- “I realized steroids were a major problem long before many others in the sport did. I could tell by how enormous the players’ bodies became and their alarming mood swings between hyperaggression and depression. One of our clients, Oakland Raiders defensive lineman Mike Wise, became so distraught he killed himself in 1992, which was why I campaigned as forcefully as I could to ban steroids from the league forever.” The Agent: My 40-Year Career Making Deals and Changing the Game (Steinberg, Leigh;Arkush, Michael) – page 280
- “I have come to understand how steroid use has spread to the high school and college level. I have reflected on the destructive impact steroids have had on baseball’s precious history, its records, and the very integrity of the sport. And I believe in my heart that I would have chosen not to use steroids. But I also believe I understand what drove those who did. The Steroid Era in baseball—roughly, 1990–2005—was fueled by a motive as old as the game itself: the search for a competitive edge.” Clearing the Bases (Schmidt, Mike;Waggoner, Glen) Kindle Location 95-99
- “Players are compared in order to establish their value. Player A hits 50 home runs per year and makes $15 million. Player B looks at Player A and wonders if Player A has an edge, something—maybe big, maybe little—that Player B doesn’t have, but might get. A certain bat, a special training drill, a particularly knowledgeable coach, a potent dietary supplement…or maybe a performance-enhancing drug? As long as society rewards people for winning, for being better than the competition, rather than on sweat and effort, much less on some intangible relating to the greater good of humanity, then competitors will look for every edge they can. And they’re all going to agree on one thing: The playing field had better damn well be level.” Clearing the Bases (Schmidt, Mike;Waggoner, Glen) Kindle Location 1157-1162
- “Perhaps this is a good place to pose an obvious but easily overlooked question: Do steroids guarantee success? More specifically, can steroids turn a poor hitter into a great one? Absolutely not! There is no correlation between the ability to hit a baseball and the addition of forty pounds of lean muscle mass. If you can’t hit a curve at 180 pounds, you’re not going to be able to hit it at 220. A great hitter at 180 will still be a great hitter at 220, but no greater in terms of his ability to put his bat on the ball. What’s different is the increase in bat speed and leverage—and hence, in power—that accompanies the new muscle mass. And power is the ticket to the pot of gold. The home run is king.” Clearing the Bases (Schmidt, Mike;Waggoner, Glen) Kindle Location 1353-1359
- “As for baseball’s history, my suggestion is to recognize and honor those who shattered the most hallowed record in sports, the individual season home run mark. No asterisks. No annotations. Simply salute McGwire’s 70 and Bonds’s 73 as products of strength, timing, talent, and a mind-staggering work ethic—because all those qualities were abundantly present when they accomplished their prodigious feats. But in honoring individual achievement, be mindful of the era. In his book Juicing the Game, Howard Bryant quotes Jeff Horrigan, a Boston Herald reporter: “There were no rules. Players are like children. They push everything as far as they can until someone stops them. Everyone did whatever they wanted…I blame the era, I don’t blame the man.” Clearing the Bases (Schmidt, Mike;Waggoner, Glen) Kindle Location 1400-1406