Steroid Users Shouldn’t Be Singled Out
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By DERON SNYDER
The verdicts are in. All that remains now are the votes. Baseball’s poster boys for the Steroid Era — Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds — have endured their government trials. They have gotten off scot-free and with a wrist slap, respectively, making a mockery of federal prosecutors. But the best pitcher and best hitter of their generation have yet to be judged by the baseball writers who elect players to the Hall of Fame.
Despite Clemens‘ victory in court Monday, several more years must pass before we finally close the book on steroids in MLB. We won’t move on completely until every potential candidate associated with that era, including the New York Yankees‘ current third baseman, has appeared on the ballot and been voted in or left out.
The cases of Clemens, Bonds and Alex Rodriguez represent three of the four categories players can fall into. There are suspects who deny using performance-enhancing drugs; suspects who claim they unknowingly used PEDs; and players who admit to usage, whether or not they were suspects.
The fourth designation is impossible to calibrate, no matter how hard Hall of Fame voters try: players who aren’t linked to PEDs and have never said a word, neither denying nor confirming usage.
