Which player found guilty of taking steroids/ PEDs would shock you the most?

[SirKodiak]

I spent a lot of time around football players and weight lifters, and thus around steroids, when I was younger (and thankfully I never took them). I never once heard a claim that they did anything but help you heal faster plus the side effects, though aggression could be seen as beneficial too, I guess. The theory was that you damage muscles while lifting, and used steroids to heal faster so you could lift more. I point out the general thought as this was in the early 90's.

I believe I saw a study that pointed out that healing was the number one advantage of taking them is blocking cortisol from getting to the muscles. I believe they also help in the production of proteins. I was going to do a paper on the failure of MLBPA vis-à-vis steroids. I'll have to dig up the research and maybe now go ahead and write the paper.

[KowboyKoop]

I think the degree to which steriods help you is definitely up for debate, but for whether or not they help you AT ALL...I do not think that is up for debate.

Steriods and HGH help build muscle and make you stronger. Being stronger makes you a better baseball player to SOME degree. To what degree? No idea, it could be a very very small amount of improvement..but I think it'd be pretty silly to say that taking performance enhancing drugs that makes you stronger offers absolutely zero benefit whatsoever.....

[Jeffy25]

Ripken or Gwynn of the following.

To add, the player that would shock me the absolute most? Danny Huerra

[Jeffy25]

I don't like it when people make heroes of these guys. I mean...the whole five threads with Jeffy handjobbing McGwire was about all I could take Is this what it comes down to...if you like him you look past roids and if you don't you crucify someone?

I'm not speaking of you directly on that free....but I will question you on why Ripken would surprise you? He wouldn't surprise me at all. The guy performed at an amazing level late in his career at an advanced age. This while playing everyday in one of the games most physically demanding positions. This while in the midst of the steroid era (at least the latter part of his career)...with someone on his team who was widely suspected of possibly juicing.

I think Ripken was an amazing player and a great ambassador of the game. He's also done alot of good things outside of baseball. If he juiced, or did HGH...i'd be not surprised nor would I be hurt in anyway.

I honestly can't think of one MLB player whom i'd be surprised to hear did roids, HGH, or some other illegal substance which is suspected to enhance performance (not just MLB banned, which is a copout by those trying to justify why their heroes should be revered regardless). Not one. But I will partake in the vote and say I guess the most surprising would be Oz..though I wouldn't be shocked.

I would be absolutely surprised if Ripken took roids.....same with a player like Jeter.


I wouldn't call it handjobbing McGwire. I also wouldn't calling it excusing what he did, but explaining it better.

I am positive that the majority of players never did anything like roids. But there are a large enough number still to understand that the it was at least rampant in some levels.

If i could find that Charles Barkley quote that HGM posted awhile back I would post it here.

[MichelleWie]

I wouldn't call it handjobbing McGwire.

We wouldn't want Pujois to get jealous . You are obviously a homer. Thats ok though so am I. I often handjob CC Sabathia and he isn't even on my team anymore.

[Jeffy25]

We wouldn't want Pujois to get jealous . You are obvious a homer. Thats ok though so am I. I often handjob CC Sabathia and he isn't even on my team anymore.

Oh, I am absolutely a homer of certain players....and I can certainly admit it. I try to be unbiased when it comes time to compare players. But I am a Cardinal fan for a reason....and I have some homerism in me. I have seen that most people on here are biased toward their fav teams. Grasshopper and RickD of the Yanks, Dickay of the Red Sox, Tang and the Mariners. There is nothing wrong with it, just as long as we are all aware, right?

Here is that Barkley thing:

On whether or not he thinks guys who used steroids in baseball should be Hall-of-Famers:

“I think that Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens…I think those guys should all go into the Hall-of-Fame and let me explain why. We know there is at least one list that has 104 people right? (Host: Yes) Clearly there was more than 104. My problem with the whole era is these are the only guys that are going to get penalized, the Hall-of-Famers. All the other guys played in that era and I heard John Kruk and I like John Kruk he said ‘well I was clean.’ Well he still benefited by the financial structure. All the players during that era all benefited through the financial structure. But my biggest problem is, like I was saying, to penalize four guys and keep them out of the Hall-of-Fame when clearly a bunch of guys were doing it - we know of at least 104 and clearly there was more - to penalize four guys and don’t put them in the Hall-of-Fame when a bunch were doing it, I think that’s totally unfair.”

and my opinion would be the same if it was Sosa that was brought out into the public eye and not McGwire at this point. Although, I probably wouldn't be as vocal about it.

[dickay]

I would be absolutely surprised if Ripken took roids.....same with a player like Jeter.


I wouldn't call it handjobbing McGwire. I also wouldn't calling it excusing what he did, but explaining it better.

I am positive that the majority of players never did anything like roids. But there are a large enough number still to understand that the it was at least rampant in some levels.

