The HYPOCRISY of the Baseball Hall of Fame 

Thank you for watching! If you liked the video, please consider liking, leaving a comment, or subscribing to the channel!

Those same baseball writers that gave bonds 7 mvp awards are now acting nervous to elect him in the Hall? I find it hilarious that when bonds was helping mlb with their ratings, Selig was as quiet as a church mouse. But once he retired, the league turned their back on him.

I've said forever - decades, literally - that Bonds and Clemens only started using because Selig let it run rampant throughout the league. As I said to ESPN radio overnight host Jason Smith many years ago, "Fight The Real Enemy" - Selig.

I was at the game when Sammy hit number 600. When the schedule came out that season I saw that the Cubs were coming to Texas. I bought 2 tickets for every game of that series for me and my dad for Father's day the day tickets went on sale. I had no idea we would get to witness history at the time. We were sitting in the upper deck of the stadium and as soon as Sammy made contact one guy close to us screams "HE DID IT!!" and we all stood up and watched the ball clear the wall. I even snapped the perfect photo. Sammy is fully extended and you can see the ball streaking off his bat. Such a great memory.

Sammy sosa has been treated so wrong by the media & the cubs organization. They literally just got called out a week ago for not having Sammy come back to Wrigley to honor him. He is the reason why I watch and love baseball and the cubs. Growing up in Chicago during that era was something special. My father worked across the street from Wrigley and would tell me how crazy Wrigleyville would get when sosa would score a HR. The fact that he is not mentioned or honored by the mlb or cubs is a travesty. He is all about the people & gave fans joy to watch baseball.

For Bonds, Clemens, and Sosa, it’s about them beating “sacred” numbers. Bonds holding the HR record will always make purists upset. Same goes for Clemens’s Cy Young record and Sosa breaking Maris’s record. Meanwhile guys like Ortiz slip under the radar because they were approachable for the media, and they don’t have their names thrown into these vitriolic conversations about “who really holds the record”

In 1998, when Bonds hit his 400th HR to go with his 438 SB, become the first (and only) member of the 400/400 club, he had less then a dozen writers reporting on it. So he got jealous and bulked up and started hitting the HRs the "fans, writers and MLB" wanted.

Plain and simple: many players have taken steroids and Bonds’ career numbers are still so stratospherically more impressive than anything that’s ever been done in the sport. As long as Bonds is not in the HOF, it’s an illegitimate institution in my opinion

Whatever side of the argument you fall on, you have to be consistent in your beliefs. If you don't believe Bonds and Clemens belong in the Hall of Fame, fine, but neither does Selig.

Without a doubt, Dick Allen was held back by his relationship with the media. But you also have to look at when Allen was on the ballot. His case is really built on modern analytics His traditional counting stats are not HOF type numbers. When he was on the ballot in the 80s and 90s, those stats that make his case either didn't exist yet or were not cared about. This is what is also holding him back on the Veteran's Committee. Those members tend to be older and generally don't use modern analytics. And none of them were members of the media.

Sosa’s corked bat also played big into his overlooking and solidified his PEDs use in the minds of many

Great video. Really have done a 180 with the steroids guys in recent years. The players who saved baseball deserve to be in the hall, not the commissioner who let them take the fall. Hope Bonds and Clemens get in soon

No discount for Scott Rolen! He’s a HOF both for the Cardinals AND now MLB. Well deserved

You are 100% correct. The steroid era was the most exciting and popular time in baseball history, and everyone knew then that players were juicing, and nobody cared. Bud Selig certainly didn't care, until after he got a decade of great baseball and could afford to throw a few players under the bus. Players do PED's today, with much more refined use to avoid detection. Our bodies produce these naturally, so it will always be impossible to test completely if someone is enhancing. Also drop the baseball writers from Hall of Fame all together, that's a total joke. Having 100 year old twerps making decisions is the same problem our government is having. Let only players decide. The fact is players have always enhanced and tried to cheat, hell in the 70s they had bowls of amphetamines for players in the clubhouse, then freaked out when they realized hey were doing blow. The US is a ridiculously hypocritical country, and baseball just reflects that stupidity, but it's about time we changed it. Baseball has never been pure, and nobody cares.

