"Steroids are ruining the game of baseball. It has faced no more serious threat since gamblers gained control of the World Series in 1919."Or are we overreacting? The problem of steroids, recreational drugs, and other performance enhancers is one of the fundamental issues facing not only baseball but all of sports and society. With pundits pointing fingers and former players naming names, a drug-induced McCarthyism is tarring some of the greatest players ever to take the field. In The Juice, Will Carroll, an acknowledged authority on baseball conditioning and injuries, calls for a scientific, reasoned approach to the steroids problem. He first explains the science of steroids and other drugs, describes how athletes are tested, considers the scientific evidence of effects and side effects, and, most important, analyzes whether and how these drugs impact the game. He explores the grey area of legal supplements, covers the BALCO story, and speculates on the next generation of performance enhancers. And he profiles the motivations and experiences of professional players, student athletes, and baseball trainers. Carroll has interviewed hundreds of players, executives, owners, and experts. His information from players who have used steroids will surprise everyone with the reasons why players cheat. His exclusive conversation with the creator of some of baseball's most abused substances will make The Juice the season's most widely discussed baseball book. For readers who want to understand why baseball has a drug problem, how the drugs work, and how they have affected the game, Carroll provides the answers. They are surprising—and should lead to new and better questions.
Will Carroll writes for Baseball Prospectus and is the author of Saving the Pitcher, a revolutionary book about preventing pitching injuries that has been widely applauded. His father, Dr. William Carroll, is a former athletic trainer in professional sports and a respected sports medicine educator. Will Carroll lives in Indianapolis, and William L. Carroll lives in Mobile, AL.
What People are Saying About This
Allen Barra
"A dose of enlightenment." —baseballmuse.com
Dayn Perry
This book...[is] brimming with cold-eyed analysis, digestible science and shoe-leather journalism. No histrionics, no agenda; just an exhaustive look at steroids and what they mean for the game. It's the most important work of its kind. —FOX Sports
Ira Berkow
Authoritative and insightful. Carroll's book helps clear the bases on one of the murkiest--and ominous--problems in sports today. —sports columnist and author of Red: A Biography of Red Smith
Thiel
"Intriguing detail." —Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Fred Claire
Anyone who knows Will Carroll, or who has read his writings for Baseball Prospectus, knows he cares deeply about the game of baseball. It is the very reason he has authored The Juice. —former L.A. Dodger Executive VP and author of Fred Claire: My 30 Years in Dodger Blue
Will Weiss
The Juice is a must-read for legislators, sports administrators, educators, lawyers, doctors, journalists, athletes of all levels, and fans. —Senior Editor, YESNetwork.com
Tom House
The Juice is a great resource for information on the history and presence of banned and illegal performance enhancers in sports.
Democrat and Chronicle
"Riveting."
Eric Neel
"Intriguing detail." —Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Jeff Erickson
Will Carroll's The Juice fills the yawning educational gap that exists in discussions on the topic. —Rotowire
Art Thiel
"Intriguing detail." —Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Rob Neyer
Stop! Don't say another word about 'steroids' until you've read The Juice.
—ESPN
Karl Kuehl
Eye opening! This is an important book for everyone who influences young athletes. ...An objective look...
