Aaron wants past steroid users exposed, banned from Hall
Henry Aaron, here with Chipper Jones, says there's no room in Cooperstown for cheaters.
The only man recognized as baseball’s true home run king — without the benefit of a laboratory detour — is finally speaking out. No more hanging back by Henry Aaron. No more letting others do the talking.
“My feeling has always been the same – the game of baseball has no place for cheaters,” Aaron said Sunday morning. “There’s no place in the Hall of Fame for people who cheat.”
He was speaking by phone from Cooperstown, where he was attending the Hall of Fame induction of Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice. Aaron has been to several of these ceremonies. But he probably hasn’t created this kind of news since his own enshrinement 27 years ago.
It started Saturday when he told a small group of reporters that he would be in favor of players from the steroid era going into the Hall with asterisks by their name, indicating their statistics might have been artificially enhanced. One excerpt: “Somewhere on the plaque or behind his name, say, ‘Hey, 73 home runs, da da da da, he was accused of …”
It was by far the strongest comments from Aaron I could remember. But those words were tame compared to what he said early Sunday morning when I phoned him. Aaron said his comments about asterisks pertained only to players suspected of using performance-enhancing drugs. But what of players who actually are proven to have taken drugs?
“That’s a different story,” he said. “If it’s proven that you took any kind of drug or substance, then you shouldn’t be there [in the Hall]. Like I said, the game has no place for cheaters.”
And then this: Aaron wants the list of 104 players who tested positive in baseball’s confidential drug tests in 2003 exposed. So far, two names have leaked out in media reports: Sammy Sosa and Alex Rodriguez.
“If there’s another 102 players on the list, that would be my position – bring it all to light now and get it over with,” he said. “The game has come through things before. It needs to come through this. If there are a hundred and some names on the list, let’s just get them out and get this over with so we can get on with the game.”
For closure?
“That’s it,” he said. “We need to bring closure to this.”
Aaron is right. It’s understandable that many have grown weary of steroids stories. But baseball never truly can move on until we understand the extent of what happened in the past.
That said, Aaron’s candidness seemed stunning. He largely had maintained a low profile on the subject, particularly during Barry Bonds’ chase of his career home run record. When I mentioned that to him, he laughed.
“Well, I’ve always felt this way,” he said. “There was just so much being said about it, I figured I would just kind of step back and listen. I didn’t want to open up any more doors that hadn’t already been opened. But when somebody asked me a question [Saturday] about, ‘Well, how do we handle this if a player from the steroid era is voted in,’ I just answered it. But I haven’t been losing any sleep at night.”
Asterisks won’t be necessary if suspected cheaters aren’t voted in. Hall of Fame voters have made their feelings clear on Mark McGwire. He has been on the ballot for three years and hasn’t received more than 23 percent of the vote (75 is needed).
Aaron hit 755 home runs. He did it the right way. He knows the difference between real and fantasy.
The 1998 battle between McGwire (70 homers) and Sosa (66)? Pure fantasy.
Bonds’ 73 homers in 2001 – and the 51.6 he averaged for five seasons between the ages of 36 and 40? Please.
But Aaron knows baseball can’t just whitewash statistics. It’s not feasible.
“There’s no way to just erase 73 home runs,” he said. “But I know some of those numbers being put up were impossible. The best thing is to just say, ‘They played in this era.’”
We’ve always known the truth. But it means more coming from Aaron.
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95 comments Add your comment
NCBravesFan
July 26th, 2009
11:49 am
Good for him for saying it! After all he went through in breaking the record, it seems to me he has a right to speak his mind candidly.
And I couldn’t agree with him more.
BugKiller
July 26th, 2009
11:55 am
Remember, Jeff, how you went after Roger Goodell for “enjoying” dropping the hammer on wayward players and such what others see as his attempt to protect his league?
I know it’s beating a dead horse, but you really need to turn your eye to the worst commissioner in the history of professional sport not named Gary Bettman and excoriate him for his silence and refusal to do anything to separate the records of these cheaters like Bonds, AFraud, Sosa, and McGwire from the guys like Aaron and Maris.
Someone needs to ask Bud Selig every time there’s a microphone in front of his weasely face why he hasn’t delcared Hank Aaron and Roger Maris the TRUE Home Run Kings. You know, for the good of the game. He has the ability to do this. Not strike all of those inflated numbers, but push them off to the side. Create a separate place for them.
Selig must be made to feel pressure and ridicule for his failure to restore Maris and Bonds to their rightful place.
It has to start somewhere, Jeff. Why not with you?
BugKiller
July 26th, 2009
11:56 am
Of course, that should read Maris and AARON to their rightful place.
NOT Bonds.
That’s what happens when your fingers get ahead of your brain a bit.
Joey
July 26th, 2009
11:57 am
Amen. Hank just hit another one out of the park.
Telly
July 26th, 2009
12:05 pm
Even as a grown man now who was only days old when 715 was hit, I am in AWE of this man.
Bless You, Henry Aaron. You ARE why we love sports.
Burn in Hell, Michael Vick & Barry Bonds and all who “Support” You.
Reid Adair
July 26th, 2009
12:11 pm
Thanks for the post, Jeff. I am glad to see Hank Aaron speaking his mind on the issue now. He showed a lot of class when Barry Bonds hit 73 in a single season and eventually broke Aaron’s record. He didn’t detract from Bonds’ attention.
But now, as time has passed, he is speaking his mind – and he is 100 percent correct.
Veteran fan
July 26th, 2009
12:25 pm
Aaron is the classiest act ever in MLB. He was and is my hero. Thank you, Hank for what you stand for and for your quiet and emphatic leadership!
poopdawg
July 26th, 2009
12:35 pm
Maybe the asterisk after Barry Bond’s name would say “suspected of steroid use , but hit 762 homeruns against steriod using picthers.” How many homeruns did Aaron hit against pitchers on steroids? Steroids are bad , and baseball should have tested for use but did’nt. I don’t feel sorry for the players because the player’s union fought against testing. But for Aaron to call them cheaters, its not cheating unless it’s against the rules, and it wasn’t against the rules at that time by the fact that baseball choose not to test for it.