Here's what I think: Barry didn't start using until at the earliest, 1999. I say that because when Sosa and McGwire we're chasing the Maris record in 1998, both guys were enhanced, and Selig just ignored it. Barry figured that, "Hey, if they can do it." He didn't count in his status as baseball's most hated man coming into play and the rules that didn't apply to Sosa and McGwire applied to him at least tenfold. And as for the Steroid Era guys not being Hall of Famers, I feel like the voters did that to prove a point, though in my opinion, letting Craig Biggio in all by himself the year he was on the ballot with those guys would have achieved that.

Excellent video. I have been saying the same thing for years. Hypocrisy to the fullest. Writers want players to be sucking up to them, that’s why Albert Belle didn’t win AL MVP in 1995 after his historic 50 HR-50 2B season. The same reason why Jeff Kent, Dick Allen and the rest of the players you mentioned have not garnered support on their candidacy. Some will never garner support, unfortunately.

Thank you for this video. You succiently mirror my arguments, as well as my evolution of views, on this matter. And what you said about the impact of media perspective on a players induction is spot on. I'm a Detroiter and was always worried that the great pitcher Jack Morris, the winningest pitcher for over a decade in MLB, would never get inducted. He had a prickly relationship with the media throughout his career and I always felt this worked against him during the induction process. This is despite both regular season success and post season success with the Tigers and the Blue Jays. I'm glad Jack finally got in. Now we need to work on getting Sweet Lou Whittaker in, who had better lifetime offensive and defensive statistics than either HOF players Ryne Sandberg and Ozzie Smith, and was part of the longest running double play combo in history with his HOF shortstop partner Alan Trammel.

Add to this list, Curt Schilling, say you want about his politics that's not the point 3,000k's and one of the most iconic playoff moments in this sports history this guy deserves to be in

Bud Selig and David Ortiz being in the Hall of Fame takes any legitimacy out of the steroid argument.

Thank you for this video. The first one of many that comes to my mind is Albert Belle. No roids just the writers hate him & probably for good reason. He was a jerk but it's the Baseball HOF not the nice guy HOF. His numbers on the field are a no brainer first time inductee. He had 10 great years of being one of the most feared hitters in b ball. If not for a bad hip that had his HR's down his last year & made him retire at 33 years old he would have had at least another 5 years & ended his career over 600 HR's no doubt.

You are making a great point, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens belong in baseball hall of fame

Congrats to Scott Rolen!!

Barry bonds is the greatest player to ever play baseball, dude was a monster. Steroids don’t make a great player.

Bud Selig for Life! That's totally the where The Diamond lands at the end of the video

When the writers didn’t vote Steve Garvey in, I decided they are all worms.

I've always been for leaving all users out (knowing that inevitably some would slip through the cracks) but if Selig is in, then not letting all the users in makes zero sense. The only thing more absurd than having Selig in and not the players would be to induct an actual steroid.

More BOBBY ABREU’S Less BUD SELIG’S

Never forget that Bagwell, Piazza, and Ivan Rodriguez are in the HOF, but not bonds smh

its just ridiculous to keep THE BEST player ever out. that's it, that's all.

My view is if remove the years where they cheated and they are still HOF caliber, then elct them into the hall. Schilling is unique in that it was way more on his personality than his on field product, but it was he himself who decided to not be on the ballot for his last year. Same thing with A-Rod, if you only take into account his Mariners and Rangers career, still a HOF player.

Thank you! Bonds was the best player in history. Stats don't lie. If Selig, a spineless man who turned a blind eye to the steroid era for profit, makes the hall, while Barry Bonds, the most feared, decorated, and powerful hitter of all time doesn't, there's something wrong.

The older I've gotten, the less I've put weight on awards and accolades that rely on subjective reasoning. I personally believe the best method for determining player inductees is to have objectivity through a player's career stats. That way, there is at least concrete reasoning for a player not getting into the Hall.

You are spot on. Selig was terrible and certainly does not belong in the hall of 'very good'. Sosa has been blackballed for suspicion which is comical because most guys going in, fall in that category. In my opinion, the baseball HOF has decided to follow the 'left' by 'including' the very good, and 'canceling' those it suspects of PED use. It is a wonder my all-time fav Eddie Murray got in. His numbers forced their hand or he may have joined Soda on this 'cancel culture' hate train.

