Quote:
Originally Posted by Jay Wolt
"His HOF future maybe as "Rose"y as Pete's now"
Sooner or later some juicer has to be inducted.
Can the Hall keep out Bonds, McGwire, Manny, Arod, Ortiz, Clemens etc...
Canseco said a year or so ago there are already steroid users in the Hall Of Fame.
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You know, I've vascillated on this issue for quite awhile, and I think the above conclusion is probably correct. Steroids were simply the culture then, and if Kirk Radomski, former Mets clubhouse attendant is to be believed in his book (and he was the central figure in the Mitchell report), hundreds of players were on them. Those with the most talent, best work ethic and dedication soared to the top, just as they would in any other era. The game has only superficially seemed to remain the same across many different eras, when in fact changing conditions often favored one style of play over another. The 'roid guys stats may well not be inflated very much over those players put up during the early days of the lively ball in the '20's, and especially the National League in 1930, when nearly everyone concedes the ball was just as juiced as the players of the'90's and early 2000's. Bill James believes these guys will eventually be looked upon as pioneers, and will be inducted as the best of their era, which I have little residual problems with--it will be accepted that they had an advantage in hitting quite like the early days of the lively ball, when the pitchers' best weapons, the spit, scuffed or dark, dirty ball was taken away from them and they had little opportunity to adjust, at least until the slider came to be widely used in the late '30's.
Anyway, I absolutely believe that Jose Bautista's homers are every bit as legitimate as those that McGwire, Bonds, Sosa and Conseco hit!
Larry
PS: loved to watch Big Mac in his healthy hay-day, '97-2000! That swing did indeed evolve into one short, compact, sweet and lightning quick stroke.