It's that time of year again.....

December 1st marks the official countdown (well according to me) to the most exciting sporting event in Canada besides the Winter Olympics, The IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship. The tournament is incomparable to any other sporting event watched in Canada. Every year it beats out the Stanley Cup Final and Grey Cup in Canada as the most watched program, why? the tradition, excitement, and rivalry can’t be beat.

The Tradition; every year we see new young prospects come up and become super stars, receiving their 10 seconds of fame until the NHL draft. We see young 17, 18, and 19 year kids become heroes to the World.

Tradition can also be mixed into Rivalry. Year after year, Canada vs Russia rivalry creates such unity in Canada and has become essential part of the tournament. Even if that isn’t enough Canada vs. USA is also present. Rivalry has become such a important part of the tournament - it has become built around it; everyone waits for the new years eve game against the US and the finals are usually against Russia. The tournament is just so powerful with such strong hockey power-horses.

Excitement; not much to say - except remember these everlasting moments.

2005-2008 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcbXL4cCDwc

2009 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piXP-wZmzc4

2009 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQ8iHM30rSE

2010 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSDYg7HUTCM

World Juniors are just in a league of their own.

What to do with 'roids?

The issue of steroids in baseball has always been a hot topic. Usually a decision about the use of steroids is made over a period of time and serious investigations are completed to determine a appropriate punishment, some would say that’s sufficient but what if a player tests positive a day or even hours before Game 7 of the World Series. What happens then? There’s no time to investigate, no time to research, a decision must be made immediately....so what do you do? suspend him or let him play?

If you immediately suspend the player, you are potentially taking away his dream, a potential World Series ring. On the other hand, letting him play means you’re allowing cheaters play the game. So, how can you suspend or punish a player without taking his living (like his life’s dream); You can’t.

It doesn’t matter how you twist the situation one party is lack for a better word, screwed. The player could miss out on the only thing he’s ever wanted more than anything in the world; Something he’s spent his whole life working towards. How would you feel if your life’s dream was in your grasp, then at the last second it’s taken away?

When siding with the player, you are showing the world that Major League Baseball doesn’t care about rules and regulations. The MLB want’s to eliminate steroids in baseball and clean up the sport. Letting player play would not be showing that.

It’s a very messy situation however one angle hasn’t be explored yet. To many players past and present have come forward saying they’ve used performance enhancing drugs and those players were never punished for it. A slap on the wrist and they were on way. Why should things change now?

If a situation like this occurred chaos would ignite. The MLB has the opportunity to shock the world and completely reset the punishment of steroid use in baseball. In total there have only been 26 confirmed players tested positive while playing in the Majors. Up until 2006 a punishment was a ten game suspension, after 2006 the punishment increased to at least 50 games (in some cases 80). However these results only started to add up in 2004 when mandatory randomized began to occur. It’s been known that many among many players have used steroids before the testing, over 89 more players in the past few years have been accused of using steroids, but not punished.

For someone like me a situation like this not complicated. If a player tests positive for steroid use before the World Series you let them play. I feel that if the MLB really wanted to clean up the sport they would have done it already. The MLB should have begun suspensions and steroid testing before 2004. Okay, even if they didn’t have the technology to discover steroid use before 2004 that shouldn’t have stopped the MLB from setting a stronger standard when they were able too. If you wanted to punish players, come out bold right away, 100 game suspension or even a season, a big statement like that would scare off future users. A 10-50 game suspension just makes players become more careful about using steroids, not stop.

I also feel in terms of past users. For players that have come clean and admitted to steroid use even thought they never tested positive, should be punished. The athlete admits to cheating you have to punish him. In cases were it’s obvious performance enhancing drugs were used but there is no evidence you cant do anything about it which is why in a hypothetical situation like this would have to let the player play. You have already let steroid users play, I my opinion it’s too late to look back. Sadly a sport like Baseball is a place where your guilty until proven innocent, so because of the all the errors in the past everyone has become guilty and it’s to late to change it, therefore everyone must be innocent now. Let steroid users play.