David Ortiz elected to HOF. (Just Ortiz.)

[Connorpozlee]

Do sports leagues report steroid use to the police? There's always a doctor out there to write a prescription if it comes to that.

Do you think they were all taking prescribed steroids? I have no real knowledge of steroids and how to get them other one time rising with a friend who picked up some steroids. Got them from a guy in a garage, so I’m assuming they weren’t prescribed.
My original point though is that saying there wasn’t a rule about steroid use is silly if they were purchased illegally.

 

[psu31trap]

I think David Ortiz is deserving of a HOF induction. With 500+ HR, nearly 2500 hits and three rings how can anyone say he is not HOF material. I understand the ped argument, but once MLB deemed them illegal he never tested positive. Move on.

Hopefully this can open up the door for some other deserving players who are deliberately being passed over. For about a decade now there has been growing criticism of how the HOF committee chooses players. Some have even questioned the process and credibility of why some players get in and others don't. For example, how does a guy like Curt Schilling get passed over? A guy who won 3 world series, won 200 plus games and a 3.46 era. but Phil Neikro (who played a 100 years) and Bert Blyleven (a so so pitcher) were voted in with less credentials. JMHO

 

[manatree]

I’ve never really understood this line of thought. It wasn’t against the rules of baseball at the time, but it was illegal right? Illegal things don’t need rules written about them, do they?

Here's my take on the situation. There are things in that are allowed within the confines of a sport that would be illegal outside of the sport. If a MLB pitcher were to intentionally throw a 90mph baseball at their next door neighbor and hit them in the head, they could be charged. However, within the confines of MLB rules and how those rules are enforced, hitting a batter is essentially allowed.

The fact that MLB, the owners, and the players refused to test for amphetamines, steroids and other performance enhancing drugs, regardless the legal issues of their use, they were in fact allowing, and in my opinion, encouraging their use. I repeat my stance that If PEDs were as prevalent as the Baseball Writer’s Association of America claim it was, a lot of those same writers were either in on the scam or incompetent. The Hall of Fame is not a civil, legal, hall of fame, it is baseball hall of fame. In my opinion, retroactively punishing players for taking PEDs when the baseball community did nothing to stop it (MLB, owners, players, writers) is hypocritical.

 

[Connorpozlee]

Here's my take on the situation. There are things in that are allowed within the confines of a sport that would be illegal outside of the sport. If a MLB pitcher were to intentionally throw a 90mph baseball at their next door neighbor and hit them in the head, they could be charged. However, within the confines of MLB rules and how those rules are enforced, hitting a batter is essentially allowed.

The fact that MLB, the owners, and the players refused to test for amphetamines, steroids and other performance enhancing drugs, regardless the legal issues of their use, they were in fact allowing, and in my opinion, encouraging their use. I repeat my stance that If PEDs were as prevalent as the Baseball Writer’s Association of America claim it was, a lot of those same writers were either in on the scam or incompetent. The Hall of Fame is not a civil, legal, hall of fame, it is baseball hall of fame. In my opinion, retroactively punishing players for taking PEDs when the baseball community did nothing to stop it (MLB, owners, players, writers) is hypocritical.

Throwing a baseball 90 miles an hour at your neighbor is a crime because there is no reasonable excuse to be doing it there. Procuring illegal drugs anywhere is a crime and there is no reasonable excuse for it.
The amphetamines are interesting. Should we hold players to the same standard for those as we do the steroid users? Probably.

 

[manatree]

Throwing a baseball 90 miles an hour at your neighbor is a crime because there is no reasonable excuse to be doing it there. Procuring illegal drugs anywhere is a crime and there is no reasonable excuse for it.
The amphetamines are interesting. Should we hold players to the same standard for those as we do the steroid users? Probably.

Perhaps, but given the years of rumors that team trainers provided amphetamines, I would be shocked if there were NOT team trainers, aka MLB employees providing steroids and/or making referrals. That's what I call enabling and being an accessory. These players aren't being held criminally responsible for using drugs illegally, they're being held responsible within the confines of MLB after MLB willfully allowed them to use the PEDs. That is where I have an issue.

 

[Player2BNamedL8r]

I’m old-fashioned enough to suggest that Ortiz (whom I personally like) shouldn’t get in simply because he was a career DH.

 

[Connorpozlee]

Perhaps, but given the years of rumors that team trainers provided amphetamines, I would be shocked if there were NOT team trainers, aka MLB employees providing steroids and/or making referrals. That's what I call enabling and being an accessory. These players aren't being held criminally responsible for using drugs illegally, they're being held responsible within the confines of MLB after MLB willfully allowed them to use the PEDs. That is where I have an issue.

You seem to be responding as though I disagree with you. I don’t.

 

[manatree]

You seem to be responding as though I disagree with you. I don’t.

I was.

I guess that my opinion is that the willful ingorance from MLB, owners, players, reporters was the reasonable excuse for players to use them. In all honesty, if I was in their shoes, I might have used them as well.

 

[PSUJam]

Do you all forget about BALCO? The acronym PED was developed because of outfits like these. These guys weren't buying roids off a street corner. Smh

BALCO scandal - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[91Joe95]

I was.

I guess that my opinion is that the willful ingorance from MLB, owners, players, reporters was the reasonable excuse for players to use them. In all honesty, if I was in their shoes, I might have used them as well.

A lot of players, especially some marginal ones, made a boatload of money much bigger than they normally would have because they took steroids. Even if they got caught they still came out way ahead.

 

[BobPSU92]

espn ranks barry bonds 8th-best player of all time. clemens #17.

Top 100 MLB players of all time: Is Ruth still No. 1? Where do Trout, Bonds rank?

Inner-circle Hall of Famers, today's greatest player and a couple of PED-tainted stars round out the top 25.

www.espn.com