We are back in a familiar, yet uncomfortable place for major league baseball as spring training arrives. We are again discussing illegal performance enhancers and who did what and when.
Silly was anyone who believed we were in some post-steroidal age these past few years, just as foolishness existed in the way-back machine by anyone thinking BALCO or the Mitchell Report was a grand summation of the drug infestation of the sport rather than just a snapshot.
Thus, it would be just as wrong-headed now to believe Ground Zero for the current scourge is an anti-aging clinic in South Florida run by a fake bio-chemist named Tony Bosch, whose ego, greed and sense of grandeur all appear to far outstrip his medical pedigree.
In other words, this is like finding and killing a cockroach in your home and believing you have eliminated the species from the premises. We should suspect plenty of other Biogenesis-type institutions pockmark the landscape.
Here is the reality: When there is fortune or fame at stake — and not just in sports — many folks will pursue shortcuts, legal and illegal. The idea that there ever will be completely clean practices — on Wall Street, Main Street or on Fields of Dreams — is naïve.
The best an institution such as the major leagues can do is hope greater diligence with testing and — just as vitally — the humiliation that comes when cheaters are exposed works as a deterrent to lower the percentage of usage. The anecdotal evidence the past few years, as offensive numbers have come down considerably, suggests that has occurred.
Now we face a first season in which blood testing (which should provide a stronger detecting mechanism for the use of human growth hormone) and longitudinal testing (which should do the same for synthetic testosterone use) will be employed. Plus, the ongoing revelations out of South Florida that have, among others, Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun fighting for their reputations, if not their careers, should chill a few more players thinking of juicing.
Which leads me to wonder, as I head to spring: Is this going to lead to yet another dip in muscle, offense and health in 2013? Are we going to see some formerly capable players plummet in effectiveness because they cannot succeed without their PED of choice? Are we going to see older teams — notably the Yankees — struggle even more to stay healthy if there are no illegal elixirs to hold off the ravages of time?
I am curious to see body compositions, hear coaches and scouts on bat speeds and velocities, see the healing arc of players that have reached thirtysomething.
That is No. 1 on my mental list heading to spring. Here are four other examples:
HOW WILL THE ALL-IN TEAMS HANDLE THAT CONDITION? — One of the most admirable qualities about the Yankees for nearly two decades has been how well they cope with a mandate that nothing less than the playoffs — and, perhaps, a championship — is acceptable.
It is really quite a weight — October or failure. As an example, the Marlins and Angels were offseason champs a year ago and failed to even make the playoffs — same as the Dodgers, who were the in-season acquisition kings of 2012.
Yet, the Angels (Josh Hamilton) and Dodgers (Zack Greinke) went right on loading up this winter. In fact, while clubs such as the Yankees and Rangers were comparatively conservative in their approaches, it felt like an unprecedented number of clubs moved into all-in terrain — and, thus, the pressure that comes with that.
No one more fits that category than the Blue Jays, who, among other things, traded a chunk of their best prospects to land R.A. Dickey, Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson and Mark Buerhle to try to end two decades of postseason-less ball north of the border. The Tigers retained Anibal Sanchez for big dollars and signed Torii Hunter. Meanwhile, the Nationals (Denard Span and Rafael Soriano) and the Reds (Shin-Soo Choo) gave up big prospects or draft picks to try to fill holes on what already were playoff teams. Cincinnati, in particular, will be fascinating as it tries try to make Choo a center fielder and Aroldis Chapman a starter.
The Braves went all-in on the Uptons, B.J. and Justin, to try to win their first playoff series since 2001. The Royals gave up arguably the best hitting prospect in the minors, Wil Myers, to land James Shields and Wade Davis and get more serious about reaching the postseason for the first time since 1985.
WHAT DOES DEPTH OF ROSTER AND CHARACTER MEAN FOR BOSTON? — Even with the collapse of September 2011 still fresh, it hardly was conceivable at this time last year to believe Boston would fall to 69 wins.
The Red Sox surmised the disharmony that infested the roster — exacerbated by the hiring of Bobby Valentine to manage — combined with the lack of major league talent available once injuries struck fueled the freefall. So the organization initiated a three-step response: 1) Fire Valentine. 2) Hire John Farrell. 3) Saturate the roster with useful major leaguers.
The hope is Farrell, the team’s former pitching coach, can return to offer tranquility from the manager’s office while resuscitating, notably, Jon Lester to his former brilliance.
In the meantime, after excising the long and mostly odious pacts of Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez, Boston decided to spend a lot of money, but spread it around to a wider group. Did this give the Sox greater protection/versatility or just a bunch of meh players with the additions of Ryan Dempster, Stephen Drew, Jonny Gomes, Joel Hanrahan, Mike Napoli, David Ross, Koji Uehara and Shane Victorino?
WHO IS TIM LINCECUM? — At this time last year, the Giants were offering Lincecum five years at $100 million to stay. He then went 10-15 with a 5.18 ERA. That cost him a rotation spot for the playoffs. But in the postseason he became an invaluable relief weapon.
So who is he at a time when the Giants will try to win their third title in four years, again leaning heavily on their rotation and with Lincecum’s free agency now looming? If he is at vintage form, Lincecum would head into next offseason’s marketplace at age 29 as the most attractive starter, unless the injury-nipped Josh Johnson or Matt Garza can usurp him.
HOW LOW CAN THEY GO? — Houston lost 106 games in 2011 and 107 games in 2012, and what is amazing is the Astros will have to be better than expected to just lose 108 in 2013.
The Astros not only have stripped just about all veteran talent in the name of complete rebuilding, but are moving from the cushy NL Central to the fiercer AL West. At this moment, Bud Norris is Houston’s highest-paid player at $3 million — or $100,000 less than David Robertson receives to be the Yankees’ eighth-inning man.
On one hand, Houston general manager Jeff Luhnow has avoided half measures. He has committed absolutely to a road that already has vastly improved the organization’s prospect base with his trades. He holds the No. 1 overall pick this June for a second straight year and appears a lock to have that selection again in June 2014. He believes this is the best way to speed rebuilding — not to get obsessed with winning now if it will impede future success in any fashion.
But when it comes to competitive fairness/integrity this looks, and just might be, reprehensible. This might be the most overt throwing of a season ever. Strong clubs such as the Rangers, A’s and Angels can feast upon Houston and increase the chances both wild cards come out of the AL West, whereas the much more top-to-bottom competitive AL East teams should be beating up each other.
joel.sherman@nypost.com