Damn Steroids

It’s amazing how life imitates art, how music literature, music, books and film mirror and sometimes predict events of our day. Watching Alex Rodriquez squirm at his press conference, thinking of Barry Bonds on trail for perjury for allegedly lying about his steroid use and hearing the news that Senate Investigators are planning to call Roger Clemens back to Capitol Hill to testify again about his use of steroids… I can’t, help think about the Broadway play Damn Yankees. In the play a frustrated middle aged Washington Senators fan, “Joe Boyd” is seduced in to becoming” Joe Hardy” a power hitting youth who seemingly comes from nowhere to becoming the player the Senators need to win the championship. There is only one catch, “Joe had to promise his soul to the devil” to attain this power and skill. It seems to me the major league players who have gone down the road of steroid use were lured by its illusionary glory like Joe in Damn Yankees. They believed by giving in to something known to be harmful and illegal that it would bring them the ultimate glory. But just like the price paid in “Yankees”, steroids will promise you fame but instead have proven time and time again to bring shame and disgrace. In the play Mr. Applegate (the devil) and Lola (the seductress) convince Joe that the price of his soul is worth the glory that selling it brings. In the modern day drama being played out before our very eyes steroids is the seducer that is stealing the soul of these players. In the play Joe realizes that his life and integrity is worth more than the fame and glory of being the “great Joe Hardy” and refuses to give the devil his soul and gives Mr. Applebee back this illusionary power. We can only hope that the current major league players do the same. with steroids.