I completely and strongly agree with the things you stated and it's great to hear another person voicing their opinion about the hypocrisy of Selig being in the HOF, while guys like Bonds and Clemens are not. Also, good to see someone previously commented about the baseball writers voting Bonds to seven MVP awards. They also voted Clemens to seven Cy Young awards. I believe there were sometimes that it was unanimous for both. But they couldn't vote them into the HOF? To add another topic that bothers me about the history with this group of high and mighty baseball writers who don't want to negatively impact the sanctity of the HOF. They for some reason couldn't vote guys like Ted Williams, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays to name a few as being unanimous on the ballot. For those who didn't vote for them, what more did they need to do in their careers to get their vote? As great as Mariano Rivera was, he shouldn't have been the first player to get 100%. Not saying he should have received 100%, but he should not have been the first one.

They did not do it only for their egos, but to make themselves the best player to help their team- which they considered helped their team win games. How can anyone say that Bonds was not the greatest player that ever played for those few years- when pitchers would walk him with the bases loaded instead of pitching to him. I totally agree with your evaluations on on Dick Allen and Sammy Sota- this country, people are innocent until proven guilty. Furthermore, many Players that used illegal substances were never identified- that does mean they were better than Sosa. As far as not including Bonds, a man who later in his career won MVPs, broke home run records, batted .370 for a season, and received more intentional walks in a season than the total other major league teams received the same year. Was likely the most feared hitter for several years in the entire major leagues. He was a great player even before steroids. Lastly, the ability to put fans butts into the stadium seats is what most MLB teams want. I sure many people who did not live in SF still brought their children to games just to see Barry hit. He is a legend. If you gave steroids to most players, they could never have done all that Bonds did- it’s the player, and not just just steroids, that made Bonds It helped but was not the total reason he was so good. Furthermore, he took exceptionally great care of his body during those years. I felt sorry that he was not signed by teams that needed his power- during his last years associated with the sport. Nobody has ever threatened to take Arnold S- California governorship away because he used substances that were not natural. Even today, I sure there are players that are still using. It’s also weird that Baltimore’s Davis was great when he took meds for his adhd. He became dysfunctional because of his ADHD when he was not allowed to take the medication that an MD prescribed because of his illness. I sure there are many players even now that take adderall not ADHD but only because it makes them better players. Mr. Davis, actually had a real diagnosis and was prescribed the medication. If someone has a dysfunction that is corrected with medications- and you do not allow him to treat his disorder- it is really fair to anyone. It’s BS. Barry Bonds belongs in the hall of fame along with other players, including ARod, Roger. Mark M and others. They played the game at a high level and need to be recognized. So does Dick Allen- it’s not steroid related but it’s some judge that has a God complex- judge a person by what you see and not on your biases. It’s like labeling Roger Maris or even Arron judge with an * because he played more games than back before expansion. Before expansion, they did not have to face 100 fast balls, sliders that brake incredibly hard diving out of the strike zone. The older players were also great- but many of them could never hit some of the pitchers that exist today that are not legends- but just kids that can throw a baseball over 100 miles and still make the ball sink or dive out of the strike zones. Bonds maybe one of the top five people who ever played the game- recognize the truth!

What a great video! Thank you for making it clear to everybody out there! I'm echoing your words, totally agree with you!

I'm not for sure if I came on your channel before but you nailed it. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens should be in the Hall of Fame regardless of what anybody thinks about them. as a child, I too had my prejudice against the two all-time greats. And I do apologize for that but when I saw the former commissioner along with three other players got inducted in 2017 I was bazookas. You had Pudge Rodriguez, Jeff Bagwell a year before Mike Piazza all who had some connections to PEDs. If you are talking about the character and integrity clause of the baseball Hall of Fame when it comes to Tim raines why is Keith Hernandez and Dave Parker not in? Because just like those two Tim RInes also have connections to a scandal to cocaine and Dick Allen yes we're going to talk about him. They are already guys who are very heinous and very racist that are in.

DAVE STIEB FOR HALL OF FAME

The Writers opened a huge can of worms with Selig and Ortiz

One question remains after wading through all this muck... Who is the Hall for? Is it to acknowledge the ball players wonderful career or for the fans to celebrate their heroes? I'm still salty about Pete Rose's continued exclusion after all these years.

The single biggest misconception about PED usage in MLB is that Selig is the one who let it run rampant throughout the game. The truth is that it was already rampant two decades prior to Selig ever sitting down in the commissioner’s chair. The Mitchell Report says this very thing, citing a 1973 study by the federal government that revealed “alarming” levels of PED usage, citing both steroids and amphetamines by name. What changed in the 1990s was a greater understanding of weight training and conditioning, which went from teams not even having weight training facilities to a standard part of all training regimens throughout the game. This is what truly unlocked the full potential of the steroids that were already being widely used. This is the true hypocrisy of the BBWAA, as they don’t want to acknowledge that the players they grew up cheering for were also looking for every chemical edge they could find.

