The steroid era goes back to the Mitchell Report that was published in December of 2007 by Senator George Mitchell. The report exposed 89 athletes to the use of performance-enhancing drugs. When the report was released, people were surprised to learn of the many high profile players involved in the scandal. The 2013 ballot features 3 of those high profile names, 2 of which were involved in the Mitchell Report; Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. Sammy Sosa is the third big-name candidate and he somehow escaped the Mitchell Report in 2007. Later reports claimed that he had indeed tested positive for steroids. 4 total players that were listed on the report are eligible for the Hall of Fame this year. This is only the first wave of the era to appear on the ballot.
The Mitchell Report exposed and damaged the reputations of 89 players and it will cost many, such as Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte, a spot in the MLB Hall of Fame.
We all know that Bonds, Clemens, and Sosa were some of the greatest players of all time, not to mention greatest to watch. We all remember the broken records. But we also remember that these guys' have tainted records and that alone will keep them out of the Hall.
The odds are against them. Rafael Palmeiro and Mark McGwire were once going to be Hall of Famers on the first ballot with no questions asked. Because of their links with PED's, McGwire is on his 7th ballot while Palmeiro is on his 3rd. Voters have not been very kind to steroid users in the past. Don't expect them to ease up.
The sad thing is that this mess won't going away for a long time. There are still a lot of current players out there that have been linked to steroids. PED's won't be going away either. There are reports of PED usage every year and they are linked to any sport. It would be a nice thought to have everyone in a Hall of Fame Class associated with clean and productive careers, but, unfortunately, that seems to be wishful thinking.
For more info refer to the links below...
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071213&content_id=2324860&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb&fext=.jsp
Anyone who uses PED's should not be voted into the Hall Of Fame. It is cheating, and not fair to the players who didn't cheat.
ReplyDeleteI agree that players who use PED's should not be elected into the Hall Of Fame. It would be rewarding them for what they did wrong. If they get in, Pete Rose should be in
ReplyDeleteIt's unfortunate because we don't know how good their careers would've been if they never cheated. On a side note, Barry Larkin has recently came out and said that cheaters shouldn't be allowed in the Hall.
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