MLB Steroid Era: Where Are They Now?

Major League Baseball is still working to clean up the game and rid the sport of performance enhancing drugs. While the battle may never end, most believe that the worst of it is over. The rampant use of PED's is a black mark on baseballs checkered past that has taken down several Hall of Fame caliber players. These larger than life athletes once ruled the sport, their ascent to baseball royalty quickly followed by tragic downfalls that leave them on the outside of Cooperstown, looking in.

While the baseball world awaits a decision from MLB on the latest PED scandal, here's a look at the most notorious steroid users and where they are now...

Jose Canseco: 

The former Rangers' slugger has played a key role in exposing rampant steroid use in baseball. After publishing two books, Canseco is still trying play baseball. At 48 years old, he is suiting up for the Fort Worth Cats of the United Baseball League. Canseco's bizarre personality keeps over 500,000 Twitter followers entertained on a daily basis with regular updates of his life in Las Vegas.

Mark McGwire: 

The former single season home run champ battled his way through the steroid scandal and managed a better fate than the rest of the players on this list. The slugger is currently the Los Angeles Dodgers' hitting coach and has managed to stay out of the bizarre limelight that the rest of the players on this list seem to find themselves in regularly. He has also become very philanthropic, creating a foundation to supports agencies that help physically and sexually abused children.

Sammy Sosa:

The baseball world was captivated by Sosa, the funny Dominican slugger who provided the perfect balance to McGwire in the 1998 home run race. Since his retirement, Sosa has been mocked in the media, first for his apparent change in skin color and most recently for his bizarre actions on social media. Despite being on the receiving end of countless jokes, it appears Sosa is spending his time helping others. He recently purchased the distribution rights for a needle free injection system known as Injex21.

Barry Bonds: 

The (un?)disputed home run king is hardly recognizable to the media and players who used to spend every day with him. Not only has the slugger shrunk down to a fraction of his "playing size", but he is also singing a different tune. Hoping to find his way back in to the baseball fraternity, Bonds shared with reporters that his persona was an act and that he is actually a likeable guy. Only time will tell if the Giants like this new likeable Bonds enough to offer him a coaching position.

Roger Clemens: 

Much like Canseco, Clemens has felt the need on several occasions to prove that he still has what it takes to play in the big leagues. Last August, he made a surprisingly impressive start for the Sugar Land Skeeters at age 50. Most recently, Clemens has been the subject of social media attention as he shares his thoughts on his career and his failure to earn enough votes to get into the Hall of Fame. While we're unsure if Clemens will ever attempt to toe the rubber again, we are certain we haven't heard the last from the Texan.

Top 10 NBA Trades of All Time

While Miami Heat fans are still basking in the glow of a second-straight championship, the rest of the basketball world has turned their focus to next season. Thursday's blockbuster trade between the Nets and the Celtics sent shockwaves through the NBA and paved the road for what will undoubtedly be a wild offseason.

While the Nets will see an immediate impact with the addition of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, the Celtics have opted to rebuild, taking on five role players and three future draft picks. Only time will tell which team got the best out of this trade, but chances are it will be talked about for years to come.
Thursday's trade could go down as one of the most impactful of all time, but until then, here are the top 10...

10. Charles Barkley: 

The Phoenix Suns stole Barkley away from the Philadelphia 76'ers and entered an era of successful basketball behind the big personality. Barkley, who went on to win an MVP title, was traded to the Suns in exchange for Jeff Hornacek, Tim Perry and Andrew Lang.

9. Dirk Nowitzki: 

Dirk was an unknown when the Bucks drafted him in 1998, but he would make a home in Dallas after being traded for Robert Taylor. Nowitzki went on to a Hall of Fame career while Taylor started a total of 73 games.

8. Kevin Garnett: 

Before there was a big three in Miami, the Celtics formed a trio that would bring a 2008 championship to Boston. In the summer of 2007, the Timberwolves shipped Garnett to Bean Town in exchange for an army: Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair, Gerald Green, Theo Ratliff, cash considerations and a 2009 first-round draft pick.

7. Shaquille O'Neal: 

When the Miami Heat traded for Shaq, they received the largest player in the league, the biggest personality and their first ever title. The fact that they only had to give up Lamar Odom, Caron Butler and Brian Grant had them smiling on their championship parade floats.

6. Scottie Pippen: 

The Seattle Supersonics of the 1990's dominated the West while the Bulls dominated the entire league, winning six NBA titles behind Jordan and Pippen. The fate of each franchise was set in 1987 draft when the Bulls acquired Pippen in exchange for Olden Polynice. Years later, Seattle fans could only dream of what a Payton-Pippen-Kemp trio could have accomplished.

5. Bill Russell: 

The St. Louis Hawks had the opportunity to draft Russell in the 1956 draft, but didn't have the funds available to sign him. In hindsight they should have taken out every loan possible to get the deal done, but instead traded him to Boston for Cliff Hagan and Ed Macauley.

4. Chris Paul: 

In 2011, the Lakers agreed to a deal that would have brought Paul to the Lakers to play alongside Kobe, but Commissioner Stern squashed it, instead allowing the NBA-owned New Orleans Hornets to send Paul to the Clippers in exchange for Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Faroq Aminu and a draft pick. Lakers fans are still fuming over Stern's dubious decision.

3. Kobe Bryant: 

The Charlotte Hornets were looking for a player to make an immediate impact, so they traded away one of the greatest players of all time for three years of Vlade Divac. The center led the team to a couple of playoff appearances, but Kobe would climb the all-time points leader list while winning five championships.

2. Wilt Chamberlain: 

The Sixers thought the best player in the NBA was declining, so they traded him to the Lakers for Jerry Chambers, Archie Clark and Darrall Imhoff. The Lakers knew Chamberlain still had several great years left and they were right. The center played five more seasons, leading the Lakers to a championship in 1971-72.

1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: 

While Kareem had several good years as a Milwaukee Buck, he will forever be remembered as a Laker. The larger-than-life center led the Lakers to five NBA titles while collecting three of his record six MVP awards with the team. The 1975 trade that sent Elmore Smith, Brian Winters, Dave Meyers and Junior Bridgeman to the Bucks is still the best deal in Laker history.