There are many egos that play the sport, and a lot of players that are unapproachable because of their holier than thou attitude, but when they were on the field, in the batters box, they gave the fans their money's worth... Honestly, it didn't hurt the sport, it helped bring it back to what it is today... The strike was something that made a lot of people bitter, and @vladrek, I agree, this is an issue that goes way beyond the 90's, just in the 90's, the sport needed a boost to overcome that strike of 94, and the players knew this. If you only sell 12-18K tickets a game, you aren't going to get huge contracts, they did what they had to do to ensure their financial security and it brought an entirely new fan to the sport and many that said they were done with it because of the constant CBA's from athletes some think were already overpaid. To be clear, I do feel ball players are overpaid now, not so much in the early 90's, and I also feel the ballplayers are babied way to much by owners. There is no reason your star players can't play 155-160 games a year. They did it all the time prior to 94... The multi-million dollar investments changed that, just take for example the 5-man rotation. I still feel there is no reason (and I was a pitcher) that you can't go out there as a starter every fourth day. I think the 5-man rotations is what is killing arms, they are getting TOO much rest throughout the season. All you need to do is look at stats prior to 94 at starting pitchers starting 37-42 games, having 5-10 complete games, etc. It wasn't uncommon for pitchers to throw 130-150 pitches back then, now after 100, owners are gritting their teeth like their arms will fall off. Let the stars play the game!!!
Sound Off: Should Steroid Users Get in the HOF?
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@mlbfanjunkie, they loved the game, they were at the pinnacle of when fans were coming back, roids just made it that much more enjoyable because no matter where they went, they were like rockstars, playing to sold out houses... Then again, the hefty paychecks didn't hurt that either.
There are many egos that play the sport, and a lot of players that are unapproachable because of their holier than thou attitude, but when they were on the field, in the batters box, they gave the fans their money's worth... Honestly, it didn't hurt the sport, it helped bring it back to what it is today... The strike was something that made a lot of people bitter, and @vladrek, I agree, this is an issue that goes way beyond the 90's, just in the 90's, the sport needed a boost to overcome that strike of 94, and the players knew this. If you only sell 12-18K tickets a game, you aren't going to get huge contracts, they did what they had to do to ensure their financial security and it brought an entirely new fan to the sport and many that said they were done with it because of the constant CBA's from athletes some think were already overpaid. To be clear, I do feel ball players are overpaid now, not so much in the early 90's, and I also feel the ballplayers are babied way to much by owners. There is no reason your star players can't play 155-160 games a year. They did it all the time prior to 94... The multi-million dollar investments changed that, just take for example the 5-man rotation. I still feel there is no reason (and I was a pitcher) that you can't go out there as a starter every fourth day. I think the 5-man rotations is what is killing arms, they are getting TOO much rest throughout the season. All you need to do is look at stats prior to 94 at starting pitchers starting 37-42 games, having 5-10 complete games, etc. It wasn't uncommon for pitchers to throw 130-150 pitches back then, now after 100, owners are gritting their teeth like their arms will fall off. Let the stars play the game!!!If you keep bowing down and praising the developers, (NHL series) nothing they give us the consumer will ever be a "finished" product. Take a stand, it is your money!!!. -
Re: Sound Off: Should Steroid Users Get in the HOF?
Absolutely not.
I think about the guy who never got a shot because a teammate never got hurt, or over-performed.
Or the money that wasn't dispersed evenly because some roided-up freak got $30M.
Or the legend that hit 500 or 600 HR's cleanly only to get passed by a cheater.
Not only that but it taints the wimzy that is associated with baseball.
It's the one sport where a grown man can transform into a 5 year old just being at the park.
Steroids kill that dream and adulation for these hero's. They're frauds and it can break the heart of fans, regardless of how old or young the fan is.Comment
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Re: Sound Off: Should Steroid Users Get in the HOF?
gsize19, I really enjoyed your post.
But let me ask you this; what if a kid doesn't want to use PEDs due to moral, ethical or medical reasons?
Maybe they don't want any longterm medical problems from using?
So now, if you allow certain PEDs, that kid is already behind the 8-ball. He might never earn an MLB paycheck because he's doing it clean while everyone else looks like a T-Rex on the field.
Not only that, but if one of my kids were on the cusp, I'd hate for them to risk their health in order to make a living at baseball by using drugs.
