500 HR Club
 

Apologies in advance if this has been discussed before but I did not see anything. I do not regularly post on this side.

I recently purchased a 500 HR Club baseball with autographs of 11 members......All of whom were from the pre-steroid era. Opinions requested on the desirability of adding autos of members in the steroid era?

Frankly, I like my ball as is and probably won't have others added....but just curious as to what others thought.

Z

I would say leave as is. Which 11 guys do you have?

I'd add the clean guys like Frank Thomas, Albert Pujols, Jim Thome, and Ken Griffey Jr. But I' d leave off Manny Ramirez, McGwire, Sosa, Palmeiro, Sheffield, and Ortiz.

This is what drives me crazy.....the assumption that certain guys are clean. I would love to see Piazza start his HOF speech with, "Guess what?"

Additionally, I would exclude any of the more recent signers who have terrible signatures because they literally would scar up a great ball with nothing but nice signatures.

Personally, I would start a second ball with the more recent players so that you don't even need to think about this as a consideration.
I actually have done this with certain theme balls that I have worked on completing.

500 HR Ball
 

Thanks for the info guys. I think I am going to leave As Is. I have the following on the ball:

Williams
Mantle
Mays
Aaron
Banks
McCovey
Robinson
Killebrew
Jackson
Schmidt

Last name slips me....I think it is Mathews.

I don't want to start an heated discussion here...but would Griffey & Pujols belong in the User or Non-User club? Just curious on thoughts...

Z

Griffey, Jr. = not a user
Pujols = no opinion

We'll probably never know.

I absolutely agree with this . Just get another ball with all the other guys on it .

I don't think it's too hard to tell who cheated. Ramirez was suspended. Palmeiro was caught red handed. McGwire and Sosa are obvious. Sheffield admitted using the same cream that Bonds did. Ortiz is the only questionable name I listed. I guess you guys are just fans of someone.

Ortiz has been on a list of PED users

Maybe use a time cutoff for it. All the guys who reached 500 HR before 1990. Something like that doesn't bring to mind the negatives.

Then start a 1990 on ball.

500 HR Ball
 

Others have suggested using pre-2000 as an arbitrary cut off year for admittance into the Non-Steroid Era 500 HR Club . Ten of the 27 members made it into the 500 HR Club after that cut off date - and most of the 10 seem to be implicated in some fashion - in using steroids.

I am still not sure about Pujols - and no I am not particularly a fan of his. I am a fan of Miguel Cabrera - and hope he makes it some day. That would be a feat playing at the cavernous Comerica Park.

Z

I agree about Miguel Cabrera and Pujols, FWIW

How in the world can you say Pujols is clean and Ortiz is not with any degree of certainty?

500 HR Ball
 

I have one, signed at the 500 HR show in Atlantic City. Williams, Aaron, Mantle. Mathews, Killebrew, F, Robinson, Banks, McCovey, Mays, Schmidt signed at the show. Jackson was there but did not sign due to a severe hand injury. I got his signature at a later show. Also got Murray's at another show. I would not get any others to sign it. It has a COA from JSA.
It is now for sale if interested.

Hello? You can't. No more than you can be sure about Griffey, Piazza or ANYBODY!!!!!

Leave the ball as is. Do you really want any modern players sig squeezing around your others?

Agree! Put it in a holder and glue it shut (should the temptation re-occur).

Leave that thing exactly as-is!

Yep, and the more it's exposed to oils and dirt from hands, the greater the risk to the condition of the ball.

I would love to see a picture of your ball, sounds amazing

Maybe because Ortiz actually failed a drug test??

;)

That list was a joke. We have zero idea what it was he tested for. It could be something that is not banned, was never banned, or anything really. He's among the most tested players out there. You are going to ruin a guys legacy over something shady and unproven like that.

I took this to mean "how can you say Pujols is clean?" And, really, you can't.

Sorry but how many times a player is tested means NOTHING. Look what happened two years. A BUNCH of players got caught cheating, A-rod, Cruz, etc and none of them failed a test years ago.

Also A-rod was on the same 2003 list as Ortiz. Im sure if A-rod didn't come out and admit he took PEDs back in 2008 when it came out, you Red Sox fans would still call him a cheater knowing he failed the 03 test. Living up here in Boston, I have learned one thing when it comes to Boston sports fans. If their player is caught cheating, they will deny and make ANY excuse for that player. But if another teams player has cheated, they boo and scream and never let them forget it.

500 HR Ball
 

Here it is...

WOW awesome baseball. I would leave it exactly like it is.

Absolutely!

agreed!!!

What a great, clean example. Absolutely leave it as is. The only possible way way to improve it is to send to Florida and get Ruth and Ott to sign it;)
Drew

I'm no autograph expert but I am a Giants guy and that McCovey looks off. The Williams, too. Is it just me? :confused: