Strawberry: “Hell Yeah I Would Have Used” Steroids

When the subject is drug use by a baseball player in New York City, you know that, sooner or later, Darryl Strawberry's going to get asked about it. That's the way it goes when the metaphor for your career is a check for $100 billion being flushed down a toilet.

Strawberry is at Mets camp where David Lennon of Newsday caught up with him to hear his thoughts on Alex Rodriguez. Would Strawberry have used steroids during his playing days?

"Hell yeah I would have used them," Strawberry said. "Are you kidding me? I mean, c'mon. Some things are part of what athletes go through and they happen ...We're competitive creatures, and we have tremendous drive, a high tolerance, all these things. I'm not saying that it was the right thing to do. But if that was going on in the 80s, that probably would have been in my system too."

Well, duh. It would be fun to try and think of the substance that would make 1980's Darryl Strawberry draw the line. Would he take birth control pills if someone told him it would help his bat speed? Would he drink the urine of meth users to get a quick jolt of energy before at-bats?

Consistently lost among the Pollyanna-ish reactions to the drug use of A-Rod and others is the fact that most people would have done exactly the same thing. You're a baseball player faced with the prospect of using a drug without punishment that you've been told will help you become a better baseball player. Becoming a better baseball player means millions of dollars, a long career and adoring crowds. And, one more thing, tons of other guys are doing that drug so that they can get ahead of you. 

Strawberry may not be anyone's idea of an oracle, but it's still nice to see he avoided the all too common holier than thou response. 

Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com.

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