With the glut of books on baseball and steroids about to hit the bookstores, it would seem that writers have been aching for the Mitchell Report to come out. But as anyone who knows the publishing process will tell you, these projects are planned well in advance.
Nevertheless, here’s another one, from the pen/typewriter/computer of Nick Garcia, titled A Very Big league of Their Own: Cracking Baseball’s Steroid Code (Tate Publishing and Enterprises).
According to a Jan. 3 story in the Fayetteville, IN Daily News, Garcia, a novelist, became interested in the drug issue during the 2005 House Government Reform Committee’s hearings on steroids in baseball.
Garcia recalls that while watching clips of the hearings, he told his father, “I have a way to give you a good idea of exactly who in Major League Baseball is on ‘the juice.’”
To accomplish this, Garcia began to study the career trajectories of known steroid users such as Jose Canseco, Ken Caminiti and Jason Giambi. His statistical analysis showed that each aforementioned player’s performance in the areas of batting average and home runs significantly and quantifiably spiked after he began taking steroids.
Garcia then applied his formula, which he playfully calls “The Theory of Roidactivity,” to the career trajectories of possible steroid users. Not surprisingly, many of the players suspected publicly as steroid injectors have statistics that fit nicely into Garcia’s theory.
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Garcia’s controversial book also contains a chapter on what the author perceives as racism in Major League Baseball’s current drug-testing regimen.
Obviously, Garcia is not out to make friends with anyone in the majors. “I had the liberty to tell it like it is. People who have read my book have told me that I say the things that they wanted to say, and that I say the things that the mainstream sports media cannot say because of its close relationship with the league.”
is available on Amazon.com,
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I truly am having trouble will all this steroid investigation. Sure the league banned it in the early 70’s, but all the clubs & reporters seemed to have turned a blind eye until recently. Aside from making headlines, what drove us to warrant a congressional investigation?
If there are that many kids willing to follow the majors lead and take steriods to enhance their development should not the focus be on education.
Cigarette smoking has significantly dropped since it was put in the school system. One can expect the same with steriod use.
Then how would you explain Roger Maris’ 61?
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