I don’t think anybody is foolish enough to think that the players named in the Mitchell Report is the definitive list of all players who have used steroids or HGH in baseball. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Surely there have been more than 83 players. These names came from basically 3 or 4 sources. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that there are more than 3 or 4 sources of steroids for players. Whenever the other “trainers” start to get busted then more names will come out. My opinion is that it’s been pretty much an even playing field and that the number of players who did not juice pales in comparison to the number of players who have. And when you see some of the names in the Mitchell Report it makes you wonder how much of an impact it really has. One thing I think it did prove is that if you don’t have talent all the steroids in the world aren’t going to help. Mike Bell? First of all which Mike Bell? It doesn’t matter they both were blips on the baseball radar. Chad Allen, Gary Bennett, Larry Bigbie. Mike Judd? At first I thought they busted the Beavis and Butthead/King of the Hill guy, too. I think the most embarrassing thing for Nook Logan is that now everybody knows his name is Exavier. Cody McKay is not that surprising when you think about who his dad is. Dave had to be the Charles Atlas of first base coaches. I don’t remember him like that as a player. Can they test coaches?
All of this was done without breaking any of baseball’s rules. Of course a lot of law breaking took place and perhaps some of these players will face consequences. But I don’t think suspensions can be given for anything unless it can be proven that the offenses took place after the performance enhancing drug policy was put in place. All this talk about asterisks and stripping of records and awards is nonsense. Baseball has nobody to blame but themselves. Everybody knew it was happening and they didn’t seem to care until pressured by Congress. Are we going to take away all of Gaylord Perry’s accomplishments and boot him from the HOF? What about the cocaine guys of the 70’s and 80’s? How about Ferguson Jenkins? Heck, Doc Ellis threw a no-hitter on LSD. Are we going to take that away? I bet if anybody knew at the time he was on acid there would have been other pitchers to try the same thing! Anyway I think that what’s done is done and there’s really not much baseball can do. It’s time to move on.
“Anyway I think th at what’s done is done and there’s really not much baseball can do. It’s time to move on.”
Nick and DonS want to know if your new standard (quoted above) also applies to Pete Rose.
It’s not a new standard. My position hasn’t changed. I’ve always believed that the vast majority of players were juicing and the playing field was even. Pete Rose violated the rules of baseball, perhpas the most sacred baseball rule of all. Steroid users prior to the implementation of the performance enhancing drug policy did not. I’ve always said that Pete Rose should be in the HOF and I believe he should be let back into baseball as well.