Should Barry Bonds be inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame?

Blitzkrieg

Administrator

I figure somebody would bring up this subject eventually. First, lets get the fact that he's an asshole out of the way. That has nothing to do with this topic. I don't want to hear "He's a jerk..so no.".. I want you guys to look at him just based on what he's done on the field and what he's alegedly done off the field. By now we all figure he's done steroids in the past and this new book that's out.. I forget the name of it, but it details what exactly Bonds has been up to for the last 5 years. Now, you can make the argument that nothing his ex-girlfriend says should be taken seriously, but the rest of it seems fairly legit... Is it proof? I don't know.. Bonds will never admit anything and he'll never be caught under the drug policy.

I've heard some writers on ESPN say, with this new information you can forget about Cooperstown for Bonds. I don't agree, or see how anyone can make that claim. Even if the book is true, it say that Bonds starting using after the 1998 season because he was jealous of what McGwire and Sosa were doing. Bonds alegedly said to his ex-girlfriend that if they can use steroids and get all this publicity and not have to worry about getting caught, then why can't he?

Bonds already had 400 homers and 400 stolen bases before his aledged usage. Something that nobody has ever done in baseball. And he already had 3 MVP awards to his credit (he now has 7), nobody else has 4.. Throw in all the gold glove awards in the outfield and he was a lock to make it if he retired on that day.

Thoughts?

Simon

Founder/Admin

I will look for the reports on the net about his allegeded crazy steroid abuse, but the SI article comes out today. SHould be a VERY interesting read.

Dr. Giganto

Sports Moderator

Well, he was definitely on the way to making it before his alleged steroid use.

It's a funny question, because the Hall of Fame already has cheaters in it (all the spitballers from back in the day), and some of them they keep out (the gamblers, like Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson). It all depends on how strongly baseball feels about steroid use.

Should he be in it? Nah, probably not. He did something that was not only against the rules of baseball, but was literally against the law.

B-Money

King of the Arcade

He's a jerk, so no! :-)

B-Money

Blitzkrieg

Administrator

But Tom.. it wasn't against the rules of baseball when he was allegedly using it. It was against the law yes.. but actually the cream and the clear were not against the law either because the governmet didn't even know that existed at the time.

DMW

Once somebody comes up with at least one positive drug test, then maybe we could start having this conversation. There is no way you can keep this guy out of the hall based on comments made by people trying to sell books. Even if it turns out that he was juiced out of his mind from 1998 onward, he still has to be in the hall for the reasons Brandon listed.