How do you solve a problem like Troy?

By now, we've been all over the map in trying to figure out what we think about this whole story with Troy Glaus and his performance enhancers.

We've felt betrayed.

We've made excuses for him.

We've shrugged it off.

We considered that we might just be screwed by a guy with a monster contract and little trade value.

We've tried to square our excuses for Glaus with our indictments of other "cheats".

The whole discussion on PEDs and steroids and HGH should be much more complicated than a simple "he cheated, therefore he's a bad guy" equation. There's a profoundly imperfect sliding scale of what is legal and what isn't in terms of drugs and/or supplements, and how actually effective they are at making a ball player bigger, stronger, faster or - maybe most importantly in this case - healthier.

Still, we've been asking ourselves: how will we feel if Troy Glaus hits a game-winning home run this season? How easily can you exchange a general sense of morality for a passionate love of your team?

Recommended reading
The Juice : The Real Story of Baseball's Drug Problems by Baseball Prospectus writer Will Carroll. If you want a better understanding of what steroids do, and a perspective on their true impact on the players and on the game, this is a must-read.