Reid Adair
July 26th, 2009
12:46 pm
“poopdawg,” a little research on your part would let you know that the use of steroids without a prescription is ILLEGAL in this country. It doesn’t matter if it was “against the rules” in baseball. It was ILLEGAL.
Drew
July 26th, 2009
1:07 pm
Reid Adair, you are indeed correct to point out that it doesn’t matter if steroids were against the rules or not because they were illegal in America; however, what do you make of poopdawg’s other point that Bonds was suspected of steroid use, but many of his home runs came against potentially juicing pitchers? The simple fact of the matter is that we have no way of knowing who used and who didn’t, so arbitrarily throwing out player’s stats makes little to no sense. It’s a sad era for baseball, but there have been plenty of other sad eras in its past. I don’t see too many people arguing that we should throw out Babe Ruth’s stats because baseball was a racist institution and didn’t allow minorities to play.
Tim Brown
July 26th, 2009
1:09 pm
Cheating is when you gain an UNFAIR advantage. Pure talent is not unfair but chemically altering your body is an unfair advantage. This is the very essence of cheating.
poopdawg
July 26th, 2009
1:12 pm
Reid Adair , i believe marijuana is illegal also , so the players that might of , or suspected of, smoking weed need their on special asterisk. If baseball is such a gentleman’s sport , then get rid of the umpires. That would be crazy! Steroids is baseball’s black eye but to label the players using them cheaters is also crazy! Players used them to recover from injuries quicker not to hit homeruns, and were assisted by trainers employed by the major league teams.
bali smith
July 26th, 2009
1:23 pm
thanks Hank, nice work Jeff
brickman
July 26th, 2009
1:25 pm
steroids doesn’t improve hand/eye cordination.these guys can still hit even though they were on the juice.
Richard
July 26th, 2009
1:28 pm
So let me get this straight: Aaron says 755 is clean but 762 is impossible?
Schultz, next time you interview Aaron, could you ask him if he thinks people who used amphetamines, like greenies or coke, should get an asterisk? Thanks.
Hillbilly Deluxe
July 26th, 2009
1:32 pm
“If there’s another 102 players on the list, that would be my position – bring it all to light now and get it over with,”
Should have been done a long time ago.
Leon A. Daniels
July 26th, 2009
1:42 pm
With all the greater issues we have in our society, I could care less who hit how many home runs. I hear a lot of bitter people single out just those that they despise. People of all walks of life cheat ie. politicians, the banking industry, the housing industry, some of you on your taxes, exams, and your wives. Thousands cxan’t feed their families. We kill animals for shoes, hand bags, rugs, and to put trophies on our walls. What do you think happens to all the horses that dont win races? We don’t even know what really happend with the world trade center, while thousands of men and women of all races are dying everyday. You guys are worried about a home run. Give me a break!!!
Jeff Schultz
July 26th, 2009
1:53 pm
Bugkiller – I’ve certainly banged on Selig a lot through the years. I do think he’s trying to do the right thing now, but you’re right – that’s no excuse for him, owners and all for turning a blind eye for years. … And a fine point on Maris.
Reid – Thanks. And yes, that steroid “legality” thing seems to be lost on a lot of people. Whether the sport tested or not has nothing to do with it.
Poopdawg – How many more home runs is marijuana going to make you hit? A guy gets high, he’ll probably want to EAT the bat, not SWING it.
Bali – Thanx.
Richard – It’s not the 762. Check out Bonds’ HR spike after the McGwire-Sosa race inn 1998. That’s when Barry got jealous and started juicing. It’s all documented in Game of Shadows. That’s how BB got to 762.
Paul Lee
July 26th, 2009
2:06 pm
Funny how Hank refuses, always refuses to throw Barry Bonds under the bus.
Brave1
July 26th, 2009
2:23 pm
Hank Aaron, even as homerun king, is still one of the most under rated players in baseball. People think of Aaron as just a home run hitter. A few stats for your consideration.
* RBI’S – 1st all time.
* Home Runs – 2nd all time (If you count Bonds).
* Total Bases – 1st all time.
* Extra Base Hits – 1st all time.
* Intentional Walks – 1st all time
* Runs scored – 4th all time.
* 3 Time Gold Glove Winner
I’m 50 years old. Hank Aaron was my favorite player growing up. And remains my favorite player to date.
Sidslid
July 26th, 2009
2:39 pm
Not so fast. When Atlanta Fulton County Stadium opened they had 12 foot walls and 380 power alleys. When it became apparent that Henry had no chance, they put in the infamous chicken wire fence at about seven feet high with about ten feet of clearance to the wall. Somewhat ironic that the ball that House caught would have been a fly to left in ‘66. Although Yankee Stadium had the short porch in right, Ruth hit over half his homers on the road in 1927.
The point here is you can’t compare era to era in anything so just let the records fall where they may. Hall of Fame voting is essentially based on a player’s record vs. his peer group to attempt to mitigate the differences in eras. For that reason, Bonds should probably go in anyway, but it is fairly obvious that McGwire (known as Marco Solo in his A’s days), Palmeiro, and Sosa were total products of the steroids era.
All I'm Saying Is...
July 26th, 2009
2:40 pm
Paul Lee: If Hank threw Barry under the bus with any of his comments, then he would be accused of being a jealous and vindictive old man angry that his record was broken. And as we all know Hank is way too classy for that — perfect example is the video tribute he did for BB that played after he passed 755 despite what Aaron believes.
