Juicing: Who Would Make you Sad?
 

With all the allegations and admissions of late from Mark McGwire (and everybody in the past!), are there any players that if it came out that they juiced, you'd be completely disheartened?

For me, it's Cal Ripken, Jr. Yes, I'm a Boston fan through-and-through, but Cal has always had a sweet spot in my heart (and let's be honest, I want my local teams to win, unless they're playing Boston!).

Any other "near and dear" players?

/tk

Takeru Kobayashi

Ryne Sandberg - I'd probably break down and cry.

Greg Maddux. Probably Julio Franco

Otherwise, I don't know that there's really anybody in baseball over the last 10-20 years that it would have any emotional impact on me, simply aren't very many in that span that I've genuinely like or pull for individually.

Edgar Martinez.

Maddux. Would be disappointed with Larkin and Griffey but neither would surprise me.

John Smoltz.

And Tiger Woods in golf - although I am not as big a fan of his now as I was a few months ago.

Why's that? Something happen with Tiger?

Ryan Howard. From looking at him when he was young, he looks like he was just always a big dude, and I enjoy rooting for him.

Jose Canseco. 40/40 talent. I would be devastated to find out he wasn't doing it clean.

Griffey
Randy Johnson
Jeter

Dola

Mariano Rivera too.

Griffey would be my 2nd choice because he is among my favorite players who weren't Phillies.

Larkin and Griffey



To an extent, Pujols. He is such a freak of nature that I want it to be natural. Bonds... Ramirez... Can Pujols please just be fucking clean.

Wait, does anybody think that Bonds WAS clean? I don't, but maybe I'm missing something....

/tk

Griffey. Won't even mention Joe Mauer. Ain't a chance in hell.

Pedro, though I wouldn't be shocked.

Jeter.

Bunch of the other guys mentioned like Cal, the Braves.

Tony Gwynn

Frank Thomas. Such a natural talent.

Griffey, big time.

Griffey.

nobody

be prepared to be sad

It would be sad for me to find out that any notable Pittsburgh Pirates were using during the steroid. Otherwise, it would make their pathetic performance that much worse.

Dale Murphy

Greg Maddux

Rafael Belliard

Post Barry? ;)

Ken Griffey, Jr.
Greg Maddux
Cal Ripken, Jr.
Tony Gwynn

I'd place dollars to donuts that about half the guys in this thread have juiced at least once. Ken Caminiti said that more than half the majors were on something and I never found any reason to doubt him. Canseco estimated it at 85% and while he's a loudmouth, he's never been proven wrong.

Face it, anyone who played from the mid 80s through 2003 is suspect.

Griffey and Maddux.

Greg Maddux.

John Olerud

Yes, Griffey and Frank Thomas.

But I already had my worst with Big Papi. :(

Maddux def.

Oh and David Cone.

I'd really be amazed if him being the sole player to voluntarily talk to Mitchell ended up being some kind of elaborate smokescreen.

Good question. I'm guessing that he didn't get hooked on the juice until he got out to SF, as it seems like the Bay Area was the early hotspot for 'roids, but who knows? His head seemed like it was a normal size while he was with the Pirates. :)

Maddux
Glavine
Smoltz
Chipper Jones
Griffey

Joe Shlabotnik.

It was juicing not grazing ;)

I would be disappointed with Gwynn as well, genuinely good guy. Also Jeter, Maddux, Ripken and Mariano.

Edgar Martinez
Larry Walker
Gary Carter

You made me smile.

Cheers!

I can understand being disappointed, but I wouldn't be surprised by a lot of the pitchers that have been mentioned. Although guys like Maddux, Glavine, R. Johnson, etc. don't have the physiques of 'roid users, the fact that they were effective pitchers into their 40s makes me a little suspicious of them.

Guys like Maddux and Glavine didn't have the fireballing stuff going for them that Johnson and Clemens did.

What they did have was probably a combination of veteran pitching wiles and a certain reputation with the umpires. I mean, look at Maddux in his Dodger days - dude would go toss 7 innings of ball and only throw about 65 pitches or so.

You can't do that with steroids. Does it mean he didn't use them? Nah. Might've been a judicious user to try and recover more quickly from injuries and the like, but you just don't achieve that kind of pitch economy because you're a juicer.

Frank Thomas
Ken Griffey, Jr.
Tony Gwynn
Rickey Henderson

Any of the 2005 White Sox champion team members, but especially Bobby Jenks, Paul Konerko and Jim Thome.

Current White Sox not mentioned above - Alexei Ramirez, Carlos Quentin, Gordon Beckham

Mike LaValliere.

Agree, I would be beyond surprised with Maddux, his physique didn't change his whole career and he barely threw hard enough to break a pane of glass, just great control and movement.

Oh, I agree and I doubt that they were using steroids. But still, these guys that pitched ~/+ 200 IP per year for 15 to 20 years, it would not shock me. I mean, come on, if Sammy Sosa can transform into a white guy, I'll believe just about anything that happens in the MLB.

In fairness, Sammy Sosa was no longer in the MLB when he made like Michael Jackson.

I think the story is pretty much out. Tiger Woods has been juicing about as often as he can.


On topic,

I would say Nolan Ryan, Pete Rose and Will Clark. I wouldn't be as dissapointed about Ricky Henderson. Although I really like his style of play and I hope he was not using roids.