The all-time poster boy for playing hurt in baseball has to be Mickey Mantle, the New York Yankees legendary center fielder.

A switch hitter that hit with stunning power from both sides of the plate, Mantle suffered for years with bad legs.

Looking back at his overall performance, its nothing less than amazing that he soldiered through so many campaigns, especially toward the end of his career.

I found myself wondering what his lifetime statistics would have been if he had the benefit of steroids and modern medicine.

Would he have beaten Babe Ruths overall mark of 714 home runs?

And during that phenomenal summer when he and Roger Maris were neck and neck in the home run derby, what would their numbers have looked like had they both been juiced?

Speaking of juice, if you can believe the presentation of Mantle in the movie, 61 that chronicled Maris record setting season, the great Mantle was doing a lot of self-medicating with alcohol.

What a downer, figuratively and literally.

With the steroid cocktails devised by todays trainers and gym rats, Mantle probably would have felt only minor discomfort and he would have had monster strength. He might have passed on using the bottle, altogether.

What do you think the extra percentage of effectiveness is for a power hitter who has steroids coursing through his bloodstream?

Is he going to hit 10 more homers a season, or 20, or 30?

Ive just been talking about Mantle and Maris.

Henry Aaron DID beat Ruths record for lifetime homers.

Would he have reached 1,000 or more?