Which Player Belongs in the HOF?

[ragecage]

Im just curious what the majority of you think on this one. Personally there is a lot of here say which is believable, but none of them was caught red handed, nor did they ever test positive. I dont like either one but ill say both.

[HoustonGM]

Both.

[BINGLEBOP]

I would go with both, although at this point I don't think either will get in on the first ballot, just because a lot of writers will look to "punish" them for their role in the steroid era.

[Wassit3]

I would go with both, although at this point I don't think either will get in on the first ballot, just because a lot of writers will look to "punish" them for their role in the steroid era.

if the writers do that I think they should also "punish" fellow writers for looking the other way during that era as well and not vote any into the hall of fame as sports writers either...

[RickD]

I say Neither....never been a Bonds nor a Clemens fan to begin with.

[JeepGuy63]

I say Neither....never been a Bonds nor a Clemens fan to begin with.

While you might not be a fan of either player, do their numbers say they are good enough to get into the Hall?

[BINGLEBOP]

if the writers do that I think they should also "punish" fellow writers for looking the other way during that era as well and not vote any into the hall of fame as sports writers either...

I would completely agree with you... I'm just saying I see that happening for them, at least on the first ballot.

[boomboom]

One is arguably the best hitter the game has ever seen, the other is arguably the best pitcher this game has ever seen...easy choice

For steriods and such, everyone played by the same rules...

[RedsoxRockies]

Both

[Wassit3]

One is arguably the best hitter the game has ever seen, the other is arguably the best pitcher this game has ever seen...easy choice

For steriods and such, everyone played by the same rules...

[RickD]

While you might not be a fan of either player, do their numbers say they are good enough to get into the Hall?

Not to me as their numbers could be inflated due to substance abuse. I say they can get in after Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe!

[HoustonGM]

Not to me as their numbers could be inflated due to substance abuse.

This applies to every single player in this era.

And even if a single player never did steroids, his numbers WERE affected, inflated or deflated, by those that did. Non-steroid-using pitchers had their win totals inflated by steroid-using hitters. Non-steroid-using hitters were harmed by steroid-using pitchers. It's all just a web of crap, which is why I think it's better to ignore the issue entirely when it comes to Hall of Fame evaluations. The entire era was marred by steroid use. Everybody knew, or at least had a hint, but nobody cared until Congress forced them too.

[OldFatGuy]

Both easily. But folks are tired of my opinions on the matter. I still believe strongly that Pete Rose should unquestionably be in the Hall of Fame. The man with the most hits all time not being in the HOF is a travesty, unless you apply that same standard universally. In which case Babe Ruth should be removed, since he violated the United States Constitution on several hundred (thousand probably) occasions.

[HoustonGM]

Both easily. But folks are tired of my opinions on the matter. I still believe strongly that Pete Rose should unquestionably be in the Hall of Fame. The man with the most hits all time not being in the HOF is a travesty, unless you apply that same standard universally. In which case Babe Ruth should be removed, since he violated the United States Constitution on several hundred (thousand probably) occasions.

The difference with Rose is that he clearly violated a rule that was posted all over every clubhouse by the MLB and clearly carried the punishment of a lifetime ban from baseball. He knew that his actions were banned by the MLB and he knew the punishment, and did it anyway. Punishing people for breaking the law isn't the MLB's job, which is why Ruth shouldn't be punished for drinking during Prohibition.

[JeepGuy63]

Not to me as their numbers could be inflated due to substance abuse. I say they can get in after Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe!

You say "COULD BE INFLATED".

If you want to talk about inflated numbers, you also have to take into account the wood used in bats, tightly wrapped baseballs, using an assortment of materials, ballparks with smaller dimensions as well as advanced technology and diet to make big and better athletes.

No one talks about the use of uppers in baseball that has been around for 40, 50 or more years, just the steroids.

And until someone can convince me that 1. shooting the stuff into your ass will allow you to make contact with a baseball and 2. that Bonds and Clemens were the only two using it, you can't toss out all the records in baseball from the 80's until now.