i would bet that if adam laroche starts hitting 50-60 homeruns a year a WHOLE lot of people will start calling him a cheater.

i am positive it is ONLY about the home runs. which is why don't nobody give a rat's rear end about the ryan franklins of "cheaters."

ADD is misdiagnosed more often than it is actually diagnosed. The drugs are simple stimulants which act on the brain. Noone really knows what causes ADD but a lack of dopamine is the main symptom. The drugs replace that and turn you into a normal person.

Now, let's say you were a normal person to begin with... you have just doubled (or more) the amount of dopamine in your brain. This has a stimulant effect but when you stop taking it, you actually contract ADD as your brain stops making dopamine for you.

It's odd that greenies are basically a drug that only acts on the brain. If you are tired, these drugs won't make you active...

Regardless of anyones standpoint on whether steroids are "cheating" or not, the fact is that they are illegal according to the Gov't. It makes the point mute. Cocaine would give someone a boost during a game and doesn't hurt anyone but the person using it, by I don't see anyone defending cocaine use. Why? because we know it's illegal and stupid, as are roids.

Heath, you're dead on here, and I'm afraid that's a point that doesn't get made often enough, especially by those who defend the steroid era. Bottom line: Steroids are illegal. It shouldn't matter if they were or were not against Major League rules in the late 1990s. They were always against the law, and last I checked, MLB players are not above the law.

Dave -

Have you been taking drugs?? Honestly, your post was very far out there. I usually feel you are well-reasoned and well-informed, even if I disagree, but this post raised about three issues and you botched them all. First, no professionall athlete is normal. they are all superlative in strength and/or reflexes and/or quickness, etc. Everyone in the Major LEagues was born with a gift. Practice and preparation @ hours in the gym a day !!!!) help separate those in the ML and - to the 2nd point - yes, taking PEDs IS CHEATING!! Good grief, to suggest it isn't is ridiculous. Why can't I be Frank Thomas with a corked bat or threats to opposing pitchers. I can't be Frank Thomas but if my Dad, Vito, makes the other pitcher an offer he can't refuse, what is wrong with that. Finally, FDA-approved medication HEALS and returns one to a state of health from a disease state. Steroids do not do this. Forth, FT's point isn't that steroids are OK. It is that his status as HOF-bound bad-ass power hitter despite not using steroid use is a source of pride. Sheesh, have coffee before you post.

and where's the proof that frank didn't take steriods?

Speeding is illegal, too. So is herb, so is a lot of things....but you can still defend doing something illegal. Why is it just because the government says something is illegal that people think it's taboo to defend taking something or doing said illegal activity?

Other than rape and murder, there's a lot of things that the government says are illegal that can be wrapped around a logical argument. The law is meant to be black and white, but it's not entirely bad for people that aren't in congress to look at the gray every now and again. I think that was Dave's point. Some people just can't see in any shade of gray.

Dave.....

I gotta agree with Phil here.....ADD is a recognized medical condition, and it has a pharmaceutical treatment. So, is it OK for a diabetic to take insulin in your view? Is Jason Johnson a cheater? This is possibly THE most asinine point you've ever tried to make here. Steroids are elective, FDA approved medications are not. In the future, please remove your head from your rectum before you post......

Your point about how you're not sure why it is ok to be born Frank Thomas but not ok to shape yourself to be like him with drugs is ridiculous. Isn't that the whole point of banning PED's? Big Frank was born with the body and the skills to be a baseball player. That's why Frank Thomas is a Hall of Famer. Yeah sure it sucks for guys like me and you to not be able to become 6'5" monsters with incredible bat speed and control, but that's the way it goes.

Also, you can't say that LaRoche went to the doctor because he wanted to improve his performance on the diamond. ADD affects all aspects of one's life. Maybe it helps him play ball, but good luck proving that. All I know is that what he takes is a treatment people take for a problem that affects life on the whole. That's why those drugs are legal, just like some steriods are legal to treat patients.

I'm not a big fan of labeling every player who takes medicine or vitamins or energy drinks a cheater. It all goes back to baseball not drawing the line before it got out of control. The line must be drawn somewhere, and I don't think medicine for ADD should be on the cheating side.

I am convinced Dave smoked a pound of angel dust before posting those thoughts...I mean it would be a shame if one or both of those cute kids of his developed ADD or some other condition that needed to be medicated. Because according to Dave's logic, if they had to take Ritalin or something like it, any time they scored well on a test in school there would be a cloud of suspicion as to whether or not they cheated....Anyone who has to take medication to function normally should be offended that you even remotely relate what LaRoche needs to function is even comparable to 'roids.....

Here's my quick take on ADD, based on what a psychologist explained to me about my son.

ADD is a misleading name. It would be more accurate to call it Attention Control Disorder than Attention Deficit Disorder. Generally the problem that ADD kids have is that they cannot focus on what does not interest them, i.e. math, or social studies or whatever. Parents often say thier kid can't be ADD because they can spend hours at a time playing with Legos.

That's why you can find so many adult examples of people who struggled to graduate high school, then went out a made millions by building a business from scratch -- once they are allowed to focus on what they want to, the sky is the limit.

Most baseball players love baseball. I don't know Adam LaRouche. My guess is that whatever he takes for ADD is small help to his baseball playing and a huge help in the rest of his life.

"Also, you can't say that LaRoche went to the doctor because he wanted to improve his performance on the diamond."

No, but you can say that players who get lazer eye surgery do so to improve their performance. Granted the legality issue, but why is this ok and steriods not.

Ed,
Get your head out of your butt. The line has to be drawn somewhere. That's where it's drawn. Shut up and deal with it and quit thinking in absolutes. You sound retarded. Seriously.