Would you be opposed to MLB players using

[Wassit3]

Sure the blade man gets around fine, but I don't see very many people going out and chopping off their legs so that they can run faster. Obviously there is a downside.

I suspect that that is more because of social issues and not medical ones

[dickay]

I suspect that that is more because of social issues and not medical ones

exactly...kenny, why is this so hard to understand? i'm not saying that chopping off ones legs is safer than lasik...may be, i don't know. what i am saying is that it one day may in fact be equally as safe if not safer and give a competitive edge with the advancements of modern medicine and technology. and thats just an extreme example. how about Tommy John surgery? There's a growing sentiment that young children SHOULD have this surgery at an early age as it helps their ability to pitch with a higher velocity later in life. I know i've read something along them lines. How do we say one (lasik) is OK and say that Tommy John is not (assuming the medical community, or at least a decent segment of it, agrees with it)??

[kenny1234]

Every sport has things that can provide an advantage - whether it is coaching, weight training, supplements, steroids, Lasik or bionic limbs. We allow some, we don't allow others. The point where you start ruling things out is going to be a mixture of maintaining a competitive sport, limiting health concerns and maybe a few other factors.

I never said Lasik should be allowed, or that Tommy John surgery shouldn't be. I don't know enough about the health effects of either to have a strong opinion. I just said that the health consequences of various enhancements is an important factor in deciding where to set the rules.

[free2131]

I personally think that adults should be able to do with their bodies what they want. If it endangers their lives and they still want to do it, that should be a decision that they make for themselves.

[Clay Dreslough]

If it's not against the rules, I wouldn't be opposed to players doing it.

Agreed. You obviously can't harsh on players for doing something that the rules allow. But I'd be tempted to add a rule to prevent something that changed the nature of the game, or that required that only millionaires could succeed (like robotic shirts) -- if that rule was really easy to enforce.

For example, I think MLB should outlaw maple bats. They don't change the whole complexion of the game. But they are more dangerous than ash bats and they break more, giving an advantage to minor league players that can afford a boatload of maple bats.