Quote:
Originally Posted by dawgfan
I take the lower standard of proof the other direction and assume most of them are guilty. So what does that leave us with - a Hall of Fame where almost nobody from this era makes it in? Why? Because they used an illegal drug to gain an advantage? Well guess what - the Hall of Fame is filled with guys that used illegal drugs to gain an advantage, or used other methods of cheating. So why the different standard for steroid users?
|
This is pretty much my view as well (bolded the primary point for emphasis). I suspect this is the primary difference in the viewpoints on this as well. Since so many are likely guilty (perhaps most if not all, IMO), I can't rationalize rewarding those that were just better at covering their tracks by disparaging those that weren't. This is why I come to the conclusion that you just reward what they did on the field...for what they did on the field.
It isn't like MLB wasn't aware steroids and general PEDs had athletic enhancement capabilities...the NFL clamped down (or at least made an effort) in the late 70's/early 80's (IIRC) to cleanup their act and the olympics had plenty of the same high-profile users busted before the 90's as well. For MLB to not only turn a blind eye (or play ignorant), but then try to punish the players they enabled for so long (and in my view, commended) with retro-retribution, takes some degree of stones IMHO.