I too was enthralled by the HR race in 98. But I'll be honest with you, now that I know the truth, I wish it never happened. And if knew about it at that time, I wouldn't have watched one game.Comment
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Re: Sound Off: Should Steroid Users Get in the HOF?
They should all go in so this topic doesn't come up every year.
Separate wing in the HOF for the users, like it or not they dominated the sport in that era you cant just take that away. Cheating sure, its not like players in the 70's weren't on speed or "greenies" also we all knew they were juicing and we still watched, hell I was in grade school in the 90's I knew hands down they were using steroids but now its a big deal, Just put them in. one year lets just say 2017 at the same time put in all that had great careers with no Ceremony
Bonds
Clemens
McGuire
etc...Comment
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I love sports but its just games we play. We play when we are young and grow old. The hall of fame will not change the fact that they cheated to get rich. Now there rich... Oh well.Comment
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Re: Sound Off: Should Steroid Users Get in the HOF?
I used to be 100 percent opposed to PED users gaining admission into the Hall of Fame, but I've backed off on that quite a bit and I am simply indifferent on all of it now.
I would think that the Hall would be a portrait into baseball's history. The good, the bad, the ugly. We're kidding ourselves if we believe that baseball has ever been completely clean and pure. It hasn't. It has been a game marred with scandal, controversy and extreme racism, just to mention a few black marks.
I don't like that the steroid era happened, but it did. It's now part of the game's history. I guess I have always looked at it somewhat like this - to me, baseball is a perfect game. Absolutely perfect. The people that are inside of it, including fans, are not.
The part that I hate is players who have never tested positive on an MLB administered test have been blackballed. That is wrong.
This article about Mickey Mantle changed my thought process quite a bit. A commenter of that article said something like, "The voters are a joke and are making it so no one cares about the Hall of Fame." I think he's not far from the truth because I once cared and now I think it's been cheapened to nearly its death.
The thing I do despise is the players who get caught and deny, deny, deny. It's the same thing with Pete Rose. He was a great player, but he vehemently lied for what, 15 years? That doesn't take away from what he did on the field, but in the eyes of many, it makes him unlikeable. Look at Andy Pettitte. He got caught, he owned it, and it was done. He didn't shake his finger at Congress and look other men in the eye and lie like a raging lunatic. He didn't act like Ryan Braun. It's those players that rub me the wrong way. We all know it was prevalent in the era, so why lie about it? So many of these guys are great players without the juice, but if you get popped, come clean and own it. Then people can typically move on.Comment
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Re: Sound Off: Should Steroid Users Get in the HOF?
I think 12 makes a great point. Baseball is purely a product of its era and in this particular era of baseball PED use was widespread and not just limited to the best players.
In terms of baseball being a product of its era, let's look at the spitball. It was outlawed in 1920, however, players like Burleigh Grimes were grandfathered in and they were doing something that was illegal for everyone else and guys like Gaylord Perry did it for their entire careers long after the ban was in effect. Notice the parallel here. PED users were also doing something that was illegal by the laws of the game. Now, is anyone going to sit here and say that Burleigh Grimes or Gaylord Perry is unworthy of being in the hall? Probably not.
So, is PED use right? Absolutely not. It should be banned, gotten rid of and otherwise purged from major league baseball. However, when there is a level playing field, with plenty of players who have been known to use PEDs, you have to recognize the fact that the feats these players achieved are worthy of inclusion in the Hall. I wouldn't be opposed to raising the mythical "standards" of what a Hall of Famer is for these kinds of guys, but guys like Bonds are, to me, impressive enough to merit inclusion in the Hall, because baseball is a product of its era, and this era just so happened to be marked with PED use.MLB: Minnesota Twins
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Re: Sound Off: Should Steroid Users Get in the HOF?
Personally I could start juicing right now, and never hit a Stephen Strasburg fastball. So for me, yes steroid users should get into the Hall of Fame. Sure it made them faster and hit the ball farther, but so what? That made games more exciting.Boston Red Sox
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Re: Sound Off: Should Steroid Users Get in the HOF?
No. If you got caught cheating then you shouldn't be allowed in the HOF.MLB: Texas Rangers
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Re: Sound Off: Should Steroid Users Get in the HOF?
Or the guy who's on the bench and never gets a chance to play, because the person ahead of him on the depth chart is filled with HGH and never gets injured.Comment
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