The worst thing is that they've elected inferior steroid users. David Ortiz of all people? He was released by Minnesota at 27 and then tests positive for steroids in the same season he suddenly became an MVP candidate. Pudge Rodriguez juiced for at least a decade and ballooned up to 232 pounds of mostly muscle st probably 5'8" max. Suddenly, MLB introduces testing with penalties in 2005 at the same exact time Canseco outs Pudge as a steroid user and he drops from 215 pounds to 187 pounds. When asked if he was on that same 2003 survey test that caught Ortiz in 2009, Pudge replied "only God knows." No, players were informed that they tested positive after the Feds seized the tests in 2004 and players would also know if they had used steroids or not. Bonds was the best player and best hitter of the past half century before he started using steroids in 1999, and he probably wouldn't have even started using had MLB not consistently ignored steroid use dating back to at least 1994 when MLB was warned by the FBI about McGwire and Canseco. As for Clemens, he never transformed his body or style with steroids. His steroid use was so minimal it consisted of three 4-7 week cycles total over a 4 season stretch and its not clear it really changed his performance. In 1998 and 2000, he had a groin injury early so it's difficult to say whether the injury healing or the cycle made the difference. He was throwing 97 mph before the cycle and trip to the DL in 2000. In 2001, he didn't use until August by the account of the trainer who accused him yet he was 15-1, well on track to lead the league in strikeouts and throwing 98 mph by early May, 3 months before his cycle and 8-9 months after he finished his last cycle. I'm pro-steroids in general, but I hate the inconsistency. David Ortiz is the perfect example of a player made great by steroids. Bonds and Clemens were all-time greats without steroids. And if we're being realistic, there may not be the direct evidence there is for Ortiz and Pudge, but Bagwell and Piazza were steroid users as well. You don't gain 20 pounds in a short baseball offseason as both did in their late 20s and remain that muscular, let alone after you've been using for years.

You made a point I never thought about; Bud shouldn't be in, either if it's about what they say.

The problem with Bonds and Clemens is their motivation. With Bonds it was ego. He didn't like McGwire and Sosa getting all the accolades and setting those records so he got on the juice and put the numbers so far out of reach the only way to touch them would be to juice like he did. Clemens did it for the cash. His career was slowing down and he wanted a few more paydays. Both of those guys would have made the Hall if they would have stayed clean. But they made a choice and sorry, while baseball is hypocritical, making up for one instance of poor judgement by doing it a second time isn't going to take away the taint those players put on themselves. If I were king for a day those HR records would be reset, but that's me. As for Sosa and his "innocent victim" card, give me a break. I'm old enough to remember the night his bat exploded because of the super balls he corked it with. This was before his sudden chemically enhanced power surge. The guy was always a cheater. And yes, if you're going to be a snake, you should at least have the good sense to be a charming snake. The world is chock full of sociopath's who figured that bit out. And while we're on the subject of guys being snubbed, what about Lou Whitaker? His numbers stack up favorably with Joe Morgan and he has a higher WAR than Sandberg but Lou committed the sin of playing in Detroit. Maybe if he would have done backflips he might have had a shot but I guarantee if he played in St. Louis or New York he'd be in. And I couldn't help but notice you were silent on the matter of Curt Schilling. Perhaps a bit of your own bias slipping in? The bottom line is, all these halls are subjective and yes, if you piss off the guys who get to say who gets in and who doesn't you are most likely going to get screwed unless your numbers are so off the charts they can't deny you. Ask Jack Morris. Dick Allen had good numbers but they aren't jaw dropping. As for hypocrisy, now that baseball is being sponsored by gambling houses and allowing betting to go on in their stadiums, don't you think Shoeless Joe ought to get a pass? But then you'd have to do the same for Pete Rose and sorry, I'm old enough to remember him to and he was a dick (unless you lived in Cincinnati or Philadelphia I suppose). So if I apply the "I don't like you standard" he's out. See, that's my bias. We all have em. Anyway, that's just my take on it. I'd keep them cheating SOB's out for life but I get the feeling at some point Bonds and Clemens will get in. I heard the testing protocols have gotten lax and guys who were skinny are beefing up again. Judge broke Maris's record and I hope he did it honest. Roger and Hank deserve that much.

