POLL: IN or OUT: YES or NO

[brian1961]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Brian how do you feel about Gaylord Perry?

Or Whitey Ford who was notorious for scuffing baseballs?

Suppose Aaron and Mays and Schmidt took greenies after taking them without a script became a federal crime? Your thoughts on that?

Another issue I have with the steroid /HGH disqualification is that it is inevitable guys who used are going to be voted in because they were more discreet, or perhaps better liked so trainers and such didn't rat them out. I would bet anything it's happened several times already if not more.

PETER, SORRY FOR THE DELAYED REPLY. I WANTED TIME TO THINK.

A BIG PART OF BASEBALL IS SHEER ENTERTAINMENT, AND I SUPPOSE FOR THAT REASON, GAYLORD PERRY AND HIS WET ANTICS NEVER BOTHERED ME. THE FANS JUST SEEMED TO HAVE A BIG KICK OUT OF PERRY MAKING MOST OF THE BATTERS LOOK BAD.

TO ME AT LEAST, IT WAS LIKE "4 AGAINST ONE IN DODGEBALL"; GAYLORD HAD FOUR UMPIRES WITH THE UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL CHANCE TO NAIL 'EM, AND THEY NEVER DID. THE MAN HAD A WHOLE LOT MORE IN HIS REPERTOIRE GOING FOR HIM, THAN JUST THE GOOBER BALL. AT SOME POINT, THE PSYCHOLOGICAL TORMENT OF THE THOUGHT OF GAYLORD USING HIS TRICK PITCH MUST HAVE HAD AN EFFECT UPON THE BATTERS.

FURTHERMORE, THE WAY HE SEEMED TO COME BACK FROM THE DEAD SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE COURSE OF HIS CAREER. HE WAS GETTING ALONG SO-SO WITH THE GIANTS FOR SEVERAL YEARS UNTIL BREAKING OUT BIG IN 1966. AFTER SEVERAL GOOD YEARS, DOWN HE WENT. THEN, GOING TO CLEVELAND, HE WAS ON TOP AGAIN, HAVING A WHALE OF A '74 UNTIL SOMETHING SET HIM BACK LATE IN THE SEASON. AFTER A DOWNWARD TREND, HE WINDS UP IN SAN DIEGO, AND THEN BLOSSOMS YET AGAIN. PERRY WAS AMAZING.

WHITEY FORD AND ELSTON HOWARD WERE CRAFTY; NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. I GUESS IT WAS CHEATING, TO AN EXTENT. BUT THEN I FOUND THIS BIT ON PRE-WAR GREAT, ROGERS HORNSBY. HE WROTE AN ARTICLE ENTITLED, "YOU'VE GOT TO CHEAT TO WIN". AMONG THE WORDS ROGERS WROTE WERE THESE,

"WHEN I PLAYED SECOND BASE, I USED TO TRIP, KICK, ELBOW, OR SPIKE ANYONE I COULD."

HAROLD FRIEND, WHO WROTE THE PIECE ON GAYLORD PERRY AS A CHEATER, AND FOUND THE ARTICLE BY HORNSBY, AND QUOTED THE ABOVE, MADE THE FOLLOWING COMMENT AFTER ROGERS' ADMISSION: "HE IS NOT ALONE."

GOING BACK TO THE OP, TO WRAP THIS UP. I USED THIS PRIME EXAMPLE IN MY BOOK, NEVER CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN, ON THE STEROID USERS. I BELIEVE WHAT REALLY GOT ATHLETES THINKING ABOUT DOING THEM WORLDWIDE WAS "BIG BEN" JOHNSON, THE CANADIAN SPRINTER, IN THE 1988 OLYMPICS. I SAW THEM ON TV. BEN JOHNSON WAS A STREAMLINED HERCULES. I HAD NEVER SEEN SUCH A MUSCULAR SPRINTER. HE PUT OUR CARL LEWIS AWAY WITH EASE IN THE 100 METERS FINAL, SETTING A WORLD RECORD. HOWEVER, WHEN TEST TIME CAME AFTERWARDS, HE TESTED VERY POSITIVE. HIS GOLD MEDAL WAS STRIPPED, AND HE WAS SENT BACK TO CANADA IN DISGRACE.

TO TRY TO BE SUCCINCT, BASEBALL BECOMES A GAME OF GAUDY NUMBERS. BIG MAC, BARRY BONDS, AND I AM RATHER CERTAIN SAMMY SOSA (AND OTHERS) TAINTED, TARNISHED, AND BLEW AWAY THE HALLOWED NUMBERS OF BASEBALL'S GREATS. THEY DID SO WITH STEROIDS, PERIOD. THIS KIND OF CHEATING IS A CONSTANT SUPER VA-VOOM TO WHAT ABILITY THOSE DUDES ALREADY HAD. YOU CANNOT COMPARE WHAT THOSE DIRTY CHEATING RATS DID TO PERRY'S SOMETIME SLOBBER BALL, OR ELLIE'S SCUFFING UP A BALL SO FORD WOULD MAKE IT DO A DIPSIE-DOODLE TO THE BATTER. AGAIN, IF THE UMPIRES SAW ELLIE OR WHITEY OBVIOUSLY DO IT, THEY WOULD HAVE GIVEN THEM A WET ONE---TO THE SHOWERS!

WHEREAS, WITH SAY BIG MAC, HE SAYS RIGHT BEFORE '98 THAT HE'S GOING FOR MARIS'S RECORD, AND FIRST GAME, HE HITS A TOWERING BLAST THAT LEAVES EVERYBODY SHAKEN, AND HE'S ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE USA TODAY SPORTS SECTION. I WAS NOT FOLLOWING BASEBALL, BUT EVEN I NOTICED IN THE PHOTO HOW MARK NOW LOOKED LIKE HERCULES. I READ THE ARTICLE. SAID HE WAS TAKING SOMETHING FOR HIS AILING BACK. THAT STUCK IN MY MIND, POSITIVELY AT FIRST. EVENTUALLY, I BECAME POSITIVE THAT WHATEVER HE WAS TAKING FOR HIS BAD BACK WAS NOT ONLY HELPING HIS BACK, BUT HELPING HIS ENTIRE BODY, GIVING HIM SUPER STRENGTH. INSTEAD OF ALL THOSE FLY OUTS, THERE WERE ALL THESE "SEE YAs".

IT JUST WAS NOT RIGHT.

BARRY SAW ALL THIS, AND WHAT IT DID FOR BIG MAC AND SLAMMIN SAMMY, AND DECIDED, "HEY, I'M GONNA GET SOME OF THAT, TOO!"

HE DID.

THE REST IS HISTORY, EXCEPT FOR THE HORROR STORIES THAT CONTINUE TO COME OUT ABOUT THE YOUTH WHO ALSO WATCHED WITH INTRIGUE AND INTEREST, AND DECIDED THEY WERE GOING TO GET SOME "STUFF" TO MAKE THEM GROW BIGGER AND STRONGER, TOO.

GAYLORD, ELSTON, AND WHITEY WERE PLAYING PATTYCAKE, COMPARED TO MARK MCGWIRE, SAMMY SOSA, BARRY BONDS, AND ROGER CLEMONS (AMONG OTHERS).

I AM CERTAIN I WON'T CONVINCE YOU, BUT YOU ASKED A GOOD QUESTION.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, MY FELLOW COLLECTOR. TAKE CARE. ---BRIAN POWELL