Was PUD GALVIN The First Doper?

[piecesofthegame]

Came across this USA Today article this morning, needless to say it got my attention. It’s not every day you see an article with PUD GALVIN in the title. Found it an amusing account!

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...d/70610061007/

[Seven]

Originally Posted by piecesofthegame

Came across this USA Today article this morning, needless to say it got my attention. It’s not every day you see an article with PUD GALVIN in the title. Found it an amusing account!

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...d/70610061007/

The story of Pud Galvin is widely known by many who study the history of our game. If we're being honest, doping of any kind has been going on since the sport began. Whether it was players like Galvin or Ruth getting injected with animal testosterone, Mantle paying money to visit "Dr. Feelgood" to inject him with something that led to an infection later on, or the copious amount of players that popped Greenies liked candy in order to be on high alert and ready to hit/pitch anything. Doping in our sport has been around for a long time. It's only been recent, when the players from the steroid era truly became stigmatized for doing something.

[bnorth]

The 2 main things that amaze me about PEDs are how people think their favorite player(s) was clean. Also the silly steroid era thing. PEDS were used for decades before then and are still being used today, there was no era.

[JustinD]

Originally Posted by bnorth

The 2 main things that amaze me about PEDs are how people think their favorite player(s) was clean. Also the silly steroid era thing. PEDS were used for decades before then and are still being used today, there was no era.

It's always just us two that get yelled at for this, lol.

[Seven]

Originally Posted by JustinD

It's always just us two that get yelled at for this, lol.

I'm firmly in that camp as well. Make it three of us!

[Brick442]

I never understood why modern fans do not realize that cheating has been around forever. Wasn't there an early 1900s American League team that hid a concrete pad in front of home plate in order to hit "Baltimore Chops"? You never hear anything about Gaylord Perry and other spitballers. Tom House's (I believe it was him) allegations that the 70s Braves were juicing (Hank Aaron, Davy Johnson) were swept under the rug or ignored.

I not saying steroids are okay, but they were not illegal in baseball at the time. Heck, for some of the foreign players, they weren't even illegal in their home countries.

[Smarti5051]

Originally Posted by Seven

I'm firmly in that camp as well. Make it three of us!

I feel like I have spent 20 years being gaslit on the PED controversy. The general assumption by most folks arguing that PED users should be forever stained is that if the Mitchell report and/or media did not specifically call you out as a PED user, you are clean. In both cases, the only PED users discovered typically fall into three categories: (1) the player was unpopular or not generous to the press; (2) the player refused to give into blackmail from trainers/others with knowledge of their use; and/or (3) players outed by others that were against the wall and had to give some names to reduce their own liability.

To suggest that most PED users have been exposed is like suggesting "most" tax evaders have been outed by the IRS and press. It defies common sense.

[JustinD]

Originally Posted by Seven

The story of Pud Galvin is widely known by many who study the history of our game. If we're being honest, doping of any kind has been going on since the sport began. Whether it was players like Galvin or Ruth getting injected with animal testosterone, Mantle paying money to visit "Dr. Feelgood" to inject him with something that led to an infection later on, or the copious amount of players that popped Greenies liked candy in order to be on high alert and ready to hit/pitch anything. Doping in our sport has been around for a long time. It's only been recent, when the players from the steroid era truly became stigmatized for doing something.

Could not be summed up better.

It's a fact of life that people in all sports push to be the best in their game. Galvin was very open about his experiences and ideas. The naysayers will tell you it was unlikely to work, but intent is the crime...so yes Galvin was the first open steroid user in the hall.

As mentioned earlier, Mantle lost the 61' home run race due to a poorly placed steroid/speed/vitamin concoction by the same Dr. Feelgood that was doping JFK. The needle pierced his bone and caused an infection that kept him out.

Lyle Alzado was admittedly stacking tons of pure decabolin steroids while in college. If real steroids were available to college kids in 1967 -1970 at Yankton College, can any logical sense believe that professional players were not fully using?

It rankles the feathers of all the purist dreamers, but the "steroid era" was a complete and utter myth. It should be called the "we finally started testing era"

Sorry to tarnish the silver claret, but this is why the self-righteous anti-hof stands don't fly in my mind. I am sure someone will take offense, but the facts and evidence are all there.

To be honest, I don't care either. We will always be looking for these items and it will always take time to develop something to find it.

[Casey2296]

-
Every thread needs a card
-