Gary Sheffield’s star has lost its sparkle as Detroit Tigers let him go at the age of 40. He remains unsurpassed as the greatest hitter of all time. But that happened when he was younger. Now the Tigers were willing to pay him a hefty sum of $14 million dollars for him not to play. In short, they were kicking him out of the team. Probably he couldn’t hack it anymore unlike before. There were younger more agile players being recruited and his career could only go so far.

What disappoints Sheffield is that the Tigers decide to dismiss him with 499 home-runs. In two days from a salary of millions he will be reduced to $400,000. Worse, his name was linked to steroids, which could jeopardize his hopes of being a Famer.

From The New York Times:

Even though Sheffield is essentially a designated hitter, the inexpensive price tag will probably lead some team to give him a chance and hope he can produce. Sheffield belted 19 homers in 114 games last season. The Phillies have already contacted Sheffield and could add him.

If Sheffield does not get a call and ends up being forced to retire, he will leave one homer short of the once-hallowed 500-homer mark. Eventually, he will also be an interesting case for the Hall of Fame. In addition to his home runs, Sheffield has 2,615 hits, 1,633 runs batted in and a .292 career average. Based strictly on numbers, Sheffield is a Hall of Famer.

But some voters will surely wonder how much of his production was tied to steroids. He testified before a federal grand jury investigating Balco in December 2003. One year later, Sheffield, who worked out with Barry Bonds, told Sports Illustrated that he unknowingly used a designer steroid on his knee.

Some writers have already made their minds not to vote for Sheffield in the Hall of Fame for having his name linked to steroids, no matter what the explanation would be. Perhaps the best advice for him now is to bow out of baseball gracefully because getting at job at 40 in the majors is quite impossible.

Tags: 499 home-runs, baseball, George Sheffield, Hall of Fame, steroids

Posted in steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in Baseball, Steroids in Olympics, Steroids in Sports

Did the steroids controversy hurt Alex Rodriguez’s chances to make it at the Hall of Fame? The same question is asked by Ron Santo, top third baseman in the National League for about a decade. He made it to the ballot thrice, one in 1980, another several years after that and the last in 2002. Only three third basemen have made to the Hall of Fame and only Eddie Matthews, a future Famer, exceeded Santo’s career home runs.

Ryne Sandberg, Chicago Cubs’ Hall of Famer, said that more than anyone else it is the deserving players that are affected by the issues on steroids. He couldn’t understand why the candidacy of Santo was overlooked. And he’s not the only one, Tony Oliva and Gil Hodges are in the same boat as Santo.

Billy Williams, Santo’s former teammate, that the writers are more influenced by the numbers that they have outshadowed the star players of the past decade.

From Southtown Star:

”If you have two third basemen here, and you see one guy hit 340-something home runs, and now you see a guy hit 600, 700 home runs, quite naturally you’re going to go to this guy,” Williams said. ”It could happen that somebody looked at this and said, ‘No, this is not a Hall of Fame player.’

”Certainly there’s been a lot of focus on the guys that hit a lot of home runs at record-high pace, and it could have taken away from the (perception of) numbers individuals had in the ’60s.”

Santo said the bottom line for him is, ”I don’t want any excuses. I don’t think like that.”

In the end, Santo accepts the fact that Hall of Fame might not be for him and that he shouldn’t let the Steroids Era affect how lives his life.

Tags: Billy Williams, Gil Hodge, Hall of Fame, Ron Santo, Ryne Sandberg, steroids, Tony Oliva

Posted in steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in Baseball, Steroids in Sports

While some Major League Baseball athletes have turned to the use of anabolic steroids in order to reach the top, other great players have shown their love for the game by staying clean. Jeff Kent is the epitome of the latter. Kent has been an advocate of MLB steroid testing throughout his career. When he was giving his retirement speech last week, he even commended the Major League and the players’ union for the developments in the drug testing policy.

Kent has been quoted several times by other supporters of anti-steroid programs such as Bud Selig and Sen. George Mitchell. For Kent, though, the battle against steroids and illegal drugs shouldn’t stop with what the committee now has. The tests could be much better. Kent even suggested adding blood tests to the routine urine samples taken from athletes since more drugs will be detected.

