Students downplay steroid significance

When Mark McGwire was bashing 70 home runs, Jackson's Tyler Beussink pretended to be McGwire in Wiffle ball games. He was 11 years old.

When Barry Bonds was breaking McGwire's record, Notre Dame's Dane Balsmann was beginning his high school baseball career.

And when McGwire, Jose Canseco and other suspected steroid users were testifying before Congress on Thursday afternoon, Cape Girardeau Central High School sophomore Matt Hester was smacking balls off a tee, hoping that his determination will one day lead to a college scholarship.

Today's high school athletes were in elementary school when baseball's steroid era supposedly hit its peak in the mid-1990s.

On Thursday, members of Congress brought baseball's problems into the mainstream by requiring parents, medical experts, baseball officials and current and former players to testify under oath.

A national survey suggests about 3.5 percent of high school seniors use anabolic steroids. If that were true in Cape Girardeau County, it would mean 11 seniors from Cape Girardeau Central, 16 from Jackson and five from Notre Dame were using the drugs.

But none of 10 high school athletes interviewed by the Southeast Missourian Thursday said they knew anyone or suspected that any of their teammates were using the "juice."

Balsmann said he sometimes sees people walking down the street with their shirts off and wonders if they're using. Balsmann and some of his teammates say they drink protein shakes in order to help them bulk up.

"I know just about everyone who lifts here, and I know for a fact no one uses them," said Mitch Glueck, a Notre Dame senior.

Glueck said he knows a few guys who use creatine, an over-the-counter but somewhat controversial supplement.

Notre Dame baseball coach Jeff Graviett said he and other coaches try to monitor athletes' physical progress and take note of anything unusual. He said some athletes use creatine, and the coaches try to make the athletes aware of the side effects, which include dehydration.

The players interviewed by the Missourian had a variety of opinions on the ongoing steroid scandal. For instance, Jackson senior Zach Brazer said he thought steroid use was cheating, which deserves a punishment at least that equal to Pete Rose. Rose was banished from baseball for betting.

Balsmann said he wouldn't call it cheating because steroids aren't a "magical pill" that automatically makes someone able to hit a baseball.

Regardless, high school athletes are subject to pressure to perform, particularly if they're looking for a college scholarship.

There may not be a big difference in ability from one marginal college prospect to another. Steroids are tempting to some to give them the edge over the athlete from perhaps a neighboring town. Given that context, should high school athletes be tested?

"I would love to say yes," said senior Jeremy Brinkmeyer from Notre Dame. "But it would be tough to test all high schoolers."

Central senior Scott Brueckner disagreed.

"It definitely could solve some major problems earlier," he said.

Graviett said he didn't think a testing program would be worth the cost. He just doesn't think there's a big enough problem to warrant testing.

Central baseball coach Steve Williams agreed that cost would be a major problem, considering the Cape Girardeau School District recently started making athletes pay fees to participate in sports.

Other than the cost, "I don't see any reason we shouldn't [test] if it's deemed illegal and harmful to the body," he said. He said one possibility would be to make drug tests a part of the athlete's annual physical exam. "I can't say that I know of anyone who has used steroids here," he said. "But I'm not naive enough to say that it's not going on at all."

bmiller@semissourian.com

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