Jeff Pearlman adds Craig Biggio to his list of accused PED users, and Craig Calcaterra wants the story:
This isn’t a rhetorical question. There’s so much irresponsible speculation floating around. Pearlman clearly believes that it’s not a point of speculation: it’s fact. And Pearlman may be right about this stuff. Doesn’t he do baseball journalism a service by settling the matter? If I was a Sports Illustrated editor I’d be calling him ten times a day, imploring him to write the story.
It’s quite possible the editor rejected the story. There is a different threshold for personal belief proof and newspaper story proof. I would still like to hear the evidence.
What?!? Biggio??? I don’t even see how someone could have unreasonable evidence to accuse him. I think we’ve reached the McCarthy era in baseball.
“There is a different threshold for personal belief proof and newspaper story proof.”
Fine. Then let Pearlman regale his buddies with stories at his next back yard barbecue. Otherwise, he needs to shut up. If he’s going to take such a public position based on his own research, he needs to show his work. To do otherwise is reckless and irresponsible.
If idiots like Pearlman are typical for the BBWAA (and their enablers in the HoF), it’s time to find someone else to determine who gets to be a baseball immortal–even if it means starting from scratch and letting the mausoleum in Cooperstown rot. Who’s going to be accused next? Maddux? Pedro? Ozzie Smith? *ENOUGH*!!!
Anyone who believes that the “known” steroid users are not the tip of the iceberg are fooling themselves. Of course, determining who took what and when with any certainty is not possible.
Some estimates by players say anywhere from 25-50% of the players used steroids. This may even be higher if you include players who simply experimented with them. If so an awful lot of players who used have not been caught.
Put yourself in a ball players position. You have perhaps a 10 year career to make enough money to retire as an ex-player, live comfortably and support your family. You know that players you play against take steroids to enhance their performance at your expense. You also know players on your own team are using steroids, some of them competing for your job. You also know that the difference between being a league average player and an above average player could be worth 20 million over your career, and the difference between being an above average player and an All Star 30 million or more over your career.
The question I ask myself is why would not almost every player at least try steroids to level the playing field, to be as good as they can be, and make more money in the few years they will be allowed to play, especially in the days when there was no testing or enforcement of the rules (laws). There was little risk except to health, and the smarter players probably limited usage to contract years.
If I were a player in the 1990’s I would not hesitate to have used steroids knowing other players were doing so. Rick Helling tried to point this out to the MLBPA as he was concerned many players were using just to be able to compete with their peers and stay employed, even if it meant risking their health down the road.
Put an asterisk next to every players name who played post 1993 and assume they used. The few players who did not use, and nobody knows how many or few that they are, are guilty by virtue of remaining silent.