Hank’s the best, period, end of subject.
lifetime_brave_fan
July 26th, 2009
2:41 pm
Babe Ruth didn’t have the benefit of trainers, nutritionists, physical therapists, rehab therapies. Just think how many more home runs he would have hit if he had. Should we put an asterisk next to all the players from the 1950’s and forward who have had access to all this new science?
Every player is a produce of their era. I don’t favor steroids, but baseball had no rules against or even addressing steroids, so how can baseball retroactively penalize a player who didn’t violate the rules of baseball? Indeed, baseball enjoyed lots of money thanks to McGwire, Bonds, Sosa, etc.
Like Hank said, those guys are just the product of that particular era, just like Hank had access to science therapies and rehab and, yes, drugs, that Babe Ruth did not have access to. Should Hank have an asterisk explaining his “era?”
Baseball finally started testing and punishing the steroid freaks. Those who were using steroids when baseball tolerated and encouraged it shouldn’t be retroactively penalized. Time to move on, people.
The Grinch
July 26th, 2009
3:10 pm
Baseball players didn’t just start using drugs in the 90’s; that’s been going on forever. I just don’t want Bonds in because he’s a d-bag.
Drew
July 26th, 2009
3:31 pm
Jeff,
You asked “How many more home runs is marijuana going to make you hit? A guy gets high, he’ll probably want to EAT the bat, not SWING it.” What about a guy like Darryl Kile? He used to get high before pitching to calm his nerves. Better yet, what about Dock Ellis? He famously threw a no-hitter while high on LSD. Or what about the entire era of “greenies,” or amphetamines? Baseball has been dirty in some shape or form since it began. You writers need to get off your high horse and just accept the fact that you were equally complicit in the steroid era as the owners, players, fans and commissioners office.
Bubba
July 26th, 2009
3:34 pm
It would kind of be a shame, from a sportswriter’s standpoint, to go ahead and call the names of the 102 others. Speculation is such an integral part of sports, after all.
What I find hard to fathom is Selig’s apparent belief that baseball cannot withstand the scrutiny of coming clean, talking about it and moving on. I think Selig worked out a deal with Fehr in the heat of all this, to say, “Look, you get the players on board to start testing moving forward. In return, the owners won’t come down on the ‘cheaters.’ We were enablers, after all.” And then when the testing got put in place, and a couple of people were caught and suspended, and the future of baseball was viewed through a more “steady” view as things calmed down, then they start naming the 102.
Whatever. Baseball’s stronger than what Selig thinks it is. As a former car dealership owner, he’s good with schmooze. As a commissioner, he needs to focus more on the strength of his product.
Hillbilly Deluxe
July 26th, 2009
3:43 pm
Babe Ruth and Henry Aaron would have hit a lot of home runs no matter what era they played in. They played when they played and their numbers are what they are. That’s what makes baseball great; the arguments can never really be settled about who would have been better if they’d played at the same time.
I remember in Leo Durocher’s book that he had one pitcher that he had to give a drink to before he brought him in to pitch (can’t remember his name) or he’d be so nervous he couldn’t get anybody out. Nothing ever really changes. But those who get caught have to pay the price, just like in the real world. (Unless of course they’re politicians, then they usually get away with it.)
Whopper Dawg
July 26th, 2009
3:59 pm
Agree with Mr. Aaron 100%.
Jeff
July 26th, 2009
4:13 pm
poopdawg: Barry Bonds is not “suspected of steroid use”. He has ADMITTED to using ‘the cream’ and ‘the clear’. He only claims that he did not KNOWINGLY use steroids, which is the distinction he used to peddle his hilariously inept ‘flaxseed oil’ explanation.
Secondly, the “it wasn’t against the rules at the time” excuse is asinine. It was AGAINST THE LAW. That AUTOMATICALLY makes it “against the rules”. Baseball also doesn’t have a rule that bans breaking into another person’s home at night with the intent to commit a felony therein. You know why? Because it’s called Burglary, and if you do it, you are breaking the law.
Third, I don’t know what percentage of pitchers were/are juicing. However, I do know that the vast majority of players that have been pegged as steroid users are position players.
Ashley
July 26th, 2009
4:17 pm
Well, I TOTALLY misread your headline at first glance. I thought it read” Aaron wants past steroid users exposed, BANNED TO HELL.”
Ken Stallings
July 26th, 2009
4:37 pm
Thank you, Jeff Schultz for having the courage to write this column!
Henry Aaron is the most influential player today in baseball history, with the recent passing of previous greats. What he has to say on this issue bears considerable influence. So, I am very happy you persued this story and reported on it.
Because I’ve long suspected this is what Aaron really thought about the steroids cheaters. I am glad he finally chose to share it so frankly.
The full list of 104 players should be released and frankly to hell with what the players’ union says. On no other issue has the players’ union so miserably failed to put the game first. But also in this effort they have undercut the honest players who deserve to have their accomplishments honored and the guilt by association removed.
And once again, Jeff, let’s have the AJC sports reporters re-energize the discussion about getting Dale Murphy into the Hall of Fame. When he retired, he was widely talked about openly as being a future Hall of Famer. Only the inflation of offensive statistics kept that from happening.
I repeat again, from 1981 to 1990, no other player in Major League Baseball hit more home runs and RBI’s than Dale Murphy. Combined with 5 Gold Gloves, 7 All Star appearances, Back-to-back MVP’s, and third ever to hit 30 HR, steal 30 bases, and hit over .300 in the same season, the man’s statistical achievements in his era make selection earned and obvious.
Chauncery Peirpoint O'Brien, Sportswriter
July 26th, 2009
5:36 pm
I used to work in the field, Jeff. I got downsized. Now, I go from site to site reading good stuff from my old contemporaries. Your stuff is amazing. You actually talked with Hank Aaron? Amazing! My last interview was with Dan Kolb. That was not so amazing.
