A- Rod admits to steroid use in 2003

[LB3533]

I say if you didn't use steroids back in the "steroid era" you were dumb and missed out on that golden opportunity.

The flaw with that logic is that it doesn't account for a guy not wanting sacricice his long term health for a short term "boost".

Fair enough. I won't judge a player who thought about it long and hard and eventually decided to not take steroids to save his health.

But exactly what is the harm of trying it, if every where you turn the best players in the game are "using"?

[LB3533]

If you want to hear Salena Roberts' side of the story, it's here:

Link

In a nutshell, she says A-rod is completely off his rocker, and that none of what he claimed has a basis in truth.  She says she never came onto his property, and certainly hasn't broken into his house.

Yea Roy, I don't believe a word A-Rod says. He's a liar and a cheater and has no credibility whatsoever.

But the only reason why he is "coming clean" is because he is being forced to do so. MLB was forced to finally give a [dang]!

Imagine if the federal gov't had not gotten involved.

Imagine if there was no "Mitchell Report" or no Senate Committee hearings and what not.

Steroids would STILL be in baseball and MLB would STILL be turning a blind eye.

Barry Bonds would STILL be playing and hitting his 1000th HR in 2015.

[Moranis]

The baseball HOF is a museum that chronicles the history of baseball. Steroids, for better or worse, are part of that history. The appropriate measure is not to bury baseball's head in the sand and forget that Bonds, ARod, Rose, or whoever simply didn't exist. They should be in there, warts and all, and let the public decide how to view them. The only fair way to do the Hall of Fame is to let all that would qualify and put them in a separate wing or something. They'd have to make some notation about the era in the organization of the Hall.

If they played in the 90s and 00s, they should be in with the caveat that "this was the era that encouraged the proliferation of performance-enhancing substances. View accomplishments with that in mind" etc. or something like it.

The HoF is for the most talented members of the sport.  If you are cheating to become that, then you shouldnt be rewarded. Tainted numbers dont belong among the clean ones. and while you may not be able to determine all of the dirty athletes, you should be able to exclude the dirty members that you can identify

There is a credible report that Willie Mays, and other greats of that era, were using "greenies" and other illegal pick me ups.  Should Mays not be in the HOF because he used a form of speed?  Numerous early great pitchers have acknowledged time and time again that they used tar, spit balls, etc. to gain an advantage over the hitter, should they not be in the HOF?  For over 50 years, African Americans were restricted from playing the game, should those early greats not be in the HOF because they had it easier than future generations?

As the famous quote goes, "If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying."  And for the record, steroids were not illegal in the sport of baseball until the Union agreed that they should be banned and tested, which just so happens to be after ARod's admitted usage.

[BrickJames]

I love how ESPN is now calling "performance enhancing drugs" PEDs.

Does that make A-Rod a PEDophile?

[yall hate]

The baseball HOF is a museum that chronicles the history of baseball. Steroids, for better or worse, are part of that history. The appropriate measure is not to bury baseball's head in the sand and forget that Bonds, ARod, Rose, or whoever simply didn't exist. They should be in there, warts and all, and let the public decide how to view them. The only fair way to do the Hall of Fame is to let all that would qualify and put them in a separate wing or something. They'd have to make some notation about the era in the organization of the Hall.

If they played in the 90s and 00s, they should be in with the caveat that "this was the era that encouraged the proliferation of performance-enhancing substances. View accomplishments with that in mind" etc. or something like it.

The HoF is for the most talented members of the sport.  If you are cheating to become that, then you shouldnt be rewarded. Tainted numbers dont belong among the clean ones. and while you may not be able to determine all of the dirty athletes, you should be able to exclude the dirty members that you can identify

As the famous quote goes, "If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying."  And for the record, steroids were not illegal in the sport of baseball until the Union agreed that they should be banned and tested, which just so happens to be after ARod's admitted usage.

Uh...Some of the steroids used WERE ILLEGAL IN THE US. That means illegal in the game of baseball.

HGH on the other hand, is illegal without the proper prescriptions. 

The steroids that A-Rod took are not legal in the US.  They are not legally sold here. Thus, they were illegal

[LB3533]

Of the 3 or 4 major sports in the USA, baseball is the only sport I give a lot more leeway and gray area to work with.

