Check it out. There's an elephant in the room.

Here's something about steroids that most people seemingly don't think about. You have to workout a ridiculous amount for them to work. In fact, what steroids do is enable you to work out a ridiculous amount. They're not magic pills that automatically inflate you like a balloon. The reason why steroids suck is because of their shitty side effects, and it's unfair to expect everyone to risk their future health.

Steroids aren't illegal because they make your muscles bigger; they are illegal because of the SIDE EFFECTS. Chemists are at work around the clock the develop steroids and other drugs that enhance performance without the side effects. Like boobs said, a few decades around the road, those drugs will be standard issue for people getting paid tens of millions of dollars to hit things very far and throw them very fast. Technology is advancing, and yes, it's taking our quaint notions of the American pastime with it.

You think Ty Cobb, bastard that he is, wouldn't have shot himself full of steroids? Please. How much better would Ted Williams have been if he'd had Tony Gwynn's access to video technology. Or what about these days, when players can carry around external hard drives and study pitchers around the clock? Doesn't that give them an unfair advantage?

And what about amphetamines, the other elephant that is apparently invisible? Amphetamines improve concentration and focus, and certainly enhance performance in a coordinated sport like baseball. Should we subtract some of Pete Rose's hits because of that? Amphetamines have been in baseball forever, but no one seems to make a peep about them. They're just as illegal as steroids.

Look at the litany of players who have been suspended for steroid use recently. With the exception of Palmeiro, they all sucked. Steroids made these replacement players slightly better than replacement-level. Sure, they helped Bonds, but they didn't help him that much. And a good deal of the players were pitchers! I hate to use the term Steroids Era, but Bonds has stood out from his peers, many of whom were using the same performance enhancers as he.

Finally, I'm glad we're having this debate. Dialogue and debate are what matters when it comes to baseball history, because the debate keeps the past alive. Don't think Bonds deserves to be called the home run king? Fine--tell your kids that Hank Aaron is the true home run king, and explain to them why. Just be warned that by that time, baseball players won't be any less muscle bound, and one of them might be pushing 900.