Jim Parque: Why I Used HGH

Hands down one of the most interesting pieces I have read all year. Former White Sox starter Jim Parque pens a piece where he admits why he used HGH and offers his reasoning for doing so. There is simply too much good stuff for me to just cherry pick his words, so I encourage you to click on the link and check it out.

Jim Parque

What I came out of the piece was this: the decision to use HGH was a totally rational decision for Parque. After injuring his shoulder in 2000, Parque feared for his career. After working for so many years and putting in so many hours perfecting his craft, baseball was all Parque knew and was the only way he knew how to make a living. The thought of being forced away from baseball put Parque's future in doubt and left him wondering how he could support his family.

So in a last ditch effort to revive his career, Parque turned to HGH, which was not banned by MLB at the time. Even though Parque only used the drug a handful of times, the aftermath of using HGH (being mentioned in the Mitchell Report) has not been easy to deal with.

I can't help but feel sorry for Parque. The decision to use HGH was a choice that he made because his options were dwindling and he needed to support his family. If any of us were put in Parque's situation, I think we would have a tough time not using HGH.

Thoughts?