For me, personally, baseball is the strangest sport out of Basketball, Football, and even Hockey.

Baseball virtually has no real "level playing field".

Players use different sized bats, pitchers use different balls (in theory, at every pitch).

Baseball allows play to continue in the rain. The NBA, as we all saw just last week, took 10-15 minutes to clean up some beer spilled on the SIDELINES delaying Paul Pierce's free throws!

Baseball parks are not all the same dimensions. Imagine NBA courts in LA were 64 feet instead of 94 in Boston.

Imagine in New York the height of the rims were 11 feet instead of 10.

So with all these shady things in baseball....if a player decides to use speed, spit balls or even steroids....I can't really blame them for trying to get an edge.

Especially if, at the time, they were all "legal" and all "apart of the game".

I mean if MLB allows the game to continue during rain fall, spit balls or scuffs on the ball or oil on the ball ain't that big of a deal.

I would associate it to a manager walking slowly to the mound to allow his pitcher to warm up a little longer and get that last few throws in.

It's "gamesmanship".

But now that MLB has made official rules regarding steroids....you and every other player in MLB uniform must obey to the new rules.

But "back in the day", some 5 or 6 years ago...."anything goes".

[LB3533]

The baseball HOF is a museum that chronicles the history of baseball. Steroids, for better or worse, are part of that history. The appropriate measure is not to bury baseball's head in the sand and forget that Bonds, ARod, Rose, or whoever simply didn't exist. They should be in there, warts and all, and let the public decide how to view them. The only fair way to do the Hall of Fame is to let all that would qualify and put them in a separate wing or something. They'd have to make some notation about the era in the organization of the Hall.

If they played in the 90s and 00s, they should be in with the caveat that "this was the era that encouraged the proliferation of performance-enhancing substances. View accomplishments with that in mind" etc. or something like it.

The HoF is for the most talented members of the sport.  If you are cheating to become that, then you shouldnt be rewarded. Tainted numbers dont belong among the clean ones. and while you may not be able to determine all of the dirty athletes, you should be able to exclude the dirty members that you can identify

As the famous quote goes, "If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying."  And for the record, steroids were not illegal in the sport of baseball until the Union agreed that they should be banned and tested, which just so happens to be after ARod's admitted usage.

Uh...Some of the steroids used WERE ILLEGAL IN THE US. That means illegal in the game of baseball.

HGH on the other hand, is illegal without the proper prescriptions. 

The steroids that A-Rod took are not legal in the US.  They are not legally sold here. Thus, they were illegal

It doesn't matter if the drugs were illegal in the eyes of the Law, because MLB didn't care to punish its players.

It wasn't illegal in the eyes of MLB, and that's all that mattered at the time during the steroid era.

[Moranis]

The baseball HOF is a museum that chronicles the history of baseball. Steroids, for better or worse, are part of that history. The appropriate measure is not to bury baseball's head in the sand and forget that Bonds, ARod, Rose, or whoever simply didn't exist. They should be in there, warts and all, and let the public decide how to view them. The only fair way to do the Hall of Fame is to let all that would qualify and put them in a separate wing or something. They'd have to make some notation about the era in the organization of the Hall.

If they played in the 90s and 00s, they should be in with the caveat that "this was the era that encouraged the proliferation of performance-enhancing substances. View accomplishments with that in mind" etc. or something like it.

The HoF is for the most talented members of the sport.  If you are cheating to become that, then you shouldnt be rewarded. Tainted numbers dont belong among the clean ones. and while you may not be able to determine all of the dirty athletes, you should be able to exclude the dirty members that you can identify

As the famous quote goes, "If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying."  And for the record, steroids were not illegal in the sport of baseball until the Union agreed that they should be banned and tested, which just so happens to be after ARod's admitted usage.

Uh...Some of the steroids used WERE ILLEGAL IN THE US. That means illegal in the game of baseball.

HGH on the other hand, is illegal without the proper prescriptions. 

The steroids that A-Rod took are not legal in the US.  They are not legally sold here. Thus, they were illegal

It doesn't matter if the drugs were illegal in the eyes of the Law, because MLB didn't care to punish its players.