From San Francisco Chronicle:

“Major League Baseball and the union created a drug policy that’s on the right path. Baseball has brought the game to a better level playing field than it ever was,” Kent said. “Whether I personally had anything to do with that . . . I wanted to put this game in a better place, and I hope younger players just don’t give up and say, ‘We’re in a good spot’ and not make more progress.

“The integrity of the game always needs to be in question.”

Kent added the game’s integrity “was jeopardized for so many years, and I’m completely embarrassed about the steroid era.”

He hit more home runs than any other second baseman in history, and they all came in a tainted era.

Kent is proud that he has treated the sports he loved with the respect it deserves. He is a winner in all aspects of the game and he has never cheated. His accomplishments, both in the field and outside, could give him the chance to put his name in the Hall of Fame.

Tags: drug testing, Hall of Fame, Jeff Kent, Major League Baseball, Performance enhancing drugs, retirement, steroids

Posted in steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in Baseball

From the Huffington Post:

It’s being said that Mark McGwire’s failure to be inducted into the Baseball Hall Of Fame on his third go-round is a direct result of the widespread suspicion that he used anabolic steroids when he was breaking records and bashing the cover off the ball in the 1990s. Which may lead you to think that the road to Cooperstown will be rocky when other notable juicers come up for induction over the next few years. But McGwire is a lousy litmus test for the entire steroid era, because his numbers simply aren’t Hall-worthy, performance enhancing drugs or no.

Okay, so McGuire had 583 home runs and his career on-base percentage of .394 is nothing short of amazing.

But he only had a litetime batting average of .263 and only 1,626 hits. C’mon, by Major League Baseball standards that’s weak. And 12 career stolen bases? In 16 seasons?

Sorry Mark. I don’t think so.

Should be interesting when Barry Bonds becomes eligible. They won’t be able to deny him based on his accomplishments. Then we’ll see just how hypocritical these folks are.

Tags: Hall of Fame, Major League Baseball, Mark McGuire, performace-enhancing drugs, steroids

Posted in Steroids and Anabolic Steroids

An article in USA Today paints a reclusive yet resolute Mark McGwire.

It was in September 2005 when McGwire made his last public baseball appearance as he returned for the last time, it seems, to Busch Stadium to celebrate the final regular-season games there. It was also that year when a different kind of spotlight, and a different kind of audience, put him under the public glare. It was at the congressional inquiry on the use of steroids in America’s top favorite game.

McGwire neither denied nor admitted his use of steroids. Six months after his congressional testimony, the media had a chance to ask him about the allegations and McGwire remained clammed up about the issue.
“When I left Washington, that’s the last time I’m going to ever talk about it,” McGwire told reporters. “That’s really about it. I’ve moved on. I wish the media would move on from it.

“I’m enjoying life right now. I love the game of baseball. I miss the game of baseball. And I can’t wait for someday when somebody offers me a fantastic job to get back in baseball.”

The rumors of steroid use is keeping the former slugger from being inducted in the Hall of Fame. His career record boasts of 583 home runs, and yet, in a voting conducted by the Baseball Writers Association of America, McGwire has received only 23.5% and 23.6% in the past two years of eligibility. To be inducted for the august Hall, a candidate needs at least 75% of votes.

McGwire, now 44, resides at the “end of a cul-de-sac in a gated community”, according to the same article. And the description invites the question: Will this be the cul-de-sac of McGwire’s legacy?
He refused interview requests and turned down invitations to visit his former team. And yet, there have been reports that he’s been conducting “secret hitting lessons”, an indication that he might have plans to return to his game.

“The perception of Mark is so completely different than the reality,” says Craig Daedelow, a friend of McGwire who often sees and talks to him. “People think he’s out of the game, but they have no idea just how much he’s still in the game.”

Tags: anabolic steroids, Hall of Fame, Major League Baseball, Mark McGwire, MLB

Posted in steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in Baseball, Steroids in Sports