Here’s how I feel about juicing . . . a guy who wrote for the Post started with the growth hormone when the cutbacks started, felt he needed an edge. They moved him to a blog and required three new posts a day, Monday-Friday. He turned pretty quickly. We buried him last week. I tried for the replacement assignment but they outsourced it to India – some guy named Shalimar Patel O’Brien (no relation).
Well, back to baseball. Hank Aaron is right.
Bill
July 26th, 2009
5:53 pm
The media is not blameless in this mess.They could have exposed it long before and probably changed things.They knew about the whispers in the clubhouse.They saw bodies magically change of just a coupe of months.
How about ban all media from the media section of the Hall of Fame for not doing their job and bringing this to light this problem.All media from this era should be considered for the ban.
Now I know the media votes who gets in.So my idea will happen about the time Congress votes themselves a pay cut.
JuicedUp!
July 26th, 2009
6:09 pm
Barry Bonds and A-Rod have powerful attorneys and will not permit baseball to keep them out of the hall of fame. They’ll sue for millions if that happens! They can buy their way in if needed.
clyde
July 26th, 2009
6:13 pm
Hank Aaron was a gentleman ball player.He never should have had to congratulate the likes of the steroid using Bonds.
Island Dawg
July 26th, 2009
6:26 pm
Aaron, Chipper and Dale are the best offensive Braves ever and all deserve a place in the HOF. However, steroids don’t magically grant supernatural powers to hit 95 mph fastballs. Did these guys cheat? yes. Even if I filled my body with HGH and test there is no way I could touch a Rivera or Soriano fastball. There is talent and the right ways to enrich it. They did not. If anyone has questions I have an 87 Topps Traded Bonds card I’d be glad to sell you. The resemblance to the guy now is marginal at best.
Paddy
July 26th, 2009
6:28 pm
POOPDOG…YOU MAY WANT TO RETHINK WHAT YOU SAID; Players only used steriods to recover from injury not hit homeruns. Where have you been, in jail? The steriod era made millions and millions of dollars for those that used. Many past their prime. Unbelievable statement on your part. No one who has investigated this subject has come to the conclusion that you have.
Island Dawg
July 26th, 2009
6:31 pm
Correction: 86 Topps Traded and I did not mean my beloved Braves touched that crap. Chipper is and shall remain my favorite ATL Brave ever.
Headlines
July 26th, 2009
7:10 pm
Just a sad old man with sour grapes. Hey Hank, go back in the closet where you belong. You are not number one any more but if you are starting to smell like number two.
Mr. A
July 26th, 2009
7:51 pm
While I agree with Hank Aaron on banning cheaters , we need to ban ALL cheaters in all eras. And as far as Hank……. I met him one time on a road trip during a playoff game in the 90’s. My children very politely ask him for a auotgraph while he was satnding alone in the hotel lobby. I make them ask nicely and he never would even look their way. My children thought he did not hear them so they again very politely ask him again. Again no response!!! About a minute later a few kids walked up and asked him and he gave them a autograph and ignored my kids.
My children learned a very important lesson that day about racism and how it effects so many people. They wouldn’t take a auotgraph from Hank if he handed them one. They have never forgot that. So I called them a little while ago and ask them to read this on AJC and they both just laughed!!
poopdawg
July 26th, 2009
7:56 pm
paddy we could pump your a$$ with steroids for 3 yrs and you still couldn’t hit it out of the infield . Believe it !
Savannah Dawg
July 26th, 2009
8:14 pm
Sorry Hammer, but your still trying to be politically correct. I wish you and other greats of the game would call out the Barry’s and Sammy’s of baseball. You did what you did thru your talent and gifts. Barry, Sammy and others decided to drug up and keep denying it. It’s time for our legends to call out the “cheaters”. Who’s feelings are you worried about? You don’t owe them anything. We and they owe you! Barry and others insult you everytime they make another denial. Where is their respect for you? Cause I don’t see it.
Keith Helms
July 26th, 2009
8:58 pm
Aaron is exactly right. The users should be banned from baseball just like Rose and Joe Johnson were for gambling on the game with Barry BONDS BEING THE FIRST ONE PUT OUT THE DOOR.
junebaby
July 26th, 2009
9:14 pm
the only person on this posting i agree with is bill@5:53 pm.the writers knew what was going on and said, and did nothing. there were reports about the old oakland a’s players and others, using peds as early as the mid-80’s. and if i heard of those reports, i’m sure the writers had even more knowledge about it. they were complicit in the cover-up, so they should be banned from the hof, or enter the hall with an *. for the rest of you, it only seems as though barry bonds and sammy sosa are the only people to use steroids(those seem to be the only names people are listing), and none of the lighter-skinned players. it seems to be 75%-25% lighter skinned people taking performance enhancers(from the new accounts that i read)!!!! hmmh! i wonder why there are no comments about this percentage? i guess no one wants to open up another can of worms. these are also the players who benefit most from black americans forsaking the game,as between them, black and latin players playing so well during the late 70’s and 80’s, jobs were getting kind of scarce. so, who wants a bunch of talented blacks re-embracing the game of baseball? certainly not the players who could stand to lose their gravytrain!!!! AGAIN AS I GLANCE THROUGH THE POSTINGS; ALMOST EVERY POLLSTER IS ONLY MENTIONING BARRY BONDS; AND NOT BIG MC OR THE ROCKET!!!!