I could see an argument for keeping Selig out of the hall but letting bonds in, the opposite I cannot understand

How about this: The Hall of Fame is now and forever closed for admission. Nobody can be elected anymore. Nobody else is worthy.

Good video. FYI the Hall Of Fame is not run by MLB, it's entirely seperate and they can make thier own rules. I highly recommend Bill James` Whatever Happened To The Hall Of Fame for a good history on the HOF.

Some real good perspective. I was also taught to hate Roid users, but was a fan of the Red Sox with manny Marimez. It really is a tricky thing

Facts: Ty Cobb bet on baseball. He beat an umprire half to death with a bat after a game. Gaylord Perry wrote a book about how he cheated with the spitball...and on and on and on and on...

Do you think Bonds and Clemens are Hall of Famers? Let us know why or why not down below!

The baseball HOF is an absolute joke as they let anyone in these days. Don't follow this crap anymore! They have ruined it!

Did my 1st comment before watching & in this one after. I'd say I agree with u 100% & even learned something about Sammy. They should take voting away from the writers as they've proven they can't be objective. So many others that should be in 4 different reasons like Shoeless Joe. He was wrongly banned 4 life yet he's been dead for what 60 odd years? And Pete Rose should be in for what he did as a player not a manager & nobody ever said he threw a game he bet on. Not in his nature. Bonds & Clemons were Hall guys before any allegations. Everyone knows that. All the Holier than thou's can cram it.

I couldn't agree more with this-- but there are other levels of hypocrisy with the Hall of Fame too. First of all, pretty much all of MLB was on speed for decades-- greenies were the secret ingredient that kept everyone from Mays to Mantle to Aaron out there for 162 days in a row. Secondly, Gaylord Perry is an admitted spitballer who got in. Cheating was fine in all those cases-- it wasn't until we got to pearl-clutching offended writers that we ran into problems with people like Bonds, Clemens, etc. And thank you so much for pointing out the blatant double standard with Sosa & Ortiz.

Bonds never tested positive for steroids. Nor did he ever admit to using them. He was already voted the Player of the 90's before pumping up. What a shame to destroy a great career.

They should just make a part of the hall for alleged steroid users if they won’t let them in

I take a what I like to call a "moderate" view when it comes to steroid use. i take it by a case by case basis, such as specific players and intent. Some examples, players such as Andy Pettitte took HGH to recover from injury faster, not to enhance performance. In regards to the 2003 List. It was never supposed to made public, and even if we take the list at face value, it's safe to presume that there were substances that were completely legal at the time, but not anymore. And regarding Sammy Sosa. A lot of arguments I hear is that Bonds and Clemens were already Hall of Famers statistically before they decided to use PEDs, and that Sosa was just an average player before his time with the Cubs. Furthermore, everytime Sosa is asked about PED use in interviews, he tries to dodge the question and acts all sus about it. Those two factors, along with dislike from the media, gave people the conclusion that Sosa was purely a product of PED use.

There is NO chance Sosa was not using Steroids. #1 - since Roger Maris, Aaron Judge is the only player to hit more than 60 HR - except for steroid users Bonds, McGwire and Sosa. #2 - look at the guy's head. Same thing happened to McGwire and Bonds and Canseco and Giambi. Now look at McGriff. Notice the difference? Without steroids, does Sosa even break 500 HR? Probably not. And aside from the HR, what else does he have on his HoF resume? Case closed.

I completely agree that HOF is hypothetical and fundamentally unsound in certain ways. Every major HOF has issues, some worse than others. However, I don't think that's justification for blanket induction of players with great stats. The fact is, the steroids scandal happened. Those players chose to participate. Some of them were caught, others weren't. If they got caught, and it's definitive, for me, they axed themselves from ever getting in. Let's not forget, those guys made millions of dollars doing what they were doing. So I don't really have any sympathy for them now. There's no perfect system in place to handle an entire era of controversy. It has to be taken case by case.

The HoF means Jack doo doo without Steve Garvey in it.

Sosa was caught corking his bats as well

Great video! I agree with everything you said. However, I think it's absurd that Selig got voted in simply for doing his job. That's absolute nonsense. The steroid era stuff is just more fuel for the dumpster fire. The Baseball Writers' Association of America have proven themselves to be a bunch of clowns who use their power to make pointless political statements about their opinions of former players. It would be unfair to characterize every member that way, but as a group, they are a total joke. The most significant thing about them is that they've made the Baseball Hall of Fame completely irrelevant due to their idiotic antics. Whether it's grandstanding about suspected PED users or the idiocy of not voting in a surefire HoFer because "nobody gets in on the first ballot," I'm just done with it all. I don't care anymore. The BWAA is a joke, the HoF is a joke, and they can shove their opinions up their asses.

