Top 10 of the Aughts - Baseball Steroid Scandal

"I've been tarnished in baseball for years and years, brother. There's nothing you guys can write or people can say that will ever fix that. It doesn't matter anymore. I go out there and enjoy the game."
--Barry Bonds

It's gotten to the point where we know what to expect when a baseball player is revealed to be a steroid user. There's no such thing as initial shock anymore. Sports writers dig out the old articles either condemning or lamenting the era, only changing the names around. Bloggers are quick to post the most homoerotic photos of the offending player flexing or working out. ESPN shows highlights of the player hitting home runs or pumping fastballs. YouTube clips spring up of the player denying all allegations, with comments on the videos dissecting and arguing the info like it's government secrets getting leaked. The announcement of an exclusive interview, or a press conference, or a Congressional Hearing is met with the excitement that's only equivalent to the last episode of a popular show or the verdict of a trial featuring OJ Simpson. It is eagerly anticipated and immediately dissected. Has there been a more communal sporting event this decade as the moment when a player is revealed to be a steroid user?

Eventually, the news cycle moves onto the next story. The Deadspin tab on the web browser is clicked off. The YouTube videos are stopped. Even when that happens, there's still a season to be played. When the games begin, the player emerges from the dugout, a fan stands up and begins the chant, and it eventually sweeps throughout the park.

"STE-ROIDS! STE-ROIDS! STE-ROIDS!"

And the chant never goes away.

People like to wax on about how damaging this is, but it's undeniable we've lived and are living through a defining sports moment in time. Interviews with Katie Couric have as much of an imprint on baseball history as Hank Aaron getting met by fans while he's rounding the bases. It has been disappointing, but it hasn't been boring. As long as people care about the game of baseball, Alex Rodriguez admitting to Peter Gammons that he was a steroid cheat will live in baseball mythology as Lou Gehrig's luckiest man alive speech. It's an unforgettable and indelible moment.

The steroid scandal has produced so many memorable moments, that it's actually easy to come up with a Top 10 of this whole saga. I had to omit some personal favorites. Jason Giambi showing up to Spring Training looking like he lost forty pounds and only saying he lost 4. The actual breaking news report of a player getting linked to steroids. Bud Selig's reaction to Barry Bonds tying Hank Aaron. I also wanted to include more abstract moments like how everytime a player had a clear steroid related injury (anything involving tendons) and the sports media walked on egg shells reporting it. Or the bizarrely and consistently ignored outrage about steroids in other sports, specifically football. Or anytime Roger Cossack appeared on SportsCenter.

For the actual list, 7 out of the 10 I named are actual moments involving specific players, 2 involve coverage of the steroid angle, and 1 is an actual news article. It's safe to say that this list will change if and when the names of the 104 players who failed the drug tests of 2003 are revealed. Until then, here's a preliminary list of the Top 10 Baseball Steroid Scandal moments of the Aughts.

1. The Congressional Hearings of 2005 - Mark McGwire is not here to talk about the past
2. Barry Bonds 2005 Spring Training Press Conference
3. Alex Rodriguez admits steroid use to Peter Gammons
4. Roger Clemens' 60 Minutes Interview
5. The Mitchell Report coverage
6. Sports Illustrated's Ken Caminiti article
7. SportsCenter coverage of Barry Bonds breaking the All-Time Home Run Record
8. The Congressional Hearings of 2005 - Rafael Palmeiro denies steroid use
9. Roger Clemens vs. Brian McNamee in front of Congress
10. Jose Canseco's book release and the immediate bashing he took from everyone involved in baseball