The different issues commonly lumped under the "Steroids" banner confuse me.

My oft-stated goal on this site is to add insight to any consideration of the Dodgers and baseball - and keep my mouth shut when I don't have said insight to offer. As a result, you've probably never read any words from me here about supplements, or whatever the appropriate words are. (See - I'm not even comfortable with the language.)

We still don't know for sure how big this story is going to become, not even after the allegations in today's San Francisco Chronicle, allegations that The Bench Coach eloquently addresses. But something's up.

So what I'm going to do is this. I'm going to present my papier-mache thoughts on the subject. And then, if anyone wants to provide feedback, I'll use that feedback to build upon those thoughts. One man's opinion, formed by committee.

It's my own little experiment - it may go nowhere, but we'll see. Here goes:

Thread 1: Language

1) I'm not clear on the language. I know calling everything "steroids" is a gross oversimplification. I want to be precise (without being incoherent). What exactly are the things we talking about here?

Thread 2: Where's the Line?

1) I think no one should use drugs or supplements that could be potentially harmful to the body.

2) I think no one should be pressured to use these supplements, either, by the idea that they need them to stay competitive.

3) However, it may not be clear which supplements are harmful and which are harmless.

4) Thus, it is not clear where to draw the line on these supplements.

5) Unless you feel that supplements that are harmless should be banned as well.

6) Except then, how do you know where to draw the line? Even Gatorade is a supplement if you want to define it that way, right?

Thread 3: Punishment

1) If someone has been found to use a supplement that was not explicitly banned by baseball, there should be no sanction, should there?

2) Does baseball in fact have rules forbidding usage of the substances currently under investigation in the BALCO case?

As you can see, there's a lot of ignorance on these topics at Dodger Thoughts Central. If you have your own insights, please add them in the comments below.