Zuri Berry: Steroid era is all your fault

Steroids have almost split the nation further than the war in Iraq.

Well, at least in the world of baseball fans.

There are those fans who see the steroids era as a product of itself and then there are those who see the game as a travesty besmirched upon our once revered pastime.

Because you're reading the sports page, I'll assume you care somewhat about the morality of the game, its integrity and the integrity of its participants because of their influence on our youngsters. I'll also assume that you're a fan.

And as such, have you considered the fact that you implicitly consented to the cheating and skullduggery of this era?

Take a moment to acknowledge, accept and apologize for your role. If it weren't for you and your blind faith, we wouldn't be here.

It's as simple as that.

When Mark McGwire, a beloved Oakland Athletic turned St. Louis Cardinals home run king, raced with Sammy Sosa to break Babe Ruth's record, where were you on the issue of steroids? In the middle of McGwire's home run chase, an Associated Press sports writer, Steve Wilstein, noted the slugger's use of a known steroid substance. There was evidence for you then.

Bash Brother Jose Canseco even alleged in his book that McGwire, 1998's savior of baseball, had been doping since the 1980s.

Did you miss out, or did we? Don't answer that just yet.

Back in 2002, when the Giants were off to represent the National League in the World Series, the team was represented by its MVP Barry Bonds along with Benito Santiago, David Bell and Marvin Benard - all of whom were named in the Mitchell report for their steroid or human growth hormone (HGH) use at one point or another.

According to the Mitchell report, San Francisco's one semblance of glory can now be considered tainted, with the amount of juicers and HGH users on the field.

The evidence was blatant, most of which was dug up by reporters here and there. In fact, the Mitchell report lists more than 100 newspaper and magazine articles detailing alleged steroid use and abuse.

If you're a fan of the San Francisco Giants or the A's, you've born witness to 15 different players through the steroid era, according to the Mitchell Report. The big names are Miguel Tejada, F.P. Santangelo and Matt Williams. That's not to forget Santiago, Benard, Jack Cust, Glenallen Hill and others, who all equally share the blame of this era.

But not one of your names will appear on any list.

From McGwire to Bonds and from one home run chase to another, there was never any collective outrage by the fans of this game and the nation about the alleged cheating and steroid use among baseball's biggest stars.

No, as Greg Maddux once said in a 1998 Nike commercial, "chicks dig the long ball."

Through all of the evidence, all of the scrutiny put upon the players, the venom thrown at the management and the distrust of the media, the fans have lucidly scraped by in the blame game circus we see today by continuing to purchase their season tickets, watch their tainted games religiously and debate the merits of hall of famers in need of asterisks.

Please.

There's a reason why the Giants lost that World Series and there's a reason why Big Mac wasn't voted into the Hall: Cheaters never prosper.

Will the fans ever accept that? Not until their blood starts boiling.

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Zuri Berry is a sports writer at The Union. His column appears Wednesdays. Contact him via e-mail at zberry@theunion.com or by phone at 477-4244. You can also read his blog online at TheUnion.com.