Mr. A
July 26th, 2009
9:44 pm
june baby……… this is the response that you deserve from your post
Bye!
boots
July 26th, 2009
9:47 pm
Barry Bonds sucks. So does Sosa, McGuire and Clemens. They are all a stain on baseball and should NEVER see the Hall of Fame. It would disgrace the players who earned it with their play and make a joke of the hall. Let’s hope the writers do the right thing. Baseball SHOULD do the right thing and ban them like was done to Rose, but they won’t. Playing by the rules matters.
junebaby
July 26th, 2009
10:05 pm
MR.A…, why not discuss the points i raised? i’m sure if i was bashing barry bonds or sammy sosa, you wouldn’t hesitate to leap right in! the rocket, big mc, andy pettit, jason giambi(and his brother), brady anderson, brett boone, ken caminini, jim edmonds, lenny dykstra, etc, etc. there, i even gave you some names to start with
Michael
July 26th, 2009
10:06 pm
Richard, as Jeff kinda pointed out to you, it’s not the overall 762. It’s the fact that Bonds’ numbers peaked when he was 37 years old! He hit 73 homers at age 37. He hit 49 at age 36. Go look back at his stats and look at the big power spike he had starting in 2000. A consistent 35-40 home run hitter all of sudden is hitting 49, 73, 46, 45, 45 — way past his prime. Go find another power hitter who had such a spike at that age. Hank Aaron had his best season when he was 37 (47 homers) then dropped off as he neared age 40.
Tbones
July 26th, 2009
10:16 pm
Here’s my feeling. MLB and the writers are a bunch of hypocrites!! First, when baseball was extremely suffering after the 1994 strike, McGwire and Sosa along with a lot of others help save MLB. The HR’s were flying out left and right because fans love the long ball. We saw their bodies changing, but the owners and writers all turned a blind eye to the situation, because these steriod guys was saving the sport that they love so much. Fast-forward to now when MLB is doing well, the very same guys that saved the beloved MLB are now being vilified. It can’t be both ways. Second, you cannot do anything about the past. You have tougher measures in place going forward. Continue to crack down on performance enhancing drug use and let the past be the past. Third, It’s impossible to use specualtion to determine who should or should not be in the Basebal HOF. I believe Barry Bonds and Roger Clemons were HOfers before their alleged use. How much did the PED help Palmeiro or Sosa? We really don’t know. McGwire hit 49 homers in his rookie season. Do we really know how much PED helped him in his career. We have specualtions, but their numbers are facts. They should get voted in based on their numbers, however, you can place a note, not an *, but a note for each situation under their plaque.
Jeff Schultz
July 26th, 2009
10:22 pm
Paul Lee – Oh, I think by the reference to 73 home runs, he pretty much did this.
Brave1 – Well said.
Drew – To use your logic, then we should ban coffee because it wakes up players. I think it’s safe to assume that coffee and pot are not the problem in baseball. Coffee and pot don’t lead to ridiculous statistics.
Ken Stallings – Thanks.
Chauncey – Thanks.
Bill – I media takes a hit too, and should to some degree. But there’s only so much that can be said/written without proof and getting someone to talk. Should media have pushed more for answers? Absolutely. But it’s not like any media outlets were sitting on evidence and not reporting on it. Media doesn’t sit on huge stories like that. At least, I don’t and nobody I know does.
Coach (2010 or Bust)
July 26th, 2009
10:39 pm
Barry Bonds may be the HR leader but Hank Aaron will always be the HR Champion.
Chauncery Peirpoint O'Brien, Sportswriter
July 26th, 2009
10:39 pm
I sat on a story once and I regret it more than you know. I saw a baseball player put on some fishnet stockings after a game when he thought everyone in the clubhouse was gone. He headed downtown and I followed. What I saw would take paint off a wall. What I saw would peel an onion and put the peel back on. What I saw I failed to report and now it is too late. Now, it is much too late because that player has family and I could never tell the wife and boys about the night daddy dressed up like a woman and belted out show tunes like Ethel Merman.
Jeff, you probably know the player. Did you know the story? I shoulda reported it, I coulda been a contender.
Coach (2010 or Bust)
July 26th, 2009
10:50 pm
Speaking of this Hall of Fame induction day……….Did you know that Jim Rice was almost a Brave?
It’s true.
Back when Brad Komminsk was considered a phenom and couldn’t miss, the Red Sox were willing to Trade Jim Rice straight up for Brad Komminsk back in 1983.
junebaby
July 26th, 2009
11:09 pm
webmaster…, a player that’s considered a can’t miss prospect, i.e. BRAD KOMMINSK, JEFF FRANCOUER, and others!!! how long should a team wait for those players to blossom? 2 years, 3 yrs, 4??? in other words how soon should you trade this player for prospects?? would this be good for the team and the player?? maybe he’d develop elsewhere rather than waste his best years struggling with team a. at the same time the club wouldn’t lose the return on an investment. maybe on another team the player could turn out to be the next home run king or multiple cy young winner. would this be a period, while they’re struggling, that a player would look for an off-field solution(peds)????
Greg Leathers
July 26th, 2009
11:13 pm
What makes everyone think that Hank Aaron did not use steroids himself? They were around in the 70s and perfectly legal. It could have helped him recover faster, especially as his career trailed off. Wouldn’t that be sad if Aaron were lambasting current players and he was using steroids himself?
Blog Troll
July 26th, 2009
11:21 pm
I use steroids, that’s why I’m still blogging. SEEEEEEEE !
Jeff Schultz
July 27th, 2009
12:06 am
Greg — nothing like just throwing something against the wall, huh?
mamaj
July 27th, 2009
12:29 am
I always thought that Hank was a classy guy,until BB continued to get close to breaking his record. Now I think he’s just a bunch of sour grapes.
Drew
July 27th, 2009
1:12 am
So Jeff, amphetamines were ok in baseball? Racism was ok in baseball? Why don’t you want the players from those eras to have their stats kicked out and be removed from the Hall of Fame? Why only steroids? Because steroids is easy to oversimplify and write a piece that any hack with a computer could? I guess you win.