It wasn't illegal in the eyes of MLB, and that's all that mattered at the time during the steroid era.

exactly.  It is illegal to drive over the speed limit, I guess that means it is illegal to drive over the speed limit in the NFL, yet somehow you don't see players suspended for getting speeding tickets.  And yes I realize speeding has nothing to do with the actual field of play, I was just using a very simple analogy to prove the point.  It also works the other way, drinking alcohol is not illegal, yet if a player showed up drunk to a game he would likely be fined and suspended because it is illegal in the sport.

[CelticsWhat35]

These people that actually believe what A-Rod said in his interview about only taking PED's from 2001-2003 are adorable.

[crownsy]

The baseball HOF is a museum that chronicles the history of baseball. Steroids, for better or worse, are part of that history. The appropriate measure is not to bury baseball's head in the sand and forget that Bonds, ARod, Rose, or whoever simply didn't exist. They should be in there, warts and all, and let the public decide how to view them. The only fair way to do the Hall of Fame is to let all that would qualify and put them in a separate wing or something. They'd have to make some notation about the era in the organization of the Hall.

If they played in the 90s and 00s, they should be in with the caveat that "this was the era that encouraged the proliferation of performance-enhancing substances. View accomplishments with that in mind" etc. or something like it.

The HoF is for the most talented members of the sport.  If you are cheating to become that, then you shouldnt be rewarded. Tainted numbers dont belong among the clean ones. and while you may not be able to determine all of the dirty athletes, you should be able to exclude the dirty members that you can identify

As the famous quote goes, "If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying."  And for the record, steroids were not illegal in the sport of baseball until the Union agreed that they should be banned and tested, which just so happens to be after ARod's admitted usage.

Uh...Some of the steroids used WERE ILLEGAL IN THE US. That means illegal in the game of baseball.

HGH on the other hand, is illegal without the proper prescriptions. 

The steroids that A-Rod took are not legal in the US.  They are not legally sold here. Thus, they were illegal

It doesn't matter if the drugs were illegal in the eyes of the Law, because MLB didn't care to punish its players.

It wasn't illegal in the eyes of MLB, and that's all that mattered at the time during the steroid era.

so to be clear, you think bonds deserves a pass too right?

because he fits all your criteria for "eh who cares" except the friend of the media part, which is fine, just wanted to clarify. If were arguing one shoudl ge ta free pass, they all should get one.

[Roy Hobbs]

The baseball HOF is a museum that chronicles the history of baseball. Steroids, for better or worse, are part of that history. The appropriate measure is not to bury baseball's head in the sand and forget that Bonds, ARod, Rose, or whoever simply didn't exist. They should be in there, warts and all, and let the public decide how to view them. The only fair way to do the Hall of Fame is to let all that would qualify and put them in a separate wing or something. They'd have to make some notation about the era in the organization of the Hall.

If they played in the 90s and 00s, they should be in with the caveat that "this was the era that encouraged the proliferation of performance-enhancing substances. View accomplishments with that in mind" etc. or something like it.

The HoF is for the most talented members of the sport.  If you are cheating to become that, then you shouldnt be rewarded. Tainted numbers dont belong among the clean ones. and while you may not be able to determine all of the dirty athletes, you should be able to exclude the dirty members that you can identify

As the famous quote goes, "If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying."  And for the record, steroids were not illegal in the sport of baseball until the Union agreed that they should be banned and tested, which just so happens to be after ARod's admitted usage.

Uh...Some of the steroids used WERE ILLEGAL IN THE US. That means illegal in the game of baseball.

HGH on the other hand, is illegal without the proper prescriptions. 

The steroids that A-Rod took are not legal in the US.  They are not legally sold here. Thus, they were illegal

It doesn't matter if the drugs were illegal in the eyes of the Law, because MLB didn't care to punish its players.

It wasn't illegal in the eyes of MLB, and that's all that mattered at the time during the steroid era.

exactly.  It is illegal to drive over the speed limit, I guess that means it is illegal to drive over the speed limit in the NFL, yet somehow you don't see players suspended for getting speeding tickets.  And yes I realize speeding has nothing to do with the actual field of play, I was just using a very simple analogy to prove the point.  It also works the other way, drinking alcohol is not illegal, yet if a player showed up drunk to a game he would likely be fined and suspended because it is illegal in the sport.

Steroids have been specifically prohibited by baseball since 1991.

