If there had been a drug that could have squeezed a few more quality years out of Stan Musial, would you have wanted him to use them? I’m not sure.

I can be very forgiving toward a ballplayer who used PED’s. He can even play on my beloved Cardinals if he honestly admits to his use and has vowed to clean his game up and be better for it. Guys like Clemens who disgraced himself by dragging his wife into his scandal to deflect self guilt absolutely soured me against him. The guy turned out to be a bum as far as I’m concerned. And for the sake of keeping it clean here, that’s putting it lightly.

I’m against PEDs but I hate that the media likes to portray that the league was pure and clean before the Bash Brothers came along in Oakland. In baseball everyone hates the fact that players took an illegal substance to gain an edge. But what about all the star players of the 70s and 80s that took amphetamines? Sure amphetamines don’t impact power numbers like steroids but they were still illegal performance enhancers. They without a doubt had some kind of impact on the stats of players from that era.

Baseball’s long embraced culture of doing what ever you can to gain an edge combined with advances in technology set baseball on a collision course for a PED epidemic. I don’t like it. But as a fan I’ve accepted it. Players juiced it was the steroid era. It’s sad but baseball enabled it to happen. I view Bonds, McGwire, Clemens etc.. as the greats of their era. Where they men of integrity? No. Would I want my son to view them as role models? No. Who care’s though. These guys deserve to be in Cooperstown. Why keep them out? Because they’re cheaters or not men of integrity? The hall of fame is already full of these types of characters so why draw the line now?

Gotta love the hypocrisy.

I think the prevalent attitude before the steroid era was exposed to the fans was that if a player was caught using, he should be BANNED, not suspended but BANNED. Once the fans learned how widespread the use was through MLB and how many parties were involved, they realized such a punishment to something so widespread would be the death of MLB, so they, like baseball’s current suspension policy, found a way to live with it so they could keep the sport. Otherwise, those who still cared like before the exposure of the steroid era would no longer be fans of MLB.

Yes we care….it’s brutal that these guys are tainting the game….the fact that Manny smiles and is charming while doing it doesn’t repair the damage he is doing. And when Pujols is found out people in St Louis will defend him just like the did McGwire.

Use PED’s = lifetime ban. There is no alternative.

And amphetamines didn’t enhance performance….they hurt it. gave guys false energy.

I’m old school and my view of justice is very narrow. I’d like to see the names of all sports figures tarnished, the same way the games themselves have been tarnished, no matter what the sport, or how big the name. And YES, that includes our beloved Mr. (let’s talk about the future) McGwire. I do believe however, that had these guys known the odor of stink that would eventually be raised, they probably would have chosen a different path.
Yes, I care about PED use, particularly the way it affects our youth.But the reality is such that we tend to hold these folks to higher standards than we ourselves could probably meet. Such is the nature of human beings. I just want these guys/gals to be held accountable to our youth. They alone have the power to fix this mess, and I expect nothing less.

Sounds like six media folk who have given in. Shame on you.

You guys should be leading the charge to get it cleaned up. My refusing to buy tickets to a few games per year won’t change much of anything. But, if the beat writers and columnists were consistent in going after the cheaters, well that could make a difference.

It’s ridiculous that the return of Manny is such a big story. Here’s a guy who didn’t finish HS, held out for big money and has been a notoriously bad teammate. Yet, because he can hit a baseball he is adored (your word Luke T, and unfortunately an accurate one).

Cheating makes a difference to all who are affected by it. That means it affects everyone who plays, writes about, watches and cares about the game. Until it’s clean, we should shun it. If you, who have the ability to reach thousands, don’t address it, you condone it. And that is unacceptable to me.

My biggest problem with PED’s and the one that gets overlooked most often… are the players that did not make it to the league, who stayed clean. Not just b/c of the ones that used and got in, but more importantly, the ones that lasted 5-6-7 years longer than they would have had they not used. Those players ate up 15-20% (a guess) of major league rosters and kept dozens of players in AAA, which in turn kept dozens in AA and so on…

NOW, they’ve “cleaned it up” and the perfect storm hits… now we have an economic crisis. Those players who languished, trying to get in, are now minor league free agents and getting paid larger amounts. NOW teams are incentivized to move players through the system faster (note all of the “youth movements”) b/c those players make $12,000 a year and don’t have to be given real contracts until year 6 of their careers. So all of those players that languished are now being punished again.