Aaron Boone | All Days Long
July 27th, 2009
2:33 am
[...] Aaron wants past steroid users exposed, banned from Hall | Jeff … By Jeff Schultz A…, why not discuss the points i raised? i'm sure if i was bashing barry bonds or sammy sosa, you wouldn't hesitate to leap right in! the rocket, big mc, andy pettit, jason giambi(and his brother), brady anderson, brett boone, … Jeff Schultz – http://blogs.ajc.com/jeff-schultz-blog/ [...]
Coach (2010 or Bust)
July 27th, 2009
2:50 am
Amphetamines were allowed in ML baseball until 2006 as they were an open secret. Virtually everyone took them during the previous four or five decades of baseball. Greenies (amphetamines) have been around since the 1940’s. The owners and coaches winked and looked the other way.
In other words, the playing field was level until steroids showed up. Then the HR barrage started with Canseco in Oakland back in 1986 and the after effects didn’t stop until Bonds doped his way into the record books in 2007.
The funny thing is, if you ask the players, the ban on amphetamines has had more of an impact on them than the ban on steroids.
Home runs are down, stolen bases and small ball are back. The game looks like baseball again and I could not be any happier about it, except for our Braves. Who just don’t have a clue when it comes to the whole stolen base, small ball thing.
nobody
July 27th, 2009
3:33 am
All this bonds bashing…let me give you some reality first. Baseball is messed up and has been messed up for a while. The stats from pre 94 seem to suggest that the ball was juiced that year. And regarding steroids, the players werent cheating! Why? Because major league baseball didnt make it illegal because bud selig wanted them to do it. Im not saying that its right but I am saying that we should be angry at the owners not at the players for risking their health for greatness. About bonds in particular, even before he took steroids he was hall of fame caliber. And now? Now hes still good enough to be in the majors but the league is black listing him.
Its ludicrous to say that every suspected player should have an asterick by his name. Who decides whos suspected? Hank Aaron?
This is all a joke. The only reporter to have any balls in this matter was Jose Canseco. Before he spoke out many people knew of the problem in baseball but no one wanted to speak of it.
Not only should barry bonds be in the hall of fame but they should let him play again instead of black list him for some PR crap…and they need to fire Bud Selig.
Coach (2010 or Bust)
July 27th, 2009
5:44 am
Um, mr. nobody, steroids have been illegal in ML baseball since 1991.
Jose Canseco isn’t a reporter, he is the typhoid mary of steroids.
Barry Bonds will in all probability…..never be voted into Cooperstown. Not just because of his cheating either, he was and is despised almost universally by writers and journalist.
Bud Selig should have been fired years ago but the same thing can be said about Bobby Cox.
And last but not least, steroids can’t be kept out of Cooperstown because they are already in baseball’s Hall of Fame.
Aaron has changed my stance; now I'm curious about your's | Jeff Schultz
July 27th, 2009
6:31 am
[...] an asterisk, I never expected he would take his feelings to the next level. In our conversation, Aaron said he believed that any player who was proven to have taken performance-enhancing drugs shou…He said there was “no room for cheaters.” He said all 104 Major League players who [...]
Mr. A
July 27th, 2009
8:32 am
june baby…. when you make a point then I will respond to it until then
Jeff Schultz
July 27th, 2009
9:24 am
Drew – What do amphetamines have to do with racism? .. As for the any hack with a computer argument, I think you’ve illustrated that.
Nobody – I’ve never seen Canseco referred to as a “reporter” before, but you are right that him speaking out went a long way toward reform, as much as people want to admit it or not. Of course, he only spoke out because he was out of the game, banned, needed the money and is a sleazebag. But that’s another story.
Coach – as has been stated previously, steroids have always been illegal to purchase without a prescription, whether baseball tested for it or not.
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July 27th, 2009
10:09 am
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July 27th, 2009
10:12 am
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KJ
July 27th, 2009
10:29 am
Aaron played in a far from “drug free” era. Not only were steroids available but players in his era are well known to have taken speed and other substances so why should they get a bye? The whole Hall should have a fat asterisk outside the entrance. Given that alcohol is not really a performance enhancer maybe the early players can be in the “red nose” section.
Drew
July 27th, 2009
10:44 am
Jeff, at what point did I say amphetamines have anything to do with racism? Since you’re clearly too unintelligent to understand, let me spell it out for you a little better. Every era in baseball has been tainted. Before Jackie Robinson, minorities were not allowed to play in the major leagues, yet I see very few calls to put asterisk next to the numbers of Cobb, Ruth, Gehrig, etc. For the better part part of the second half of the twentieth century, there was rampant amphetamine use of questionable legality. Yet I see no calls for asterisks for players under the influence of amphetamines, e.g. Willie Mays. What about when Babe Ruth injected himself with the extract of sheep testicles to attempt to get stronger (the precursor to steroids)? No asterisks there.
Steroids, on the other hand, gets calls for asterisks left and right. In no shape or form do I condone the use of steroids. However, in my view, the steroids era is a tainted era, just like virtually every era in baseball history is tainted in some fashion. We have no idea how many players were juicing. All we can do is pull out a handful of players who we found out; there will be plenty who will get away with juicing. If there’s going to be an asterisk, put on every single player from the steroids era. Note that this entire era was under suspicion for steroid use and we have no real way of knowing who was on and who wasn’t. Meanwhile, put an asterisk on every player from before 1947 that notes they benefited from not having to play against minorities. Include asterisks for the amphetamines era, etc.
Of course, I expect you to ignore my larger points, as you have done twice so far. Continue to set up your straw men, Jeff.
wheby
July 27th, 2009
11:06 am
let’s just mark their records thusly:
ASS (Accused Steroid Stmulant, user) That ought to do it……
Jeff Schultz
July 27th, 2009
11:17 am
Paul: Utilize both of your brain cells and listen up: One more race-baiting comment like the one I deleted and you’re banned.
