Steriods Report
Named were several Yankees:
Roger Clemens
Jason Giambi
Andy Pettitte
Former Yankees:
Randy Velarde
Gary Sheffield
Chuck Knoblauch
David Justice
Kevin Brown
Roger Clemens
Jason Giambi
Andy Pettitte
Former Yankees:
Randy Velarde
Gary Sheffield
Chuck Knoblauch
David Justice
Kevin Brown
posted by J. Marcavage at 3:47 PM
7 Comments:
Clemens and Pettitte look pretty bad in the report. Goodbye Hall of Fame? I think so.
Wasn't Ron Villone included?
Hal Morris
Glenallen Hill, Denny Neagle, Mike Stanton, Todd Williams
I think Clemens will make the HOF, probably on the first ballot, as will Bonds. They were HOF players beforehand and I don't think the HOF committee will attempt to drag this dark era on any longer than it has to by reminding everyone every year of what's happened. That's my thought, anyway.
But this is undoubtedly the "Steroid Era." All the statistics...all the comparisons to the great players...save them.
And as Adam and I discussed earlier today, these names came out of two or three suppliers. Presumably you could multiply that number implicated by three or four.
I give great credit to George Mitchell. It appears that all of these names are backed up by hard records...checks, money orders, etc. These are more than accusations, and we should consider continuing denials to be shameful. Guys like Giambi should be given credit, but of course not nearly as much as a guy like A-Rod, who now more than ever looks like the greatest modern player to ever play.
Clemens, Pettitte...'roid heads. I hope Andy comes out and apologizes. I think he's a man of character, and he could restore his self respect that way. Roger is not that type of person. He's a more friendly Barry Bonds.
Bums. BUMS.
I think the Pete Rose example applies here. Pete Rose's achievements have a place in the HOF, but because of his lack of integrity and candor, he himself is not a member. If the allegations are true (and man do they sound that way) Roger Clemens purposely took steroids starting in 1998 in which he enjoyed a Renaissance in his career after being written off by the Boston Red Sox. Sure, Roger was a HOFer before he started juicing, but he illegally took substances that would give him a competitive advantage, and that is cheating. There are two questions here- 1) Should Roger Clemens go to the HOF? I personally don't know yet. He's denying this report's veracity up and down. If the report is true and Roger is lying outright, then he doesn't deserve to be recognized due to his lack of integrity. The second question is will he be inducted. I think it's a 50-50 shot at this point.
Well, you make a few interesting points. One is that it's well known that Rose never got in because he denied it...and he only stopped denying it when it was going to make him a bunch of money (book deal). He's a real low man, Rose. There is no sympathy for you.
But why I think this might be different is because we know this list is not nearly comprehensive. Hell, Sosa and Raffy P. aren't even on it. So we are looking at a situation where some guys are shamed forever, possibly costing them spots in the HOF, and others can carry on, and even pretend they were above it, bolstering their positions.
I think the truth is so muddled that the best thing we can do going forward is to think less of these men collectively, as an era. To never forget how all of this seemed to good to be true...and was. I certainly think less of Roger Clemens, but I also feel bad for him, as odd as that sounds, because that kind of shame will haunt him forever. And for all those--myself included--who saw him as the John Wayne of baseball. All that was nonsense.
Another interesting point you bring up is one that Mitchell and Selig ignored--I would say intentionally. It's the cheating angle. These men cheated, and the statistics they produced are tainted. More than anything else, I want Bud Selig to admit that, to admit that the historical record is forever tainted--on his watch--and that the accomplishments we all swooned over do not deserve to be held up next to those previous. That's really what I want out of these people, then I can forgive and move on.
After all, as counter intuitive as this will sound to non sports or baseball fans, the game is much bigger than the players anyway. We watch and love it because it is an idea, a proof, if you will, above all this disappointment.
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