That is the REAL crime… the absolute theft of careers that took place, leaving families in its wake.

That is why people should care. Barry Bonds, and hundreds of others, literally stole entire lives from people.

Really sad.

A-Rod is currently second in all-star voting for third base. Granted the pickings are a little slim at the hot corner in the AL, but I think that says a lot about how people view those who’ve used PEDs.

i think the media is hypocritical. shawn merriman draws no outrage. burwell went out of his way to attack fans, but where’s his rage at nfler’s. this is true throughout the media. i quit listening because the outrage only applies to mlb.there’s little or no comment about nfl players useage of peds it’s excused if it’s addressed at all. merriman was defensive mvp no media members asked if his success had anything ro do with drug useage.

Dan makes an excellent point. I have heard stories of players as early as the 50’s and 60’s using speed. This can help with hand-eye coordination, which can help you hit a baseball. And baseball was never pure. From the 1880’s to 1947, the competition was artificially deflated by segregation. The 50’s up, players were using speed, coke, steroids, etc. Pitchers cheated (Gaylord Perry, and The Neikro Brothers to name a few). People would cork bats, anything. Cheating has been a part of the game since there was a game.

The media is very hypocritical in this situation. I, and many other fans, knew something was up. It was obvious. But I have read many sportswriters who said they were “fooled” or “duped” by players using steroids. BS. You covered these guys day in and day out for years, and did not notice anything? I suppose you have a bridge you want to sell me, also. When public outrage was the initial reaction, these writers jumped on the bandwagon.

They can test all they want for PED’s, but a new form of cheating will take its place. Its not an excuse, it is not condoning it, but thats baseball, and I don’t want it to change.

The media’s hypocrisy is hilarious, they knew what was going on. Everyone, in every locker room, knew what was going on. In the real world, you just don’t pack on 30+lbs of muscle in a matter of months. Anybody who goes to a gym, can tell you which guys are on the juice. Wake up people, anabolic steroids have been around for a long, long time. This stuff started well before the late 80’s, in all sports.

As a fan, I can not say that it upsets me. My rationale is derived from 2 points. 1st, if the players are using, regardless for what team they play for, at least I know they do strongly desire to win. Nothing disgusts me more in professional sports, then someone who is indifferent to winning or losing. Sport=competition. 2nd, if you could take a substance that would greatly increase your performance in work, which in turn, would greatly increase your income. Would you take it? Especially, knowing you could provide financial security for your children’s, children. If we are to all be honest, I believe over 90% of us would answer, yes, we would take it. That would be my answer.

I personally think anyone connected with PEDs should have no chance for the HOF. I look at it from 3 perspectives. (1) Roger Maris’ kids. If I saw Mark tuck his tail before Congress knowing that he broke my dad’s record under the conditions shown in the movie “61*” and hugged me afterwards, it would piss me off. It makes me want to puke as a fan. (2) Parents. Would a father who goes on record that he doesn’t care if MLB players use say that to their son who plays HS baseball? And would it change their tune if he started using steroids? (3) Hank Aaron. He is more of a man than me by applauding Barry on number 756 when he was obviously dirty for about 5 years. If he was clean, I’d say, “Congratulations!”. I think I’m in the minority, which is a shame because of the health issue it presents to teenagers when adults downplay the effect of PEDs. But Manny did finish 6th in all-start voting, just in front of the struggling Ankiel; that has to stand for something, don’t you think?

What may ring untrue for longtime baseball fans is the recorded history of baseball, its “nostaligic fabric,” if you will, is forever stained. Over time, the lesser scandals have all blown over, incidents which could be put behind, perhaps forgiven. But the current PED issues have infiltrated some very sacred records. What fans once felt good about and could depend upon as a sort of abstract integrity, has erupted into a storm that may not blow over. A ballpark, once a place where a politician would sneak in to attempt to create an association with credibility, now seems like an American refuge lost. Blame players, blame ownership, blame the fans, blame the media, but regardless of how you distribute the shame, it seems it will take a united effort to put baseball back on track.

Here is where the fans care-the records. Why is Barry Bonds vilified and not say Gary Sheffield? The fact that Bonds won a number of MVP’s and that he “broke” the greatest baseball record of all-the HR record. On the pitching side it’s the same for Clemens. Baseball is the most number’s oriented team sport-now that “comparison” is forever tainted. Also, I think most people truly believe in a fair and level playing field-we feel that is being accomplished with the testing so “normalcy” has been restored