Should players who use drugs be considered for Comeback Player award?

Don't protect athletes

I don’t think it is right to honor a known cheater but we always do. Jason Giambi is a great player and probably has been the comeback player of the year, but he is a known steroid user. I don’t agree with or condone steroid use and never will but MLB needs to make that decision and needs to be consistent with it. I don’t believe it does.

Is it a mystery that Jason Giambi and Barry Bonds were conveniently hurt and ill during the period of time when the steroid hype was at its highest point? I don’t think so, and I don’t think it is coincidence that they are now back in the lineups and dominating the competition.

During the home run race with Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire a few years back, where was MLB? Were those guys clean at the time? Oh yeah, that wasn’t a banned substance at the time. Stop protecting your athletes for their bad decisions and be consistent!

-- Mark Walsh

Boys & Girls Club sports director, Roseburg

Awards reserved for fair play

Players who use controlled substances such as narcotics and anabolic steroids are cheaters, plain and simple. By choosing to use drugs they disrespect themselves, their team, the fans, and the game. This is an award intended for players who have overcome great adversity such as a season- or career-ending injury. Players who have increased their production after slumping for more than one season or the veteran who has contributed significantly to a championship team deserve recognition over someone who is a cheater.

One of the main reasons I’m still involved in sports is the spirit of fair play and the opportunity to instill that value in young people. When players at the highest level desecrate this value by using steroids to gain an unfair advantage, it sends a very negative message to those young people who look up to them.

I’ve had the privilege of coaching and playing in some great athletic programs. In every one of those, athletes signed a contract stating that they would refrain from the use of illegal drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. Over the years when that contract was broken, those players lost their privilege to be on that team.

In my opinion, professional sports teams and leagues give their players too many chances when they cheat in this way. So, until the NFL and Major League Baseball start dishing out serious consequences for drug infractions we will still see this problem. Unfortunately NFL and Major League Baseball are interested in making money more than sending a strong message to all players.

In the meantime, I will encourage young people to look up to the true champions who experience success through hard work and perseverance like Jerry Rice, Nolan Ryan, Troy Polomalu, Josh Bidwell and Jamie Burke.

-- Al Springer

Charter school director, Roseburg

Should reward natural ability

You could go either way with this, right or left. If only accused (Lance Armstrong), yes. If admitted or found guilty (Jason Giambi), hell no.

To me, pro sports is about athletes who have natural talent beyond that of the average person. If it takes drugs or steroids to make them better than the average, then they don’t belong in pro sports.

Jason Giambi has been mentioned for “Comeback Player of the Year.” This is a guy who admitted to using steroids, and I think he should be out of the question. Is Giambi going to be the Daryl Strawberry of the steroid world? Only time will tell, I guess. But what kind of message is that sending to the fans?

True talent is Hank Aaron, Walter Payton, Michael Jordan, Mia Hamm and Michael Johnson. Those people, to me, are what pro talent is all about (natural ability).

-- Evin Nordhagen

UPS/Ingram empoyee, Roseburg