Part 2 of today's steroid rants. We all know that very little came from the steroid hearings before congress last week, but what bothered me the most was the two sets of parents who blamed baseball players for the deaths of their children. Apparently, because McGwire and Bonds had taken steroids and made it big, these deluded young men thought they could do the same. Yet, the parents take no responsibility. It's not their fault that their kids took steroids. It's somehow the fault of the players.

Denise Garibaldi, her voice trembling, told Congress Thursday that all her son, Rob, had wanted in life was to be a professional baseball player like his heroes, Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds.

Urged by scouts and coaches to bulk up to get drafted, the collegiate player from Petaluma turned to steroids. According to his mother, Rob persisted in using the illicit drugs even when they plunged him into fits of anger and depression that ultimately led him to take his own life at age 24.

Yes...he wanted to be like his heroes, so he used illegal drugs. It must be the player's fault. Apparently, similar to Barry Bonds, these families take no responsibility on themselves. It seems that Rob "plunged into fits of anger and depression," yet what did his parents do? Not enough I guess since he continued to use illegal steroids. Did they provide him counseling? Did they make sure that he knew that steroids are illegal? If he was using steroids, what other drugs could he have been using? I really don't know all the facts about this case, and I'm quite sure it's easy to take steroids behind your parents' backs at school in the lockerroom, but it's also far easier to take them locked in your room without any teammates around. I'm sure you can hide your "roid rages" for so long, but it seems the parents noticed his depression - yet, what was done to help stop those fits of anger? I'm sure the parents will have excuses for everything that has happened and it's probably easier for them to rationalize the death by blaming the superstars, but it's just an easy cop-out and more than McGwire refusing to answer questions about the past, more than Bonds not even being invited to the hearing, and more than Sosa pretending to know no English, this was the one thing that stood out from last week's hearings and make me upset.

"How many more youngsters will die questing ego and fame through steroids?" Garibaldi asked at Thursday's hearing on steroids in baseball.

I guess it's just easier to blame the professionals for the deaths of their children rather than accepting the fact that it was just bad parenting. How many more youngsters will die from poor parenting?

URL: Congress slams baseball's integrity / Lawmakers take a hard line with players and game's officials on steroids policy / PARENTS' STORIES / Their sons' deaths blamed on steroids