Former Atlanta Braves pitcher John Rocker was never one to bite his tongue. If he has an opinion about something, he's gonna let you know. If you recall, he didn't make too many fans in New York or the gay and black communities.Rocker appeared on Cleveland's 92.3 The Fan and spoke rather fondly of baseball's steroid era. Unlike many of the baseball purists and Hall-of-Famers, Rocker believes that baseball was better with steroids.
“Honestly, and this may go against what some people think from an ethical stand point, I think it was the better game. At the end of the day when people are paying their $80, $120 whatever it may be, to buy their ticket and come watch that game, it’s almost like the circus is in town. They are paid to be entertained. They wanna see some clown throw a fastball 101-mph and some other guy hit it 500 feet. That’s entertainment. You’re paying to be entertained.
“And was there anything more entertaining than 1998 – I don’t care how each man got there – was there anything more entertaining than 1998?…watching Sammy Sosa and Mark McGuire chase 61 home runs? That was a mesmerizing time for every baseball fan out there…the people were getting their money’s worth.”
True, people were getting their money's worth, but would they have paid for it knowing it was a sham. I don't think so because then you're almost getting professional wrestling without a predetermined result.
I personally don't care one way or the other. I can see why players do it: to get a bigger payday and maintain an edge over their opponents. The game was entertaining, but in the end it was cheating. I don't condone it but I understand.
Furthermore I don't think the game of baseball would be better with players putting up video game numbers year after year.
