I had a comment on my last post and my response to it became so long that I figured I may as well make it another post.

The comment came from Julia over at Julia’s Rants. Here’s the comment:

Scott – I
don’t think you can compare the possible use of PEDs (a CHOICE someone
makes) with someone who struggles with alcohol abuse (NOT a choice). I
have to agree with those who feel that McGwire, Clemens, Bond and
others don’t deserve to be in the HOF because of use of PEDs. I also
agree that Pete Rose doesn’t belong in the HOF because of gambling.
When a player makes the decision to do something that violates the
rules of Baseball then they have to live with the consequences. There
is a difference between behavior that we might not approve of – but
doesn’t violate MLB policy – and behavior that does.

~Julia

Here’s my response:

DISCLAIMER!: Julia, this is not an attack on you and please don’t take it that way. My response was just so long I wanted to make it a post. I respect you and your opinions, this is just my response.

Jules,

I can certainly see why the majority of people don’t believe accused steroid users belong in the hall of fame, and their argument is certainly legitimate, as is yours.

But I have to disagree with you when you say we can’t compare steroid use with something like alcohol abuse. First of all, everything is a choice. Addiction – whether it is alcohol, gambling or tobacco – is no exception. We make our choices in life and when those choices become too overwhelming, we are quick to write it off as “not our choice” so we feel like it’s not our fault. It was always our choice, just like using steroids is a choice.

I never liked the term “Performance Enhancing Drugs” because it doesn’t tell the whole story. A lot of things can be considered “performance enhancing” – coffee, red bull, cigarettes, even Gatorade – but steroids has medical risks if not used properly, which is why everyone is in such an uproar. But somehow, we label anabolic steroids as “Performance Enhancing” and they sound like a forbidden fruit instead of a medical necessity, as it sometimes is. There are plenty of major leaguers playing today only because they were prescribed steroids to help them return to play. Everyone who ever had Tommy John’s surgery has steroids to thank for the rest of their career. Should we consider all of the stats they accumulated afterward as “cheating.” No, because they have a doctor’s note, McGwire, Bonds and Clemens don’t.

There’s still way too much smoke around steroid use in baseball to let it effect Hall-of-Fame voting just yet. Some say that steroids enhanced Mark McGwire’s performance “significantly,” yet there are no positive tests, no court ruling, nothing, just a suspicious statement at a congressional hearing five years ago and the word of Jose Canseco. Damning as it was, I don’t think it’s right to keep Mark McGwire out of the hall because we suspect he used steroids.

My point is, Hall-of-Fame voting should be based upon on-field performance and nothing else. There are a thousand different things athletes use to enhance their performance, anabolic steroids is just one of them. Mark McGwire supposedly used steroids when there was no steroid policy, so he broke no rules. Yet, we continue to act as a society who judges people on standards we ourselves can never meet. At our jobs, we use all kinds of things to “enhance” our performance. But should a business person be denied a raise because he used a caffeine pill to stay up all night and finish the presentation? Should my writing be considered “phony” because I use spellcheck?

Don’t get me wrong. I am definitely against steroid use in baseball, but not because I’m afraid of someone hitting more homeruns than someone else. I’m concerned because of the danger of their use. Plain and simple. Without doctor supervision, steroids can be dangerous or even kill you, and that’s why I want to keep them out of sports. 

The crusade against steroids is something I support but not if it is going to be a witch hunt against former players. We aren’t going to remove the numbers from the record books so we can’t take them away from the player either. Major League Baseball is going to keep McGwire out of the hall but they have no qualms about celebrating the magic of the summer of 1998 at the same time.

I support the cause, but I won’t support hipocracy.

~Scott

P.S. Pete Rose gambled when he was a manager, not a player. He broke the rules after he put up the numbers and played the game. Ban him from managing, ban him from commentating, that’s all fine, but you can’t keep the all-time hits leader out of the Hall-of-Fame because of something he did as a skipper.