agreed that the drug testing is a joke. it should be. it is for the public and the media not the "integrity" of the game. i dont worry if the cashier at wallmart smoked a bowl friday night. as far as steroids go...we might as well go watch little league games if they were truley regulated. the nfl would have to close it's doors. they crucify barry bonds for using but never mention the pitchers throwing 100 mph for 15 years also forgetting he had hall of fame numbers before these allegations. uneducated public still think steroid users look like body builders. most of the time when someone violates the substance abuse program it is a perfect cover story for what really happened. i'm not condoning use. i'm just saying it is an absolute necessity most of the time. public demand is tremendous for athletes to perform. if a guy takes his son to a game and spends a boatload of hard earned money to go there and the son's hero has a sore ankle and sits out, no one is happy. if the athlete uses something to make him play and is found out, no one is happy. lose lose. they talk about unfair advantage? please. isnt getting laser surgery, to see better, an unfair advantage? never hear any complaints about that. rec drugs are a tough one. i dont feel a man should be punished for using drugs if that is what he chooses to do unless it's an obvious dangerous situation. i wouldnt want to be operated on by a doctor who is stoned but what the hell does it have to do with sports? lawrence taylor, one of the best football players ever, admitted to using cocaine during every game he ever played. looks like it helped him. lol. you think guys like babe ruth never used anything after a night of binge drinking then having to play a double header the next day? extreme points i know and for medical reasons using cocaine during any athletic event is probably the dumbest thing one could do. in their own home or out with the boys? none of the publics business. children using steroids is way over blown. steroids dont even work until your growth plates have closed. "roid rage"? what a joke. no such thing. if the media is so worried about these things then stop reporting it. if they are so worried about the "children" then dont tell the "children". i dont remember kids hangin around my locker. language, booze, drugs, women. a locker room is no place for a child. funny how the media loves to report all this stuff then worries about the "children" later. sorry for the long rant. for the record i never used anything during my playing days. i would have but was not educated enough at the time. i didnt feel comfortable. pain killers and cortizone were a way of life but they havnt attacked those yet. nash, not alot of nhl guys using like in the other sports. the endurance needed in hockey narrows the choices down alot and sometimes becomes counterproductive you really have to know what you are doing. growth hormone is a big thing and boxers use it as well. look at holyfields 44 yr old body. i have used growth myself and it is amazing just way too expensive for the average person. and while bashing athletes i guess they forget about actors and models. they're "role models" too right? remember fight club? ya think brad pit looks that way everyday? how bout edward norton jr. in american hstory x? guess it's ok as far as the public is concerned. just one more thing then i'll shut up. i used to hear alot of people always say that they would do my job for free. they have no idea what they were talking about.