Steroids and the Baseball HOF

[mcpapa]

With some blank ballots being returned this year "in protest of the steroid era", what are your thoughts?

 

My knee-jerk reaction is to say that the players who put up HOF-caliber numbers with the proven use od steroids should never get in.

 

Then again, who's to say that a whole bunch of the pitchers weren't doing the same thing?

[cooperstown]

With some blank ballots being returned this year "in protest of the steroid era", what are your thoughts?

 

My knee-jerk reaction is to say that the players who put up HOF-caliber numbers with the proven use od steroids should never get in.

 

Then again, who's to say that a whole bunch of the pitchers weren't doing the same thing?

 

But very few have been, or will be, definitively proven to have used. Lots of suspicion surrounding certain players, but little hard proof. But to turn in a blank ballot to "protest" the whole era is ridiculous. At what point does this type of protest end? Another 3 year? 5 years? 10 years? When is the protest sufficient? It needs to be a case-by-case basis.

 

That being said, I think people like McGwire and Sosa need not bother the balloting totals in the future. It will never happen for people like them. And I think this bodes very, very poorly for Clemens. The backlash right now is very strong and will last for a few years. I think the voters will make a specific point NOT to vote him on the first ticket.

[dmderringer10]

With some blank ballots being returned this year "in protest of the steroid era", what are your thoughts?

 

My knee-jerk reaction is to say that the players who put up HOF-caliber numbers with the proven use od steroids should never get in.

 

Then again, who's to say that a whole bunch of the pitchers weren't doing the same thing?

 

If you're going to use the word 'proven' then, IMO, no one has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that they used steroids.

[Wireman]

I think they should all be in if they put up the numbers. I also think Pete Rose should be in.

[formerkywrestler]

It is what it is. If they have the numbers, let them in. I'm sick and tired of hearing about the steroid era. Baseball has a testing system in place now so let it be. So many people are at fault for the steroid era in baseball...the sport can only move past it if it forgets it.

[JBCousins]

With some blank ballots being returned this year "in protest of the steroid era", what are your thoughts?

My knee-jerk reaction is to say that the players who put up HOF-caliber numbers with the proven use od steroids should never get in.

 

Then again, who's to say that a whole bunch of the pitchers weren't doing the same thing?

 

If you turned in a blank ballot, you should lose you right to vote. Did Rick Henderson, Jim Rice, and Bert Blyleven all use steriods? Protest by not voting for McGwire and Sosa, not everyone.

 

It is what it is. If they have the numbers, let them in. I'm sick and tired of hearing about the steroid era. Baseball has a testing system in place now so let it be. So many people are at fault for the steroid era in baseball...the sport can only move past it if it forgets it.

 

I agree. Baseball history will document that this was the steriod era and that stats were inflated because of that and the juiced balls. Just like the deadball era and pre-Ruth era you weren't expect to hit 500 homers to get in the Hall, in the steriod era you will be expected to hit more than 500 to get in.

[cooperstown]

It is what it is. If they have the numbers, let them in. I'm sick and tired of hearing about the steroid era. Baseball has a testing system in place now so let it be. So many people are at fault for the steroid era in baseball...the sport can only move past it if it forgets it.

 

Really? Palmeiro, too? You don't think his numbers are just a tad tainted?

[RNCSportsaholic]

Really? Palmeiro, too? You don't think his numbers are just a tad tainted?

 

I am sure that he hit a few of those homeruns, doubles, ect. against pitchers who were also juiced up, Everyone yells "unfair advantage" but if everyone, or most of the players were using them....what is unfair? I don't think the general fan has a clue about how widespread the use of steroids was during this era.

[cooperstown]

I am sure that he hit a few of those homeruns, doubles, ect. against pitchers who were also juiced up, Everyone yells "unfair advantage" but if everyone, or most of the players were using them....what is unfair? I don't think the general fan has a clue about how widespread the use of steroids was during this era.

