SP Paul Byrd Will Step Out from Under HGH Cloud

Expect Indians hurler Paul Byrd to be cleared of wrongdoing in the steroids/HGH scandals, and be back on the mound before the first Spring Training game.

Though Byrd has admitted to using human growth hormone, he had a legitimate reason to do so and was under the care of a licensed physician at the time.

Surprisingly, not everyone is in agreement that HGH enables players to enhance their performances, with some schools of thought insisting that HGH is of no benefit to mature adults. They scoff -- for instance -- at claims that HGH has caused Barry Bonds' forehead and feet to enlarge, claims that have never been confirmed.

At any rate, HGH can be of great value, especially in combating dwarfism in adolescents and other conditions in grownups, a fact that MLB Commissioner Bud Selig will have taken into consideration when Byrd is cleared by March 1 or sooner.