HOF Candidates

[MTK]

Show me a sport that hasn't been tainted by performance enhancing drugs at some point. Yet for some reason the purists act like baseball is supposed to be so above this.

I was at the baseball Hall of Fame over the weekend and overheard a guy talking to his son about how Rafael Palmeiro cheated and took steroids, and he was talking with such disgust. It would be wise if the voters just accepted the steroid era and voted in the guys that were the best players during the time. To shut them all out when it was pretty obvious what was going on at the time is insane and hypocrisy at it's best.

[Giantone]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

Show me a sport that hasn't been tainted by performance enhancing drugs at some point. Yet for some reason the purists act like baseball is supposed to be so above this.

I was at the baseball Hall of Fame over the weekend and overheard a guy talking to his son about how Rafael Palmeiro cheated and took steroids, and he was talking with such disgust. It would be wise if the voters just accepted the steroid era and voted in the guys that were the best players during the time. To shut them all out when it was pretty obvious what was going on at the time is insane and hypocrisy at it's best.

Good point Matty, why is no one screaming for the heads of players from the 80's,70's, and 60's?.......there were steroids back then but I guess that was ok.You know Reggie Jackson must have been on something.
Better yet lets look at Lyle Alzzado or John Matuzack(sp) both admitted (after) that they had used steriods and that it help lead directly to their early deaths.

[irish]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

Show me a sport that hasn't been tainted by performance enhancing drugs at some point. Yet for some reason the purists act like baseball is supposed to be so above this.

I was at the baseball Hall of Fame over the weekend and overheard a guy talking to his son about how Rafael Palmeiro cheated and took steroids, and he was talking with such disgust. It would be wise if the voters just accepted the steroid era and voted in the guys that were the best players during the time. To shut them all out when it was pretty obvious what was going on at the time is insane and hypocrisy at it's best.

I totally agree. As much as people like to dis baseball I think this purist attitude comes from the hold that baseball has on the national sports psyche that no other sport has. For a lot of people baseball is the first sport a lot of kids play and the Dad & kid at a ballgame is a fond memory in a lot of minds. Baseball may not have the passionate following that football has but it does have deep happy memories for lots of sports fans in the USA.

I think the MLB record book should have a preamble that adresses the fact that at some point the ball was dead, then it was lively, then the pitchers mound was lowered, then most parks had astroturf, then players in large numbers took PEDs and each of these changes had an impact on the game and the records. When looking at this book please keep these facts in mind.

[an23dy]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

Show me a sport that hasn't been tainted by performance enhancing drugs at some point. Yet for some reason the purists act like baseball is supposed to be so above this.

I was at the baseball Hall of Fame over the weekend and overheard a guy talking to his son about how Rafael Palmeiro cheated and took steroids, and he was talking with such disgust. It would be wise if the voters just accepted the steroid era and voted in the guys that were the best players during the time. To shut them all out when it was pretty obvious what was going on at the time is insane and hypocrisy at it's best.

I think we should put the responsibility on the players. These guys are grown men, they should know right and wrong and what is illegal and cheating. It doesn't matter if the people on top don't have strict testing policies. It's like if the teacher leaves the room are you going to cheat? It's not like you're gonna get caught, but you're giving yourself an unfair advantage against the people around you. It takes away from the other people that worked hard and it's selfish. Think if you were the best player or for the test example you knew the most about the material, then all these guys cheat and you get bumped down to an F or bumped out of the Hall of Fame because of it. I think it's never too late to do the right thing and not allow these guys to be rewarded for cheating.