    On June 7, 1991, commissioner Fay Vincent sent a memo to each team and the players union that stated: "The possession, sale or use of any illegal drug or controlled substance by Major League players or personnel is strictly prohibited ... This prohibition applies to all illegal drugs ... including steroids." The seven-page document didn't cover random testing -- that had to be bargained with the union -- but it did outline treatment and penalties.

MLB Commissioner Bud Selig reissued the policy in 1997. 

http://grg51.typepad.com/steroid_nation/2007/06/steroids-in-bas.html

[yall hate]

The baseball HOF is a museum that chronicles the history of baseball. Steroids, for better or worse, are part of that history. The appropriate measure is not to bury baseball's head in the sand and forget that Bonds, ARod, Rose, or whoever simply didn't exist. They should be in there, warts and all, and let the public decide how to view them. The only fair way to do the Hall of Fame is to let all that would qualify and put them in a separate wing or something. They'd have to make some notation about the era in the organization of the Hall.

If they played in the 90s and 00s, they should be in with the caveat that "this was the era that encouraged the proliferation of performance-enhancing substances. View accomplishments with that in mind" etc. or something like it.

The HoF is for the most talented members of the sport.  If you are cheating to become that, then you shouldnt be rewarded. Tainted numbers dont belong among the clean ones. and while you may not be able to determine all of the dirty athletes, you should be able to exclude the dirty members that you can identify

As the famous quote goes, "If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying."  And for the record, steroids were not illegal in the sport of baseball until the Union agreed that they should be banned and tested, which just so happens to be after ARod's admitted usage.

Uh...Some of the steroids used WERE ILLEGAL IN THE US. That means illegal in the game of baseball.

HGH on the other hand, is illegal without the proper prescriptions. 

The steroids that A-Rod took are not legal in the US.  They are not legally sold here. Thus, they were illegal

It doesn't matter if the drugs were illegal in the eyes of the Law, because MLB didn't care to punish its players.

It wasn't illegal in the eyes of MLB, and that's all that mattered at the time during the steroid era.

exactly.  It is illegal to drive over the speed limit, I guess that means it is illegal to drive over the speed limit in the NFL, yet somehow you don't see players suspended for getting speeding tickets.  And yes I realize speeding has nothing to do with the actual field of play, I was just using a very simple analogy to prove the point.  It also works the other way, drinking alcohol is not illegal, yet if a player showed up drunk to a game he would likely be fined and suspended because it is illegal in the sport.

Steroids have been specifically prohibited by baseball since 1991.

    On June 7, 1991, commissioner Fay Vincent sent a memo to each team and the players union that stated: "The possession, sale or use of any illegal drug or controlled substance by Major League players or personnel is strictly prohibited ... This prohibition applies to all illegal drugs ... including steroids." The seven-page document didn't cover random testing -- that had to be bargained with the union -- but it did outline treatment and penalties.

MLB Commissioner Bud Selig reissued the policy in 1997. 

http://grg51.typepad.com/steroid_nation/2007/06/steroids-in-bas.html

I dont understand why it is hard for people to comprehend simple facts. 

I understand (although dont agree) if people want to say that it since baseball knew it was going on, then they dont care...

but illegal is illegal, and it confuses me why that is hard to understand.

[KCattheStripe]

I think players from the 'Roids era should be allowed in the HOF on one condition: That their heads be smaller on their plaques than players of the pre and post 'roids players.

[MBz]

I don't care about legal/illegal anymore.  I just don't think it's ethical.  It's not a fair advantage for ARod.  It's not like a player who just has more natural talent then someone, it's an unfair advantage.  Also, with putting them in the hall of fame, can you put ARod on the level of say Willie Mays?  Or Ty Cobb?  Jeez, can you even call ARod the best player in the game at this moment, knowing that he used steroids.

[LB3533]

Generally if you do something wrong or bad, there are consequences and punishments.

When you do something good or right, you are cheered or applauded...sometimes put up on a pedal stool (McGuire/Sosa).

If MLB doesn't enforce their rules then it isn't a rule, even if it is written down. (Think about "traveling" in the NBA, I am sure there is a rule written down in some rule book).

Where was the punishment for those 104 players for testing positive for steroids or PEDs?

If there were no punishments then I guess what those players did was OK.