Don Hooton's son, Taylor, was 6 foot 2, 180 pounds at the age of 16 when his high school baseball coach told him that he "needed to get bigger." Don told me, when we spoke at his suburban Dallas home that his son, Taylor, was following the example set by some of his favorite Major League Baseball players when he started taking steroids to get "bigger." Taylor Hooton was unaware of the depression he might experience while taking steroids. He took his own life in July of 2003. Young athletes are paying attention to the pros.

Fast forward to December 13, 2007. Jerry Daniels is a former minor league pitcher who now owns a string of athletic training facilities in the St. Louis area called Balls-N-Strikes. He, his coaches and facilities have helped train thousands of young athletes including, Ryan Howard (2006 NL MVP). Daniels told me of another example that young athletes are paying attention. He's heard kids talking at clinics about how they believe that the accomplishments of some major leaguers is because they used performance enhancing substances and have lost respect for those athletes. He told me it's clear, by these young athletes' conversations that they've paid attention to some of the coverage about baseball's steroid scandal. The young athletes have heard the talk of "cheaters" using steroids, the potential harmful effects of steroids and have concluded it's the wrong thing to do.

Taylor Hooton Foundation
http://www.taylorhooton.org/