I suspect that many of the players associated with using PEDs during the steroids era will get into the HoF as the 15 year window will be sufficient for the real landscape that was the steroids era to be revealed.  As more players are identiified (at least 103 more to go) or retire and feel the need to come clean or are not afraid of negative ramifications the real picture of how rampant and widespread the issue was will become clearer.

While I doubt the perfect 12 megapixel image of the era will ever be obtained I do believe that a pretty clear representation will emerge.  When the scope of the issue is revealed and I suspect that at least half of the players will fall into some category of PEDs usage then HoF credentials will be evaluated in the appropriate context and the players who were dominate players in their era will be enshrined.

Thanks for posting this, CC.  It’s so refreshing to get to see, you know, actual substantive information on the subject. 

” ‘You don’t think something you bought in a health-food store is going to do serious damage. But you could die from this stuff. And some people did.’ “

Did anyone else think of Darryl Kile?

Bigcat:  I don’t disagree with you, I just don’t think we’re there yet.

Setting aside the current state of the rules, the problem with steroids is that (I don’t believe anyway) that there really is a consensus on what is safe, what is not, how much is safe, how much is not, etc.  Sure, many people know more about this than others, but it’s not like we have the kind of information we have with, say, alcohol or tobacco, or marijuana, or what have you. 

If we don’t have really good information on this—and if we acknowledge that, in some amounts, PEDs can have serious side effects—we’re setting up a system that still leads to unfair advantages based on a given player’s risk tolerance, access to good information and/or medical supervision, etc.

It would be a problem for me if player X—with a lot of money for supervision and safer drugs and a healthy appetite for risk—forced player Y—with no money for good drugs or medical supervision and a creeping fear that his body may break down—into to taking drugs for fear of a roster spot.

Yes, in an ideal world access to safer PEDs and good medical information would be as universal as access to those cortisone shots and arthroscopic surgery, but we’re not in that ideal world yet, and I think that leads to some danger.

Yes, this is exactly what the Mitchell Report could have done.  Without naming a single name, it could have explained to us what players did, when they did it, how they did it, and how the culture is changing or can be changed.  Instead, it was only about the names, and we learned nothing of value.

Hmmm…I think it’s wrong to categorize the players caught in the MR as the “stupid ones”.  Yes, it was at least reckless to pay your steroid peddler with a personal cheque, but in the context of the times, there was no testing, so….but most caught in MR were ratted out by Radomski or caught up in the Balco investigation..I don’t think that makes them stupid, unluckly yes….I’ve said it before here, this is my problem with MR, if your steroid peddler was investigated by the feds you’re screwed and if not…you’re ok.