Anabolic steroids. BALCO. THG. No I am not referring to an underground drug smuggling operation, these are the three most common terms in recent headlines about Major League Baseball and its' players. The encyclopedia Britannica defines anabolic steroids as; hormones that are given to elderly or postoperative patients to promote muscle growth and tissue regeneration. Unsupervised use by professional athletes to build muscle and improve strength can have serious harmful effects, including coronary heart disease, sexual and reproductive disorders, immunodeficiencies, liver damage, stunted growth, aggressive behavior, susceptibility to connective-tissue injuries, and irreversible masculinazation in women. Anyone who follows Major League Baseball knows that steroid use is rampant throughout the league, but steroid use itself is not a new practice. It is a known fact that with the inception of baseball, came the use of players trying to get the edge over the guy next to him; to hit more homeruns, to steal more bases, to throw the ball harder, but in the end it is all for one thing, the money. There is no denying that. It takes the least amount of common sense to understand why Major League Baseball players take steroids, however it is far more difficult to understand how they (Major League Baseball players) get away with it and what can be done to change the behavior that is tainting America's past time.
             The most documented athlete in connection to steroid use is the San Francisco Giant's right fielder, Barry Bonds. "Barry Bonds was called to testify before a grand jury focusing in on possible tax and drug violations by a California lab that supplied nutritional supplements to Bonds and other sports stars (Espn.com Bonds)." Barry Bonds began using the California supplement lab, BALCO, just before the 2001 baseball season. During the season, Bonds broke the homerun record by smashing an astounding seventy-three ...