$340M MLB player suspended for PED use (Tatis)

[Rolph]

They should suspend him Again for lying. Remember when sports seemed to have integrity?

[Dru Edwards]

Question: I know some people and I've heard sports personalities say that they will not vote for a player to make the Hall of Fame if they are found using PEDs. For example, Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, etc.

How about Tatis? He can still go on to have a great Hall of Fame career but does getting caught at the age of 23 mean he's out of the HOF?

[Bob from Brooklyn]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

How about Tatis? He can still go on to have a great Hall of Fame career but does getting caught at the age of 23 mean he's out of the HOF?

My gut says no but he still has to put together the HOF career.

[Denny B]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Question: I know some people and I've heard sports personalities say that they will not vote for a player to make the Hall of Fame if they are found using PEDs. For example, Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, etc.

How about Tatis? He can still go on to have a great Hall of Fame career but does getting caught at the age of 23 mean he's out of the HOF?

Quite simply, yes, I think it should mean just that.

You're cheating the game, the fans and the guys who play by the rules.

What's the difference between cheating in the beginning of your career, your prime, or your twilight years?

The time frame is irrelevant...You're a cheat.

[Wellington]

I'm really frustrated by juicers, I never count A-Rod, Bonds etc as legitimate stars on the lists for Homer's, rbi's etc.

[Tahitijack]

Well at least he wasn't playing with a cellphone in his hip pocket....oops. Even his third base coach refused to hold his cellphone for him.

[posternutbag]

I saw something a friend of mine posted about PED and the HofF.

Barry Bonds: Used PEDs, was a jerk, no HofF.
Roger Clemens: Used PEDs, was a jerk, no HofF.
David Ortiz: Used PEDs, was a great guy, First Ballot HofFer.

I think there is some truth to this. Bonds spent his entire career being adversarial with the media; is it any shock that they find a reason not to vote for him?

Roger Clemens wasn’t as obviously adversarial, but he wasn’t particularly well liked, especially in his last few years when he refused to travel with the team if he wasn’t pitching. Interestingly, his teammates didn’t seem to care much, but the media made a big deal out of it at the time.

On the other hand David Ortiz was loved by his teammates, his city and the media, and he flies in with just over the threshold needed to get in.

I really want to avoid politics, but the media hates Curt Shilling, and he didn’t get in, although he was more of a borderline case than Bonds or Clemens.

When you look at other players who have been kept out because of the perception of PED use, you have guys like Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa and Raphael Palmiero… All have been blacklisted, yet Jeff Bagwell gets in. It doesn’t make sense.

The HofF is a popularity contest, and the criteria makes no sense. Why is Ozzie Smith a first ballot HofFer but Omar Visquel can’t even get 50%? Why is Chipper Jones a first ballot HofFer but Ron Santo and Scott Rollin can’t get any love.

Don’t even get me started on players of the 1980s who can’t get in. One of my childhood heroes Dale Murphy, 2xs MVP, 7xs All Star, 5xs Gold Glove, 4xs Silver Slugger, not in the HofF because he wasn’t “cool”. Yet Andre Dawson was cool, and he is in. Also, Don Mattingly, Keith Hernandez, Lou Whittaker, Allen Trammell, Willie McGee, none could get in. It doesn’t make sense.

At this point, the Baseball Hall of Fame has about as much legitimacy as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

[tinnitus]

Among today's headline stories appearing among my smartphone scrolls (I read all kinds):

"Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. expected to address teammates before end of the week"

Will this be in the form of a press conference? What might he possibly have to share with them in his address? I'm sorry to be so cynical, folks, but how does this possibly qualify as headline "news?"