If i could find that Charles Barkley quote that HGM posted awhile back I would post it here.

lol, honestly bro...i was away on business and saw a few posts while coming and going in & out of the hotel. never had time to read the whole thread(s).....but the few posts I read I was getting the homer vibe from you. Not sure if thats entirely factual though

[dickay]

Oh, I am absolutely a homer of certain players....and I can certainly admit it. I try to be unbiased when it comes time to compare players. But I am a Cardinal fan for a reason....and I have some homerism in me. I have seen that most people on here are biased toward their fav teams. Grasshopper and RickD of the Yanks, Dickay of the Red Sox, Tang and the Mariners. There is nothing wrong with it, just as long as we are all aware, right?

you may be right...i dunno. I tend to think i'm even keeled, if not more critical of the Sawx. I don't recall one time speaking from a homer standpoint...but i'm sure there's likely been one if not some. Of recent I recall picking the Yanks as having a better rotation than the Sawx

[MichelleWie]

Oh, I am absolutely a homer of certain players....and I can certainly admit it. I try to be unbiased when it comes time to compare players. But I am a Cardinal fan for a reason....and I have some homerism in me. I have seen that most people on here are biased toward their fav teams. Grasshopper and RickD of the Yanks, Dickay of the Red Sox, Tang and the Mariners. There is nothing wrong with it, just as long as we are all aware, right?

Here is that Barkley thing:




and my opinion would be the same if it was Sosa that was brought out into the public eye and not McGwire at this point. Although, I probably wouldn't be as vocal about it.

Except Houston. The man of no team.... Also don't really no what is the point of posting the Barkley artice? I mean I could post several articles of several people (Jack Clark an example) who think the McGwire and others are pieces of feces. So.....

[Jeffy25]

you may be right...i dunno. I tend to think i'm even keeled, if not more critical of the Sawx. I don't recall one time speaking from a homer standpoint...but i'm sure there's likely been one if not some. Of recent I recall picking the Yanks as having a better rotation than the Sawx

I should say, you are more of a Yankee hater than a Red Sox homer from what I have seen personally.


I, and I am sure everyone else here, tries to be even keeled. But I am more vocal about supporting my fav team, I don't think it's a surprise to anyone that i would.

If McGwire had never been a Cardinal, my attitude would have been the same, but as I said, I might not have been as vocal

[dickay]

I should say, you are more of a Yankee hater than a Red Sox homer from what I have seen personally.

oh, well that I can't refute

[Jeffy25]

Except Houston. The man of no team.... Also don't really no what is the point of posting the Barkley artice? I mean I could post several articles of several people (Jack Clark an example) who think the McGwire and others are pieces of feces. So.....

those were all already shared in other threads....I was re-sharing the Barkley article to discuss dickay's post.

[Jeffy25]

I am certainly a homer fan of the Cardinals. I don't hate our rival Cubbies (think of them as more or less too harmless to worry about, I dislike the Astros the most). But I don't think I am a blind homer fan either. I believe I am pretty well aware of what is out there. If I see a time that my team, my players, or my city needs to be defended, I do. And it's hard to not gloat when you have the best player in the game on your team. A winning history etc.....

The Cardinals also aren't the only team that I like. I also like the Royals, Twins, Reds, D-Backs, Mariners, and Indians quite a bit.

But I am a Cards fan, and a proud one. Sorry if my homerism ever gets too loud, I'll try to always be logical, something I think I have always been. I just speak up more when it involves Cardinal players.

[Jeffy25]

and since we are on topic

[dickay]

those were all already shared in other threads....I was re-sharing the Barkley article to discuss dickay's post.

well thanks....but I don't really recall the HOF being in the discussion, which is what Barkley was discussing

I think they should be in the HOF too....i just don't see the point in immortalizing some players, or not holding it against them, of trying to find reasons to believe certain individuals, etc. etc. I have little respect for the "person" that is todays major league baseball player, with few exceptions. I have great respect for their athletic ability, drive, etc. I like McGwire between the lines. I do hold the fact that he was a major player in the degregation of the game during the last decade & a half. But I don't look at him much differently than I do most MLB players, because I believe the majority HAVE taken some illegal substance to improve performance.

Yes, I know players have been "cheating" for years, decades, or over a century. But never have we had such a wide spread public destruction of what we thought was a "pure" (for lack of a better word) game. And the players, the MLBPA, owners, and commishioners office are responsible for that. The story of baseball will forever be written with this stain on it and they do bear that responsibility.

I would find respect for McGwire the person if I felt he was being totally honest. How anyone can think that after years of lying and his "confession" is beyond me. He was not totally honest with his usage, and the next player that comes out and divulges the real scope of the usage in baseball will be the first (well actually third after Caminiti & Canseco).