Jeff Schultz
July 27th, 2009
11:26 am
Drew — no, racism’s not OK. Obviously Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, et. al. should’ve been allowed in. Unfortunately, we’ll never know the extent of how baseball records would be different. But we do know how records would be different without PEDs. We know how Barry Bonds’ numbers spiked in his later years after he juiced. You can go back through history in any sport and find a different game — smaller stadiums, heavier uniforms, athletes that weren’t conditioned as well. They used wooden racquets in tennis and leather helmets in football and hockey skates that were slower and sticks that were made of wood, not graphite or composites. Where does it end. But there is a line and steroids is it. It gave players in the same as their competitors a distinct advantage over their competitors. You want to disagree, fine. I’m OK with that.
Nate
July 27th, 2009
12:22 pm
“The only man recognized as baseball’s true home run king — without the benefit of a laboratory detour”
Except for the also banned greenies he used and admitted to using in his book, right? We just like to erase that with a kind of Etch-A-Sketch we keep in our brain!
Also, Greg has a valid point. Steroid testing in baseball didn’t begin until what, early this decade? Steroids have been pharmaceutically available since 1931. We know that they were rampant in the NFL in the 1970s. Are we naive enough to think that nobody EVER used steroids until the “steroid era” began in baseball?
Drew
July 27th, 2009
12:46 pm
Jeff, let me begin by apologizing for my hack comment and any other slight towards you. Those were uncalled for.
I appreciate this response and respect your opinion. I just can’t see it as such a cut and dry or black and white issue. Yes, steroids can help a player become better. To what extent, we’ll never know. Maybe a juiced bonds hit a number of home runs off juiced pitchers. Should that negate the fact that his juice helped him hit the home run? I don’t really know. Yes his numbers spiked in the later years, but wouldn’t they have still been really good – even hall worthy – without the juice? I just have trouble drawing this clear line to which you refer. It’s a very complex issue and I don’t think the answer is as simple as banning suspected users.
Ryan
July 27th, 2009
12:59 pm
How can you even think to compare stats from players in this era to players from 30 years ago. Back in the day not only did they play baseball but they held down some sort of 9-5 job because they didn’t make 45 million dollars a year. Aaron did all his stats with probably half the training any player gets today. Its a real testiment to how good Aaron really was. Everything in these days is better, better equipment, better training, Honestly you can’t go easy on anyone who takes steroids. It should be you are caught taking steroids, BANNED for 5 years. Caught again? Banned for life. Maybe that will make some of those people who make more in one night than I do in 35 years of working maybe think twice about cheating. Seriously, playing baseball as career. You should be one of the happiest people in the world because your job is much easier than many others on the planet.
Could Hank Aaron Help Pete Rose Into The Hall Of Fame? | The Urban Daily
July 27th, 2009
4:16 pm
[...] the one that is possibly the most directly affected—is Hank Aaron’s. He was widely quoted this weekend for saying that anyone who has been proven to use steroids should be banned from the Hall of Fame. [...]
Renee Langley
July 27th, 2009
4:28 pm
I have always admired Hank Aaron for his baseball accomplishments and for the way he handles things in general. I am so glad that he finally came out and spoke about his feelings concerning steroids, baseball Hall of Famers. No player who used steroids should be in the HOF,whether or not there is an asterisk by their name or not. They should be banned from baseball entirely.
Hank Aaron’s Convoluted Logic Could Put Pete Rose In The Hall Of Fame Mlb | myMLB - Angels
July 28th, 2009
12:01 am
[...] the one that is possibly the most directly affected—is Hank Aaron’s. He was widely quoted this weekend for saying that anyone who has been proven to use steroids should be banned from the Hall of Fame. [...]
Hank Aaron’s Convoluted Logic Could Put Pete Rose In The Hall Of Fame [Mlb] | AthletePoint
July 28th, 2009
2:33 am
[...] the one that is possibly the most directly affected—is Hank Aaron’s. He was widely quoted this weekend for saying that anyone who has been proven to use steroids should be banned from the Hall of Fame. [...]
Keith
July 28th, 2009
2:54 am
To compare eras is pointless and impossible to do. Have you forgotten that the stadiums of the Ruth Gehrig era where actually much, much, much larger than today. For example, the Boston Braves stadium measures 403 in the corners and 550 at center. The Polo Grounds were short in the corners at as low as 277 in left and 256 in right all the way to as long as 505 in center. These were the norm in their day. Also the balls were of much lower quality, the bats not designed as well, and the mounds were 15 inches high compared to 10 inches today. Babe Ruth actually batted with a 50 oz. bat. Show me one player who could bat successfully today with such equipment. None. And the other thing that no one seems to realize is that the players of the Ruth and Gehrig era actually played more games than today. True, official season was less games but the players would stop and play pick up games with kids in the towns between games. So for every 1 season game, 2 or 3 pickup games were also played. We cannot compare the eras but what the point is, is the illegality of the action. Rose is banned for gambling, on himself, that he would WIN!!!! There doesn’t seem to be much problem with that, but if for one minute we believe that a black guy who used steroids ILLEGALLY should be banned, then we are racist bigots who are obviously too stupid to make any decisions about baseball and we should just shut it and take what we get. And it isn’t just Bonds. Bonds was just an a-hole who John Q. Public loved to hate. But also all the other users should be banned as well. I DON’T CARE IF IT WASN’T TESTED, IT’S ILLEGAL. Catch the last word there, i-l-l-e-g-a-l. For that reason they should be banned just as Rose, and the others that I have lost the name for at 2 am, who are banned for gambling. If one is banned for illegal activities, then all are banned for illegal activities that would affect their play. I am sure I could say more but it is late and I must sleep.
Hank Aaron’s Convoluted Logic Could Put Pete Rose In The Hall Of Fame Mlb | myMLB - Yankees
July 28th, 2009
3:11 am
[...] the one that is possibly the most directly affected—is Hank Aaron’s. He was widely quoted this weekend for saying that anyone who has been proven to use steroids should be banned from the Hall of Fame. [...]