Allen for sure, but what about Vada Pinson, Jeff Kent, Tommy John, Luis Tiant, Dave Parker, Bill White, Frank White, Lou Whitaker, and a host of others.....

I have to wonder too if the HOF is nothing more than a "popularity contest" I have seen players who were great hitters, pitchers, and if not great hitters, they were great on defense who should get into the Hall, but are not. Managers and executives too.

Let's not forget the 2001 contraction, which also happened under Selig.

Great video!!! Just subscribed. Any chance you'll do one about Bobby Abreu and/or Omar Vizquel? Thanks a lot, and great work.

Bonds and Rodriguez were already in the Hall of Fame before they used the performance drugs

"Either admitted or had a positive test" that means that Bonds and Clemens should be HOF, neither said they did (nor did they have a positive test.) Bonds (a very obvious yes) said if he did then it might have been an unknown substance, but Clemens was simply accused and people just blindly believed it. They claim he got better with age, but the accusation only claims he used it for 1 season in 1998 (he wasn't even that old.) Bonds should simply be instructed to humble himself and do a good will tour, but Clemens has always been good to the fans and there's zero evidence that he used steroids (a mere accusation, considering President Obama was accused of being a gay male prostitute earlier in his career; accusation should not be the basis of any key decision affecting one's legacy) and Clemens should be in the HOF.

Writers don’t want to give one last award to players who don’t need it and disrespected the game. They see it as the only way to send a message to young players. The league does testing now and that’s fine, sure the league looked the other way in The beginning. Physical Museums aren’t necessary to acknowledge stats by Sosa bonds Clemens arod etc. the fans who watched them play know they’re the best and their stats and highlights are all over the internet.

The hardest thing to do in sports is hit a round ball with a round bat.

How about this: Let the no doubters like McGwire, Bonds and Clemens in. Probably would've been HOFers anyway. The guys on the fringe, no. The juice was too big of a factor. Done.

I'm not the biggest fan of baseball historian Bill James, but he makes a compelling case in his excellent book "Whatever Happened to the Hall of Fame?" (also called "The Politics of Glory") that the biggest issue with Hall is that you have a very small group of elitists (the BBWAA) who dominate the voting, and that the Hall itself has coddled them for so long that the writers believe themselves to be the sacred gatekeepers of the Hall. If we start with this premise, and I think it is valid (is there a group of "journalists" who are more condescending, arrogant, and self-righteous than sports writers?), then it is pretty easy to see why the HoF is in the state it is. I don't know. Bonds and Clemens especially didn't need to do what they did, as they were on a HoF course anyway. But when the environment is created in which it is monetarily profitable to shoot yourself up, and when you are #1 and have been told you are #1 for your whole life, it is easy to understand why they would do it. And while I know that sports athletes are not supposed to be role models (Charles Barkley was right), we don't live in such a world. Athletes, whether right or not, ARE idolized by the masses. When we see our heroes doing what they did, what kind of a message does this send, and what do we say about those who created the environment in the first place? My love for baseball is now limited to me playing Strat-O-Matic. There is just too much nonsense in the real game today for me to even care anymore. And this is one of the reasons. Is it totally excusable for me? No.

Quite a few fans and the powers to be still pretend to not notice that these players were not juicing. They act so surprised when the BALCO scandal erupted. I think that was far from the case. I had a hunch that Jose Canseco was taking something going as far back during his Oakland Athletics days. Personally, I didn't care. I just appeared something was up. Jose and Mark McGwire easily filled their uniforms. They were so impressively built. As a baseball fan, I'm not going to pretend that I was offended by watching all of those homeruns get drilled out of the ballpark. Baseball was super exciting back in the late 1980's, 1990's and 2000's. The true hypocrisy is seeing former MLB commissioner Bud Selig in the Hall of Fame. Now that definitely puts a virtual bitter taste in my mouth. He's recognized as a Hall of Famer off the backs of those juiced players. MLB acts too morally standard and they know they looked the other way. After MLB now allows legalized gambling in order to tap off another revenue stream, they are now morally two-faced. I have been for Pete Rose not being allowed to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. But after MLB now endorses legalized gambling, I can't blame fans wanting or even demanding Pete Rose to be inducted now. At that time, it was blatantly wrong. But now, MLB is in with gambling period. It's time to let things go.

