Adam LaRoche vs. Jason Johnson

Outside the Lines, one of the few non-game good shows on ESPN, had an interesting topic today on Adam LaRoche, 1st baseman of the Atlanta Braves. Apparently, LaRoche has Attention Deficit Disorder. It affected him to the point this season, where he forgot to cover 1st base on a dropped 3rd strike and instead just stared at the bat that had been thrown accidently by the batter. LaRoche was prescribed a drug that is on the MLB banned list as a stimulant. The argument can be made in both cases. LaRoche should not be on the drugs because it is a performance enhancement and his performance has definately benefited. They showed a graphic where LaRoche was hitting about one hundred points higher after going on the medication. Dwight Stone, the US Track and Field President, said that LaRoche should not be allowed to be on this medication simply because it has been banned. And it makes sense, the medication is a performance enhancing drug. I think Stone missed the point in that there is a big difference between track and baseball. I did both and can safely say that baseball requires some thinking. Track requires some thinking, but it never really changes, where baseball can change from pitch to pitch.

The other side of the argument is that LaRoche needs the medication to perform his job. This is also true, but where does baseball draw the line? I space out all of the time at work, do I need medication? I thought more about this while watching the Cubs game today. Jason Johnson, from the Reds, was wearing and Insulin pump. I don't think that anyone would argue that Johnson needs to use this pump during the game, otherwise he could slip into a diabetic coma. However, how close are Johnson and LaRoche? LaRoche certainly would not die if he didn't take his medication, however it still helps, just as much as it helps Johnson and his insulin. So where is the difference? This will be a bigger issue as drugs become more prevalent with more options.