All Hail Derek Jeter

[j66kicker]

Here's the problem. The HoF is already full of players who took PED's. Starting at least in the 1960's, lots of players were using PED's. In his autobiography, Hank Aaron admitted to using amphetamines toward the end of his career.
(In 1973, at the age of 39, Hank had his best HR to at bat ratio of his entire career. 40 HR's in 392 AB's).
You can see the problem baseball has. Where do you draw the line ? Was it ok to take amphetamines but not steroids ? Penalise only those who have tested positive for a banned substance ? Very few of the players who have taken PED's have tested positive.
As you can see, I have plenty of questions but very few good answers.
One writer's dilemma
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/8769398/a-writer-gives-hall-fame-vote

If using amphetamines kept you out of the HOF then Cooperstown would be virtually empty. Greenies used to be standard fare every day, including dissolved in the clubhouse coffee. Hence players went out late at night and slept late in the mornings. Possibly there is some performance enhancement in terms of concentration and focus, but amphetamines don't make you bigger, stronger, faster, etc.

 

[RoyDodger]

If using amphetamines kept you out of the HOF then Cooperstown would be virtually empty. Greenies used to be standard fare every day, including dissolved in the clubhouse coffee. Hence players went out late at night and slept late in the mornings. Possibly there is some performance enhancement in terms of concentration and focus, but amphetamines don't make you bigger, stronger, faster, etc.

Chris Davis of the Orioles and Cameron Maybin of the Padres were each suspended for 25 games for use of amphetamines.

 

[rvwsleep]

If using amphetamines kept you out of the HOF then Cooperstown would be virtually empty. Greenies used to be standard fare every day, including dissolved in the clubhouse coffee. Hence players went out late at night and slept late in the mornings. Possibly there is some performance enhancement in terms of concentration and focus, but amphetamines don't make you bigger, stronger, faster, etc.

Sorry, but that doesn't wash. It's ok if the PED's that you take add a few home runs but not a lot of home runs ? If it didn't help their performance, they wouldn't have taken them. That's the problem I have with the voting standards. As you said "Cooperstown would be virtually empty" if you excluded players who took amphetamines. Do you think some of those already in the HoF, who have been adamant about excluding PED users, might have taken Greenies during their playing days ? They both cheated, the difference is only a matter of degree.

 

[j66kicker]

Sorry, but that doesn't wash. It's ok if the PED's that you take add a few home runs but not a lot of home runs ? If it didn't help their performance, they wouldn't have taken them. That's the problem I have with the voting standards. As you said "Cooperstown would be virtually empty" if you excluded players who took amphetamines. Do you think some of those already in the HoF, who have been adamant about excluding PED users, might have taken Greenies during their playing days ? They both cheated, the difference is only a matter of degree.

I'm not advocating amphetamines, just saying they enhance performance, if at all, in a much different and subtler way than anabolic steroids. And also that many, if not most, major league players took them routinely for at least 50 years.

 

[mauconnfan]

I'm not advocating amphetamines, just saying they enhance performance, if at all, in a much different and subtler way than anabolic steroids. And also that many, if not most, major league players took them routinely for at least 50 years.

Look at the players now vs back then. I mean something is going on and its not all in the gym. It's beginning to look like football more and more.......the A's have some monsters. Even Reddick is a larger kid than he was with the Sox. Maybe they work out harder but I'm guessing there's more to the story and it's not anything amphetamines do.

 

[j66kicker]

Look at the players now vs back then. I mean something is going on and its not all in the gym. It's beginning to look like football more and more..the A's have some monsters. Even Reddick is a larger kid than he was with the Sox. Maybe they work out harder but I'm guessing there's more to the story and it's not anything amphetamines do.

They do work out harder. Increased testosterone levels allow shorter recovery times, allowing users to do the same resistance workouts every day instead of every other day. The testing is for elevated levels, indicating clear abuse. These levels are well known and it is well known how to keep one's T just under the testing threshold.

It's a joke, just like it was a joke that MLB claimed they didn't know what was going on until around the time of the Mitchell Report. It took a buffoon like Jose Canseco to force them to act like they were pulling their heads part way out of the sand. The sad thing is competition for high-paying major league jobs means steroid use starts at very young ages.

 

[geneticrex]

It really started to get out of control and VERY widespread in the late 80s.