On Wednesday morning, Centerport second-grader Jon
Triscari reported for his version of spring training: vacation Baseball Bonanza camp at an indoor-sports facility in Huntington Station called WEST, for Winner's Edge Sports Training.
There was no talk of performance-enhancing drugs as Jon and 19 other kids ages 6 to 12 donned their gloves and warmed up. They are just regular kids who wanted to spend the week off from school playing ball.
But Jon, his buddies and kids like them across the country are the ones a congressional committee focused on when pitcher Roger Clemens testified this month that he never used human growth hormone or steroids to make him a bigger, stronger, better ballplayer.
They are the ones Andy Pettitte focused on Tuesday when he apologized for his use of HGH as he showed up for Yankees spring training in Tampa. "I also want to tell anyone who is an Andy Pettitte fan I am sorry, especially any kids that might look up to me," Pettitte said. "I never want a young person to do what I did."
And they are the ones parents worry about when trying to explain to their kids that the men they admire may be great sports performers but not great role models. That some of them cheated. Unfairly tried to get an edge over their opponents. Let everyone down by crossing the line in the quest to win at all costs.
"These are some of their favorite players," said Sarah Triscari, Jon's mom. That's why she has talked to Jon, 7, and his sister, Bitsy, 9, to be sure they understand that steroids are drugs. That message has gotten across to Jon and some of his ballplayer friends.
"They should really use their bodies, not just drugs to help them," Jon said. "They should exercise, not take drugs."
"It was a stupid thing to do," said fourth-grader Cameron Knox, who showed up to the camp wearing a Boston Red Sox cap. "I'm a little disappointed."
Parents can use this month's congressional hearings into drug use in Major League Baseball to remind young fans of the importance of healthy living and fair play, and that integrity is more important than physical prowess, local youth baseball coaches said.
They should:
Emphasize how drugs can harm the body.
Kevin Ehrlich, head baseball coach at Westbury Middle School, said he plans to bring up the HGH/steroid hearings when the season starts to make sure his seventh- and eighth-graders understand the dangers of using HGH or steroids.
"I would think the biggest issue is the physical harm that can come to the player," Ehrlich said.
The kids might see the short-term rewards, but not the long-term problems such as potential strokes. Heart problems can happen even to athletes under the age of 30. Using steroids puts teens at risk for liver disease and can weaken the immune system in general.
Appeal to their vanity.
Steroids can make boys' breasts grow, make them get pimples and make their hair fall out. Although they can increase muscle mass, steroids can inhibit growth in terms of height. They can also make the user moody and not fun to be around.
Remind kids that working out can bring results in a safer way.
"If they want to get strong, they can go to the gym and lift weights," said Bob Ambrosini, varsity baseball coach at Connetquot High School. "Kids are in such a hurry to get big that they don't let it come naturally."
Help diffuse the pressure on the older children to perform.
"Let's face it, there's a lot of pressure on kids to get the upper hand, just like at the professional level," Ambrosini said. "I think kids today look at these guys, and they make it very difficult for young people to make the right decisions."
Although several coaches said they don't see children in middle school and younger using steroids, they worry about what's going on in high schools. "I would not be opposed to each kid being screened for steroids at the beginning of the season and maybe at the midpoint of the season," Ambrosini said.
Talk about how bad it can feel to be a cheater.
"It's no fun cheating," said Allan Lans, a professor at Columbia University's medical school who was a psychiatrist for the Mets for 18 years. "You've got a secret. You're cheating yourself. You're cheating your parents and your friends. It makes you feel terrible. If you get away with it, it makes you feel worse, not better. If you want to be a good person, you don't cheat at all. Not taking steroids, not cheating on a test."
Point out the consequences of getting caught.
"We remind them to look at how they've taken down their careers," said K.C. Whitlow, owner of WEST.
Even though Clemens has maintained his innocence, he's been disgraced. His jersey, for instance, has been taken down from the Yogi Berra Museum in Little Falls, N.J. The unresolved controversy may keep Clemens out of the Baseball Hall of Fame, something he's worked his entire career to achieve.
Can-do kids
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