 

Huge leap to assume all, or even most, of the players were using. SOME were, MANY were not. But we know for certain Palmeiro was. And then to go before Congress and put on the charade he did was a travesty. He disgraced himself and the game of baseball. He has NO place in Cooperstown.

[born2reign]

I am voting for guys from this era, if I had a vote. I would vote for Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, etc. I think they were great players and they deserve to be in. The steroids cloud will haunt the sport, but it is impossible to punish the players after the fact, IMO. We can't prove that they took anything (even though I believe all these guys were) or what was going on with the guys they were playing against after the fact. I say let people in based on who has the numbers.

[mexitucky]

My problem is that everyone in baseball allowed this to happen. The players' unions struck down testing, Selig didn't care as long as the fans came back, and the writers didn't care until they could find a better story than the longball. Now the same writers get to sit back and pass judgment. As far as I'm concerned, steroids was epidemic from '97-'06. Consider it a generation and rank the players as you would in any generation, rank them against their peers.

[RNCSportsaholic]

Huge leap to assume all, or even most, of the players were using. SOME were, MANY were not. But we know for certain Palmeiro was. And then to go before Congress and put on the charade he did was a travesty. He disgraced himself and the game of baseball. He has NO place in Cooperstown.

 

It was an accepted action by everyone involved with baseball. The people who had the power to nip it in the bud didn't because the fans loved all the offense this produced. Baseball disgraced itself, the players are just individual results from the "look the other way policy".

[JPP]

My problem is that everyone in baseball allowed this to happen. The players' unions struck down testing, Selig didn't care as long as the fans came back, and the writers didn't care until they could find a better story than the longball. Now the same writers get to sit back and pass judgment. As far as I'm concerned, steroids was epidemic from '97-'06. Consider it a generation and rank the players as you would in any generation, rank them against their peers.

 

I agree to a large extent. Factor in some other statements that others have made thus far, however. If the majority of your performance that makes you outstanding was likely due to enhancement, (McGuire for ex., ) is what gets your there, then no. If it may have prolonged a career that was HOF worthy in itself such as, (Clemens for example), then yes. I could live with leaving out the obvious abusers though, as long as you didnt penalize the whole era!

[stick1]

I think they should all be in if they put up the numbers. I also think Pete Rose should be in.

 

My first reaction is that I feel the same as you. It was a league full of supposed steroid use. A lot of speculation and there are guys that hit homeruns off of pitchers on roids and homeruns hit by guys on roids. It was no secret to anybody with common sense but it was what baseball felt like it had to turn away from to make the game appealing again. It worked for the most part. All I know is that my generation started off watching guys like Bench, Rose etc as a kid. Ripkin, Donnie Baseball, Gwynn all came in during the early too mid 80's. From 1985 until he retired there weren't any bigger pitchers for me or most people my age than Clemmons. From 87 on there wasn't a guy that was more exciting to watch at the plate than McGwire. Clemmons and McGwire were as exciting as they came at their respective crafts for A LONG time! I understand that they were both probably on the juice and knew it watching them. So were hundreds of other players I think but nobody could do what they could do. I love guys like Madduax and don't think he was on anything. Do we really know who was on the juice or not though?

[dmderringer10]

My first reaction is that I feel the same as you. It was a league full of supposed steroid use. A lot of speculation and there are guys that hit homeruns off of pitchers on roids and homeruns hit by guys on roids. It was no secret to anybody with common sense but it was what baseball felt like it had to turn away from to make the game appealing again. It worked for the most part. All I know is that my generation started off watching guys like Bench, Rose etc as a kid. Ripkin, Donnie Baseball, Gwynn all came in during the early too mid 80's. From 1985 until he retired there weren't any bigger pitchers for me or most people my age than Clemmons. From 87 on there wasn't a guy that was more exciting to watch at the plate than McGwire. Clemmons and McGwire were as exciting as they came at their respective crafts for A LONG time! I understand that they were both probably on the juice and knew it watching them. So were hundreds of other players I think but nobody could do what they could do. I love guys like Madduax and don't think he was on anything. Do we really know who was on the juice or not though?

 

No, and we never will.