Cobb Posted July 27, 2009 Report Share Posted July 27, 2009 Source: journalgazette No. 7. Hall of Famer. Juicer. Yes, that’s right. Mickey Mantle did steroids. Remember 1961, the year he and Roger Maris chased down the Babe? If you do, you’ll also remember Mantle sat out a period of time because his quack doctor used a dirty needle on him, causing an abscess on his hip. What you might not know is what was in the needle: steroids and amphetamines. I learned this while reading Chafets’ piece in this week’s ESPN The Magazine, in which Chafets articulates something that’s been gnawing at me for some time. PEDs, he says, shouldn’t keep Steroids Era players out of the Hall of Fame, because some of their antecedents are already there.What do you guys think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-Rat Posted July 27, 2009 Report Share Posted July 27, 2009 Doubt it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobb Posted July 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2009 You never know. They were around back then but the only problem is that there isn't any proof of people using them back then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-Rat Posted July 27, 2009 Report Share Posted July 27, 2009 You never know. They were around back then but the only problem is that there isn't any proof of people using them back then. Maybe it's just the era but to me I can't imagine him taking them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastCoastNiner Posted July 27, 2009 Report Share Posted July 27, 2009 I wouldn't doubt it at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phightins Posted July 27, 2009 Report Share Posted July 27, 2009 (edited) When will people realize that there is NOTHING we can do about this? If Mantle indeed used steroids maybe it'll finally show people that we have two options here...either wipe the hall of fame clean (since in the mind's of a lot of people everybody is a suspect and is guilty until proven innocent), or we just continue to enhance testing for today's players and move on. Obviously the first option is not happening, nor should it. But the bottom line is there is no way we will ever have a full list of players who cheated, so there is absolutely no use in crucifying a select few. Edited July 27, 2009 by Phightins09 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastCoastNiner Posted July 27, 2009 Report Share Posted July 27, 2009 I actually hope that SOMEHOW we find out that Mickey Mantle and other HOFER'S during and around his time were using steroids because that would solve a LOTTT of problems with HOF inductees. There was always a way to get steroids and performance enhancing drugs then, and it wouldn't surprise me the least if he was a juicer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phightins Posted July 27, 2009 Report Share Posted July 27, 2009 Honestly it might be for the best if it's somehow proven that he used steroids. It would give a lot of people a major reality check...those same people that have no problems with the all time hit king and all time homerun king being out of the hall of fame. Just think about that for a second...steroids/gambling or not, that is an absolute joke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastCoastNiner Posted July 27, 2009 Report Share Posted July 27, 2009 Honestly it might be for the best if it's somehow proven that he used steroids. It would give a lot of people a major reality check...those same people that have no problems with the all time hit king and all time homerun king being out of the hall of fame. Just think about that for a second...steroids/gambling or not, that is an absolute joke. Even if it is proven, we both know that many of the older writers will not believe it, and they will be stubborn as hell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phightins Posted July 27, 2009 Report Share Posted July 27, 2009 (edited) That is true. I guess my hope is that if it came out that Mantle or somebody else that the stubborn old writers rooted for as a kid did not play the game clean, it might change some of their outlooks. But I am not counting on it. Edited July 27, 2009 by Phightins09 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-Rat Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 I just don't think it can be proven 45+ years later... idk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly3rs18 Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 i think they would have found out before now if those guys used steroids. someone would have admitted to it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdog17k Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 I don't know what to think, but I can't see Mantle doing them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly3rs18 Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 i agree with that article though. he is right, how can you exclude guys from the hall who used steroids, when there were other guys who also did some illegal things. the only argument against it though is that the PED's directly impacted the game, while some of the other things he listed may have been bad, but they did not impact baseball, just the players personal life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phightins Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 Exactly. There is no way of knowing who did what, so players should just be put into the hall of fame based on their accomplishments on the field and their statistics, no asterisks, nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trutrojan8 Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 How can you hope that Mantle used roids? He was one of the best players ever, and everyone likes him. That's like saying, "I hope Derek Jeter used steroids and has his whole career tarnished." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phightins Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 How can you hope that Mantle used roids? He was one of the best players ever, and everyone likes him. That's like saying, "I hope Derek Jeter used steroids and has his whole career tarnished." Do you possess any reading comprehension skills? If you disagree that's fine, but we clearly stated reasoning for everything we said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trutrojan8 Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 Do you possess any reading comprehension skills? If you disagree that's fine, but we clearly stated reasoning for everything we said.Yeah, but I question your reasoning. Steroids + Mantle = Steroids + Ruth allegations, Steroids + Gehrig, DiMaggio, Rose, etc. Is that what's best for baseball? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phightins Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 Yeah, but I question your reasoning. Steroids + Mantle = Steroids + Ruth allegations, Steroids + Gehrig, DiMaggio, Rose, etc. Is that what's best for baseball? What's best for baseball is for people to just forget about steroids, and to move on. Given what is currently going on this is not going to happen. It is the "cool" thing for the media and fans to crucify everybody they suspect might have been on steroids, even if there is no real evidence to back that up. Even players with no reason to be suspected are being accused, since apparently everybody in this steroid age is guilty until proven innocent. Players being tarnished, or better yet excluded from the hall of fame due to baseless accusations is a major problem. The only way for baseball to move on here, IMO, is to just put everybody with deserving numbers into the hall of fame, no asterisks. Since there is no way or proving that most of these suspected cheaters actually cheated, what is the point of keeping them from the hall of fame? My point is that if all of these stubborn writers responsible for electing players to the hall of fame were to realize that cheating happened way back in the day, and somebody like Mickey Mantle may not have been clean, then maybe it will be a wake up call that there is nothing that can be done with the past. If Mickey Mantle was on steroids, then God knows who else was. There is no way of proving who cheated one way or the other. I have said all along that the only thing I feel baseball can do is continue to intensify current testing procedures and plan for a better, cleaner future, since there is nothing they can do about the past. Nobody will ever know for sure whose numbers are clean and whose aren't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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