Brandon McCarthy: PED users shouldn’t be kept out of Hall

The pitcher admits that he’s struggled with what side of the issue he falls on, calling it a “mess,” but writes that ultimately the Hall is better off creating a “comprehensive, all-encompassing look at the history of baseball,” one that includes PED users if they deserve to be enshrined on the merits of their play.

  From a historical perspective, both the good and the bad of the sport should be acknowledged. The rich tapestry of ups and downs, heroes and villains, scandals and rebirths gives baseball a depth unlike any other sport we have in this country. Because of this, writers should leave Hall of Fame voting to on-the-field accomplishments and let their words shape the stories and reputations we pass down to the next generation.

McCarthy also gave his picks for who should’ve been inducted to this year’s Hall of Fame class. In addition to those who were chosen (John Smoltz, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson and Craig Biggio), McCarthy says he would’ve voted for Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mike Mussina, Curt Schilling, Tim Raines, Alan Trammell and Mike Piazza.

Rosecrans: Hall of Fame voting raises more questions than answers

Too sensible!

As for the steroid era, I believe performance-enhancing drugs work. I believe they were an unfair advantage used by many in the game — and continue to be used and abused in the game. What I don’t know is who used and who didn’t. We all have our suspicions and beliefs, but we don’t know for sure.

In the end, what I know for sure is what happened on the field. So that is the only thing I know for sure and the only basis of judgment I can make…

That means both Barry Bonds — the best player I’ve ever seen (before and after his alleged turn to steroids in 1999) — and Roger Clemens — one of the best pitchers I’ve ever seen — will get my vote.

The evidence against them is damning. I believe both used steroids and I have strong convictions that others I’ve deemed worthy, also used….

So, if you skipped everything above just to get here, go back up and read the rest before you call me dirty names and at least understand my thinking, but here’s my ballot (in order): Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Jeff Bagwell, Mike Piazza, Curt Schilling, Mike Mussina, Tim Raines, Larry Walker.

Anthony Bosch, Biogenesis Founder, to Plead Guilty

Meanwhile, all over south Florida billboards can be seen hawking testosterone as the fountain of youth.

Anthony Bosch, the founder of anti-aging clinic Biogenesis of America, has reached a deal with the government that will require him to fully cooperate with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA, attorney Guy Lewis said.

What’s Wrong With Baseball?

BBTF denizen Tim Marchman with an interesting point.

The main issue, though—and something that McGrath curiously doesn’t bring up—is probably just that baseball is now dealing with the consequences of having spent a solid decade telling anyone who would listen that baseball is awful and no one should watch it.

Let’s take a normal 25-year-old, born in 1989. He would have spent his formative years as a sports fan in the immediate aftermath of a canceled World Series, hearing that greedy players were destroying the game and that the dynastic Yankees team dominating the sport was such an affront to its competitive integrity that drastic measures had to be taken to give other teams any kind of chance at winning. He would have heard about the commissioner touring the country threatening to abolish various teams, some of them successful ones. He would have seen the league enthusiastically cooperating with a congressional investigation that all but treated many of its most famous players as criminals; the league touting an owner-written report claiming that those players were frauds, cheats, and liars; and the league and the government working together with small-time con men to destroy the very best of those players.

A Look Inside Baseball’s Ever-Evolving Stimulant Culture | Bleacher Report

Large quantities of potential energy are consumed, often on top of other medications, in tandem with steady alcohol consumption. The end result is guys crushing energy drinks all throughout the day, just to feel “normal.” Then the same after the game with alcohol.

One has to wonder if doing greenies wasn’t simply a more efficient and effective way of satisfying a behavior that never actually left but, just like energy, simply changed form.

The Untold and Insanely Weird Story of A-Rod’s Doping Habits (and why MLB quietly banned EPO, cycling’s drug of choice)

Rodriguez told Bosch that he wanted him to speak with Conte on the phone and hear out the rival self-proclaimed sports chemist’s ideas.

It was a meeting of the doping scientists, likely rife with professional jealousy, and an eager patient at the ready. We now know what Bosch says came next: a doping protocol possibly unprecedented in baseball, further lies and, ultimately, another lesson learned by MLB.

...this reads like fan-fic.