Hank, it's a start: Ramirez, Ortiz exposed | Jeff Schultz
July 30th, 2009
3:10 pm
[...] greatest clean home run hitter in baseball history said last week he wanted the entire list of 104 players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003 exposed. I don’t know how much Henry Aaron’s [...]
Ginn
July 31st, 2009
9:24 am
Nothing Barry Bonds did or anything the other drug users do compares in any way to what old style players like Aaron have accomplished.I challenge any of them like AFraud, “Roid Bonds” or Manny lazyass Ramirez to bat without a helmet, no shinguards,and pitchers who would seriously throw right at you to get any of the records . Players complain and charge the mound when they have on a suit of armor. Back in the forties when my Dad played there was a whole lot of that, and yet they literally had no protection on their head, what’s up with that? It is a complete joke to glorify Barry Bonds, all he has done is make a mockery of Baseball, and most people have played right into his hands, so sad. People like him are ruining the game. Most of them (Jose Canseco, Manny Ramirez, Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa) couldn’t have even played at the Major league level much less have all those records. Cheaters are cheaters, and they are all gutless. When can anyone remember in the last ten years of his career Barry stretching a single into a double, or Manny making a great catch against the wall? And some fans have called them the greatest players! Come on, what book are you reading, and what kind of altered glasses are you looking through. Bonds not running out ground balls, Manny jumping over his hat in the outfield is just the most lousy kind of destruction of the best game in the world. When are we going to get enough? “Old style” is the only way to play this game and these people need to get out and let the real players bring the game back.
Ginn
July 31st, 2009
9:31 am
My typing is bad, what I meant to say is that when my Dad played pro-ball in the forties, there was much less of charging the mound and fighting because a batter was thrown at. It was a legitimate part of the game, intimidation, asserting authority and taking a part of the plate from hitters. Now days I don’t think umpires or most batters even know when they’ve been thrown at. Someone like Ripkin or Brett would know for sure, but a bunch would not. Don’t get me started on Umpires. Now it happens quite frequently and yet they have protection. It just makes even the player nobody ever heard of a hero, just for the fact that they had the guts to get into the box with a bare head. I dare any player, steroids or not, cheater or not to do that.
Ginn
July 31st, 2009
9:40 am
Ryan,
Thanks for saying that. My Dad’s first pro contract in 1939 was for 89.00 a month and even then that was low pay. He couldn’t live on that so eventually had to desert his childhood dream of playing ball and make a legitimate living. And we listen to all the complainng and crying about players being accused of cheating like Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds. Waaa, Waa, Waa. I don’t feel sorry for any of the cheaters. They make such astronomical paychecks, they should be charged with crimes for what they make. Most of them milk the game for all they can possibly get, every year that they play, which is ruining it. I wonder, if Baseball goes broke in the near future, if any of them will be blamed or if they would even be sorry that they caused the game to close down? I have my doubts.
Ginn
July 31st, 2009
9:45 am
Keith,
You make a great point. Ball fields were much bigger in those days, so how and why some fans compare “Roid” and “AFraud” to real big name players is beyond me. I challenge any of those losers to play back then.
Ginn
July 31st, 2009
10:10 am
Something that really disturbs me is the Yankees not using Yankee stadium anymore. It’s a sad sign of the times. All the childhood dreams of playing at Yankee stadium are gone. Where is the destruction going to end? And steroids I’m afraid is the final blow. I’m worried that the game will not recover. I blame Bud Selig, (along with countless others) a typical “Spoiled boy” who claims to love the game and calls it “The best game God ever made,” but then continues to hide things and be sympathetic to cheaters. He is one of the biggest hypocrites we have ever had in there. His attitudes and dishonesty are a great problem for the game today. We have a cheater at the helm, and he’s steering the ship right into the rocks. I think he cares about money and nothing else. I don’t believe his lies. Do you hear me, Bud, “You haven’t fooled me.” You have protected the cheaters all along and have not protected or defended the integrity of the game that the fans sincerely love.
Ginn
July 31st, 2009
10:16 am
I want to know who all the cheaters are , I want all the names and I want them now, BUD SELIG!!! Let the fans know, the people who pay the players the big salaries deserve to know so they can boo them for the rest of their lives. All of them should be banned from the game for life, but I know that’s not going to happen. It won’t be long and all of it will be swept under the rug, as usual. THANKS, BUD YOU ARE DOING A GREAT JOB!!!
Ginn
July 31st, 2009
10:27 am
Bugkiller,
You are so right, Bud Selig is the worst. He has done more to ruin the game than almost anyone else, besides allowing the players to continue to ask for as much money as they can possibly get down to nickel, dime and penny. My husband and I figured it out one time, when Roger clemens played for the Astros. He made something like 10,000 dollars a pitch or somewhere close to that. He must think people are so stupid that they’ll believe just anything, like him not being on steroids, even though he showed a violent temper for no reason with Mike Piazza. I love that Piazza stared him down before he got into the box, I only wish he had hit the longest home run in history that day.In my mind Mike made a point that day. He has guts. Cheaters deserve that and a lot more.They should all be banned for ruining the game. I don’t think that anyone will forgive or forget the damage he has done to the game of Baseball. ( Roger or Bud) Clemens deserves to be in the phony, losers Hall of Fame. Too bad they cannot really make one like that, and too bad they can’t put Bud in there too.
Aaron wants past steroid users exposed, banned from Hall | Ethiopian News
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Risdon's Football Meterology For Week 10 : Eye Opener News
November 16th, 2009
5:38 pm
[...] it' s allowed to be tainted by acorn? Have you been following acorn in the news lately? . . . Aaron wants past steroid users exposed, banned from Hall | Jeff … reid adair. July 26th, 2009 12:11 pm. Thanks for the post, jeff. I am glad to see hank aaron [...]