The flood gates are open ladies and gentleman as the first
player from the steroid era to either be linked to or suspected of steroid use
has made his way into Cooperstown, New York. Congratulations goes out to former
New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Mike Piazza on his Hall of Fame
candidacy, it’s been a long time coming. It’s also a sign that the times are
changing around Major League Baseball, especially in the Hall of Fame voting
process. Jon Heyman already went out and defended the fact that he put Barry
Bonds on his HOF ballot and you can see now that the numbers for Bonds and
Clemens are continuing to rise every year giving hope to anyone and everyone
from the steroid era. With Piazza’s induction I can see more and more players
from that era getting in, eventually.
Piazza shared the same stage as Ken Griffey Jr. on Wednesday
and will share that same stage when they are officially inducted into the Hall
later this year. How can you keep out Clemens and Bonds when the sole reason
that Piazza was left off was his suspicion of steroid use? You can’t and the
doors are about to be ripped from their hinges.
Piazza was a 12-time All-Star and hit 427 home runs in his
career with a .922 OPS which both set the tone for the offensive catcher that
we see in today’s game. Piazza was a trend setter and he changed the game,
suspicion for steroids or not. And that’s the thing, he’s suspected of it. He
was never linked to steroids during his career, he wasn’t on the Mitchell
Report, and he wasn’t linked to BALCO or Biogenesis or whatever the craze was
back then. Nothing. He hit home runs in an era that was tainted by many that
hit home runs. That’s all. A wrong has been righted and I can’t say I have ever
been prouder of the BBWAA right now. Congrats Mike and congrats to Junior
Griffey!
Isn’t it ironic that the man that Roger Clemens threw a
splintered bat at during the 2000 World Series between the New York Yankees and
the New York Mets may be the same man that gets him into the Hall of Fame?
Should Clemens send a thank you card? How does one react in these situations? I
for sure don’t know…
When the hypocritical morality police can explain to me why players in the 60's, 70's, and 80's are allowed in the Hall of Fame when they knowingly used methamphetamine's but PED users that used before they were banned aren't, I'll discredit some of these suspected players. But in the same conversation, I want them to explain to me why Jason Grimsley didn't become Roger Clemens, and Bobby Estalella didn't become Barry Bonds. Until that happens, these idiot hall voters need to get off their high horse.
ReplyDeleteGood comment Jeff! Just think on the positive or negative side, the older guys are retiring and the newer reporters are showing up. I think that is why Piazza got in and I see many others making the transition to the HoF in the next few years.
DeleteOne thing to remember, though, methamphetamine's are less useful than PED's.
Arguing whether one is more useful than the other isn't the point I'm trying to make here. Baseball players of the past used "greenies" because they were stimulants. They used them as a way to ward off fatigue so that they could play double headers, or day games after night games, or perhaps just to get through a grueling 162 game schedule. My point is that they were using them to perform. Why is one looked at any differently than the other?
DeleteThat's always been my beef as well Jeff. If the Hall is not 100% clean, and it's not, then why do these writers and voters think they are God? I'm sure there are dirty players from the 90's in the Hall. They got in before it was the cool thing to keep them out.
DeleteAs I first stated above, the Older Writers are moving on and we have a younger more tolerant group coming up for voting. I think if these guys make the 5% they will get in sooner or later. Which means the longer A-Rod can put off having his name come up the better chance even he has of making it.
DeleteGood for one is good for all, but it is a big black day in the HoS.
MLB eliminated all the voters who haven't had anything to do with the game in the last 10 years, AKA the old writers, and Bonds, Clemens and company didn't get a huge boost. I expected a huge boost to 55% or so, didn't happen.
DeleteI think Piazza getting in helps a lot and so does a questionably thin class next year.
Not to be argumentative Jeff, but greens helped with fatigue (only) as you pointed out.
ReplyDeleteWhereas, PEDs helped build strength, stamina, and recuperation from injuries.
Take a guy like Sammy Sosa, he hit 41 hrs in 6 years right? The next year he started Hitting 33 and up to 66 home runs a year. After the banning of PEDs, he dropped back to his normal hrs of 14 after 2004.
Guys like Hammerin Hank Aaron didn't need more power, he used the Greenies (no proof) to get through the season.
That's not the point I'm trying to make. Using a stimulant to ward off fatigue enhances your performance. If you're dragging ass and can barely swing a bat, you pop a pill, and suddenly you're full of energy raring to go,you just enhanced your performance.
ReplyDeleteI see your point Jeff, it is much different than PEDs though. PEDs make one stronger. Greenies only perk one up so they can play all those double headers, and long train rides.
ReplyDeletePeds let one hit it over the fence instead of being a fly-ball. Greenies don't do that at all.
But in the late 70's and 80's there were many guys on hard drugs, as I'm sure you are well aware!
Reed, cheating is cheating. Don't penalize one group just because they had better drugs.
DeleteTrue, and I have never ever cheated in any game I played nor allowed others to do it.
DeleteBut just where do you draw the line, Greenies have been used as far back as 1940's and beyond. One can't disavow all the players including guys like Hank Aaron, Willy and Mickey and thousands of others before and after them. Ped's is my line.
Drawing lines between one form of cheating and another is condoning. I'm not condoning. I'm saying that if you used drugs to cheat one way, there's no difference then using them another way.
DeleteJeff, I disagree...no surprise! LOL
DeleteThere has to be a line drawn somewhere otherwise about half the players in the HoShame would have to have an asterisk after their names.
My problem with the Hall of Shame is the players they are voting in. Guys are being elected on their personality and a so-so record, or three of four years of being really good along with Avg. numbers for the rest of their careers. Players that were one way (hitting) players are getting into the Hall. The Outstanding Baseball Players are the ones that should be elected...One shouldn't be just an outstanding hitter or glove man and get in the Hall. Baseball was set-up to play defense and offence.
I have to agree with Jeff here. You're either all natural or you're getting an unfair advantage. That's it. If you let the greenie heads in who enhanced their performance by being able to catch up to those fastballs they normally wouldn't be able to without them then they increased their performance unnaturally.
DeleteIf one can pitch or hit very good...PEDs add to one's power. A 92 mph fastball becomes a 95/96+/- fastball, let's one stay in the game longer and recover from said game faster. If one is a flyball hitter batting .300+/- one becomes a .320 hitter with much more HR power.
ReplyDeleteLike; Sosa and Bonds from 1993 to 2004. 2004 is the year they really started testing for Peds. Ever notice how some players became less of an HR powerhouse after 2004.
McGwire and A-Rod at the start of the full-time playing hit hrs on a very large pace, Texas was an eye-opening place for A-Rod, most of the team was using PEDs so, A-rod thought he needed to also...never test positive once! Then with injuries, he thought he needed more and that was the end for him.
McGwire, A-Rod and Bonds never tested positive for PEDs.