I still Find it ridiculous that we have to talk about Steroid use for Baseball, but not Football, when it comes to the HOF Voting. Its also ridiculous that they think they've pinpointed a "Steroid Era". Steroid use has been going on since before the 80's and 90's , in most sports including the Olympics. Im not a huge Baseball fan, and I DO consider them to be athletes, But if I were to choose a sport where I thought Steroids might benefit me, I would say Football is that sport. You dont have to be Bigger, Stronger, Faster to succeed in baseball. Roger Maris was under 200 lbs and 6 ft tall, yet it took all those years for someone to reach/ break his record. How did he do it, and why didnt one of the Monster players do it long before? Also, why havent we seen a 100 home run hitter? You'd think if steroids played that big a role, the home runs would've been flying out of the park and we wouldve seen someone approaching 100, even in the 80's. No disrespect to baseball players, But I'll never be convinced that guys who are either sitting in the dugout, or standing still for long periods of time out in the field, would benefit from steroids as much or more than Football players, or other athletes where Strength and speed are key to success. All that being said, I've never considered it Cheating.

I never could stang the self-promoting car salesman ("Kids keep asking me: Mr. Commissioner blah blah blah").

Good video. I do have some suggestions that I think would present your point of view in a stronger light. In the beginning you should have mentioned that some sports writers have a vote. They way it was phased, it makes it seem like only the press have a vote.

They were moving the fences in...needing home runs for more excitement...Screw Selig and Screw the Writers too!!!

Generally speaking, BB writers are self-important jackasses I like your show You should have more recognition I appreciate your maturity and the lack of post-tween goofiness I see on other BB channels I'm going to find a way to advertise your channel I just have to figure out where to put it Let me know if you have any ideas I say this because it's pointless for me to promise to subscribe since I have precisely one - which demonstrates my aversion to being a subscriber But I think I can benefit you a whole lot more I'm just not sure how well my subscriber base intersects with your potential subscribers

Three things not mentioned in the Sosa-Ortiz comparison that need to be said: 1. Ortiz was the ONE player that the MLBPA openly went to the defense of after the NYT report. What info did they have on him re: his test that was different that the others being reported on? Who knows. But it was significant enough that they went to the mat for him. Not Sosa. Not anyone else. 2. The real turning point in how people felt about Sosa came because of his corked bat. It was that, not steroid rumors, that put a taint on his home run records. 3. Also not mentioned is Sosa’s horrible performance in front of Congress, where, in between McGwire saying he “wasn’t there to talk about the past” and Palmeiro defiantly wagging his finger at representatives months before he got busted for taking steroids, Sosa-who had never had a problem speaking English-suddenly forgot how to speak or understand it. That led to him being seen as not just a cheater, not just a liar, but a real sleaze. I just think those are three significant things that should have been addressed when making the Sosa-Ortiz comparison.

Steroids don't tell you the difference between a fastball and a curve ball

Lots of guys are in the HoF who used PEDs. Amphetamines were abused from the 1920’s until they were banned. This is why beer was in the locker rooms after the games. Had to bring the players back down.

Steroids...say it not true Joe ! ....you broke my heart

sosa is not a good example. when ask to take a drug test. sosa said 'why? you trying to get me in trouble" that sounds like he was hiding something to me. not to mention this after the corked bat. but, i agree with you. rolen's in, dale murphy's not. yea, there's a problem.

This is an interesting 🤔 argument. In the 80's and especially the 90's about 70% of players used steroids. This has kept players like Barry Bonds out of the HOF. Now in 2021-22 Mlb Commissioner Rob Manfred admitted that the MLB was using juiced baseballs. Aaron Judge hit 62 home runs last season. But he did it with a juiced baseballs. Does that keep Judge out of the HOF as well?? It's something to think about.

Take Bud out of the Hall. Put Dwight Evans in.

No hall of fame. They’re called performance enhancing drugs for a reason.

