Derek Hutton is the starting second baseman for the FAU baseball team, and he’s their only four-year player. This season, he’s only hitting .159 and has no homeruns – the worst stats among the starters. Coach Kevin Cooney may be concerned by those numbers, but he’s reassured, too. “You can just tell by looking at our batting averages that none of our guys are juicing,” Cooney jokes.
“Juicing” means using steroids, and it’s a term that’s almost become a household word since former big-leaguer Jose Canseco has come out with his book Juiced, which described his own steroid use and those of other Major League players.
Cooney is very outspoken against steroid use. “Everyone is going to look at records now with a questionable eye,” Cooney says with a no-joke look on his face. “You should be banded for life if you test positive.”
Hutton adds, “I figured that some stuff would come out eventually.” Hutton also believes that these almost-sacred records – including the vaunted homerun record – have been tarnished by cheaters.
Coach Cooney feels that steroids are used for selfish reasons. “You never hear a college player say he is going to take steroids so that he can help his college win the World Series. It’s all about how to get drafted and drafted high.”
Coach Cooney, who’s son played minor league baseball, explained that steroids are talked about in instructional leagues and in the minors. “All the talk in the instructional level was to make the 40 man roster then juice because then you are protected.” FAU shortstop Alex Fonseca feels that he and some of his teammates are some of the ones not getting their fair chance of making it to MLB. Fonseca said, “I think steroids have a major impact on college kids. I’m not really surprised that so many pros take steroids.”
Fonseca claims he would never take steroids, stating, “would I take them personally? No, because if I couldn’t do it naturally, I’m not going to try to impress someone with something I don’t have.”
When asked about if he felt he was being cheated by those players using steroids, Fonseca answered with and enthusiastic, “Absolutely!”
Interestingly though, Fonseca said he wouldn’t be surprised if a teammate was on steroids because there is no specific external indicators of steroid use. “I would not be surprised. There are so many athletes turning to it to better their performances. You can’t tell who is on them, so you feel at a disadvantage.”
Both Coach Cooney and Hutton agree with Fonseca. Coach Cooney feels that part of the problem is that it’s so common, it will be hard to clean up. “It is like brushing your teeth now,” he said with a smirk. “It’s like I always tell my team, everything is about risk and reward. With steroids the reward is huge, but the risk is huge!”
According to Coach Cooney steroids are very easily accessible. “It is all shared information,” Cooney remarked.
Some people, like Canseco, feel that it is their only shot at making it into the pros. “Sometimes you feel like you need steroids to be at the same level,” explains FAU senior baseball player Anthony Albano. But when asked how he felt about steroids, he explained, “I am definitely against all steroids – not only in baseball but just in general.”
Anthony also commented on the “Baseball Fraternity” and how teammates are not supposed to “tattle” on each other. “Do I believe in it? Yes and No. I have read the Canseco book. It’s wrong what he is doing.” He also went on to say, “I personally don’t believe in the code for something like that. Is it worth being MVP or dying?”
Anthony also commented on testing in college and the consequences it has. “In college you need to say something, because of testing. If you fail a test you get the team kicked out of the Conference Tournament,” Anthony said. He said that facing your team after something like that would be very hard to do and he personally would be very angry at anyone who would do something like that.
No one knows who to suspect anymore when it comes to baseball. “There are always guys that look like, hey they look a little bigger this year,” said Derek Hutton of opposing players. “It is unfair to the kids,” added Cooney. “Because of the climate we are in everybody questions it and it is not fair. If someone hits 27 homeruns at the college level he might be questioned to be on steroids even if he is clean.” With steroids so readily available it is hard to differentiate a user from a non user. As Coach Cooney said, “All you need to do is find the right doctor.”
Testing for steroids has been a major question in all of baseball and all of sports. “In my opinion we could do a lot more,” Cooney exclaims. “Track, Baseball, Football and Basketball should be tested for steroids.”
Cooney feels that all college sports should be completely cleaned. NCAA, though it tested for steroids usually tests more for recreational drugs and not as much for steroids because of the cost of testing. Coach Cooney feels that it is more important to test for steroids than the recreational drugs such as marijuana. “It would be better to test for steroids rather than just pot, because steroids are worse than pot is.”
Testing is also done at random on a team’s roster, not every player tests every time. However if a player tests positive for any drug even once he is tested every time from there on out. “Everybody on a team should be tested,” said Hutton of the testing, who believes that it would clean the sport up faster and better. Coach Cooney agrees with Derek saying, “I would rather see everybody tested. But that is an expensive proposition.”
Testing itself is still not perfected even on the players that it does test. Human growth hormones or HGH is not tested for at any level. The testing done is through a urine sample and the only way to test for HGH is in a blood sample. “You have to just stay ahead of the law,” says Cooney of the HGH and the testing.
Cooney also commented on how Major Leaguers who are obviously on something could be telling the truth about not taking steroids, they could just be on HGH. Cooney believes that these players are on something, “You don’t gain muscle mass in your 30’s” he said of player like Bonds and McGwire.
FAU athletic trainer Anbrea Harrison also gave her medical standpoint on the issue of steroids, “The two worst short term affects that steroids have on people would be muscle injuries and the risk of out of control ‘roid rage.’ Roid rage can not only affect the person taking them but the people they know as well.” She added, “From a strictly athletic standpoint it can be useful. But is it medically the chance that you want to take?”
To date no FAU baseball player has ever tested positive for steroids, but that doesn’t mean the opportunity is not available to the players. Still FAU has been a successful team for years and continues to keep an untarnished record.
