kind of money that could set your family up so that your childrens children never have to worry about money is too big.

Chances are if you were so close that doing this puts you into the "big show" in whatever sport that is, you have already been toiling to try to get there. Love of the sport isn't really a question at that point (in most cases). I'd love to answer no in the name of sportsmanship and all, but I don't know if I could if the guarantee of a pro-athlete career was the reward.

[JiriHrdina]

Add Jay Gibbons to the list.