Comments on: Should the stats of ANY baseball player caught using drugs be stripped from the record books? Why not?

By: geoshady

geoshady — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 08:22:10 +0000

You can’t strip stats from the books because it will create continuity problems and holes in the way we look at accomplishments. Stats are the major way we record baseball history.. The problem with steroids and other devices used to create an advantage over your opponent, it makes the honorable player suspect. Everyone who is good must be cheating. Baseball should follow the I.O.C.’s logic and penalize for perception not proving beyond a shadow of a doubt. Sports are not the legal system and need to show that they are beyond reproach and cheating. It should fall to the individual player to know what medication he/she is taking and realize that it is their career and reputation at stake every time they use something on themselves internally or externally.

By: sunilnchassaram

sunilnchassaram — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 08:22:10 +0000

Of course. Otherwise it would not be legit.

By: dowboy98

dowboy98 — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 08:22:10 +0000

Nope. Had we started this policy in 1903 (testing for steroids and stripping the stats out of the record book), then we could do it.

However, we have absolutely no way of knowing of Lou Gherig, Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson, Mickey Mantle, Sandy Koufax, or anyone else in the history of baseball took steroids.

It’s not fair to discriminate against someone because of the time or era that they’re on.

Furthermore, steroids were not illegal in baseball until last year (2005) thus, you cannot consider anything prior to this cheating.

By: Arbitrage

Arbitrage — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 08:22:10 +0000

I don’t personally care because I don’t follow sports that much. But I thought that they only recently made steroids illegal in baseball. So, the people who used them before were fine (at least not doing anything legally wrong). If they’re still using them, then the record should be taken away.

By: old school

old school — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 08:22:10 +0000

No, and your reasoning is flawed. You have to have talent to play pro ball. You do not need talent to cheat to get better grades. Drugs will not improve hand eye coordination, the ability to hit a curve ball, or getting a jump on the ball before it is hit. Drugs seem to only enhance power, not ability.

Since there was no testing for steroids until recently, you cannot take away any records. In the public eye they may be tainted, but due to baseball’s inept drug testing policy, the record books are not.