We do not penalize Sosa because he played in the midst of the steroid era, and therefore is associated with it. We are convinced he did steroids because he did something that only happened with a few players, and only in the steroid era. McGwire, Bonds and Sosa increased their home run rates to levels only achieved by these 3 players. Sosa Age hr/ab 20-23 34.9 24-28 16.4 29-33 10.3 He was a part time player in his first 4 years an was not a power hitter. Over the next 5 years he blossomed into a power guy. He hit 33,25,36,40,36. Solid numbers. 16.4 ab per home run. Not Willie Mays, but respectable. The all time greats are between 12 and 15. There are tons of examples of players improving their power numbers at 23-26 over the last 100 years. But there are ZERO examples of what came next. His average ab/hr went down to 10. It just doesn't happen. He didn't all of a sudden become the greatest home run hitter of all time. When you study baseball statistics you learn certain things about the limits and progressions of players. Occasionally a player comes along to break the rules like Rickey Henderson. Like Ruth in the early 20s. But players don't establish themselves with a level of play by their late 20s and then become something else in their early 30s. There is no precedent for this. Is it possible Sosa was this exception? Sure. But its so unlikely, when there is something else to explain it, as to make it an absurd conclusion. Sosa did steroids. Peak Years for some of the best. McGwie 8.7 Bonds 8.2 Ruth 10.6 ARod 13.5 Mays 14.6 Aaron 14.5 Thome 12.9 Foxx 12.8 Mantle 12.5 Williams 14.7

My view has been the BBWA should not be the selection committee for the HOF. Baseball players should be the ones selecting HOF members, just as they should be the ones selecting All-Stars.

Schilling should be in. It’s stupid..

I heard someone say they should allow the entirety of the steroid era into the ball but their

Great Video. feel like the baseball HOF has the same bs problems that any Sports media voted awards/achievements have including other sports. They are extremely biased and care too much about narrative than objective facts/stats. I Was never a Bonds fan but he is probably the greatest player of all time and should be in the HOF and according to the rules of baseball at the time he didn't cheat. The same people that cheered McGwire Clemens and Bonds in the moment like to retcon their thoughts nowadays to take a moral superiority highroad that they only now care about. I cheered on McGwire, let him in. Steroids don't help with the vision to hit a 90+mph fastball, or a curveball. Not to mention everyone including the pitchers were on roids so it was actually pretty fair. They want to keep out Schilling because of crap he has said and done recently that has nothing to do with baseball. Is he a good guy, probably not but he was a good baseball player and that is what the HOF is about. If you are going to punish people for the steroid era or modern politics then there should not be a modern pitcher allowed in cause they were all using sticky substances to throw the ball. Basketball has a horrible time with its awards because they are voted on by the media and it very clearly awful and biased. Baseball HOF is the biggest joke of them all because they talk about morals etc. Guess what, I am betting there are a fair few racist people inducted in the HOF from back in the day, maybe take a look and start removing people based on their past transgressions/cheating too then. Or is that too much? Niekro cheated lets remove him. Gaylord perry cheated. These guys admitted or got caught during games. THe double standard hypocrisy of this game and its fan base is what makes me hate talking to anyone about baseball.

I genuinely despised how they disrespected McGriff, Sosa, Abreu, Dick Allen, and Schilling. But the baseball Hall of Fame has to be the worst Hall of Fame of all the pro sports.

Bonds, Clemens, Schilling, A Rod, Sosa and McGuire should all be in the damn Hall

When Ortiz got in, I assumed they were lifting the blockade on roiders. That dude was every bit as obvious as Sosa, McGwire, Giambi, Bonds, etc.

If it was only Bonds who was juicing then he shouldnt go in but since basically everyone was doing it, there's already people in who were juicing and didn't get caught, so what difference does it make?

I think PEDs should be made legal in MLB. 1. I don't think they really give an unfair advantage as much as people think they do. I mean they do give an advantage but so does diet and exercise. Is it fair when players get injured and can't exercise? 2. It will be much safer when PEDs are legal and regulated 3. Contrary to popular belief, no not everyone would use PEDs nor would those who use PEDs necessarily be the best in the game. Yes they will enhance performance but if you can't hit the ball it doesn't matter how hard you swing.

MLB loved Bonds Sosa and Rodriguez when they were playing and making all that money for them. Now that they dont play anymore and baseball doesnt need them. Theyre punished by MLB for what they did.

So Bud and others who benefit from the steroids era get into the hall of fame but the players don't. How in heck is this fair

I think if you're up for voting at all based on current standards, you should already be in. It's not like there are thousands of players up for it each season. Getting a nomination should merit something

It’s already a lost cause especially when you have Thomas Boswell, Ivan and Bagwell both are borderline suspects….

Did anyone else think the hot dog had balls and that it wasn’t it’s feet lol