BobbyRags Sports Website and Blog

Raul Ibanez has gone on the defensive regarding an internet blogger's hints of possible steroid use by the Phillies outfielder.

"You can have my urine, my hair, my blood, my stool - anything you can test. I'll give you back every dime I've ever made if the test is positive" Ibanez told the Philadelphia Inquirer. Currently second in the league with home runs (19) and tied for first in the National League with 54 RBIs, Ibanex further stated "I'll come after people who defame or slander me".

The man's outrage is somewhat understandable, yet not entirely. What MLB players have to realize is that they have by now lost the presumption of innocence in the eyes of the press, and to an extent the fans as well. From Rafael Palmeiro wagging an arrogant finger at Congress only to be suspended from playing a few months later, to the current suspension of Manny Ramirez, people are simply sick of it.

Ibanez has a case to plead for playing on the up and up, yet you can not simply wipe away the stigma of what has officially become the steroids era. And Major League Baseball and it's player's union have only themselves to blame. Casting a blind eye to this issue while watching attendance and interest in the sport escalate over the past two decades has resulted in skepticism and outright mistrust of not only the players, yet the sport itself.

Where does this lead in the future? Who in the hell knows? Apparently players are still functioning under the false belief that they can cheat drug tests. Perhaps the idea of playing clean will eventually catch on to all of them. Yet in the meantime, the fans can look forward to visiting Cooperstown one day in the future and NOT seeing many of the famous names that racked up a string of amazing statistics. Then again, maybe they will, with asterisks next to them.