A Family Thing

The revelation that Gary Matthews, Jr. has purchased HGH has inspired a lot of reactions.

His dad is remaining loyal (as dads do).

His new team is pissed ($55 million down the drain?).

His old team is relieved (that he’s somebody else’s problem).

Me? I can’t believe I never suspected him.

We’re talking about a 32 year-old guy with eight seasons and seven teams under his belt who couldn’t hit a lick until two years ago. How could I not have suspected he was on steroids? This guy was Brady Anderson, the sequel.

Upon further review, I think a big reason I never suspected Matthews had to do with his reputation as a “character” guy. Matthews, after all, is a baseball lifer, the son of legendary National League slugger Garry “Sarge” Matthews. How could a guy who has been a part of the game all his life do something that would risk his place in it?

What a silly question. As SI writer Jon Heyman points out, it’s the juniors who are using steroids the most:

Matthews and Jerry Hairston, another player reported by SI.com to have been linked to alleged HGH sales on the Internet, both are former Orioles. Baltimore’s Rafael Palmeiro, of course, famously tested positive for steroids in 2005. One reason that the Orioles didn’t pursue Bonds, in fact, was to avoid another potential scandal. It’s also interesting to note that like Bonds, both Matthews and Hairston are sons of major leaguers.

Oh, and this just in: David Bell has been busted for using HGH, too! That’s right, David “son of Buddy” Bell.

I don’t know why these sons of former players are so quick to use steroids. Or why they’re so easily caught. I just pray that Ken Griffey, Jr.’s name doesn’t turn up on any illegal pharmacy lists. That would be a dark day indeed.