Random Thoughts

• Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim recently lashed out at reporters for calling senior star Gerry McNamara overrated during the Big East tournament.  Good to see he’s focused on the right things.
• Heading into conference tournament play, GW was ranked number 6 in the nation despite not beating anyone impressive all season.  They then lost their first round game to Temple. 
• A recent Sports Illustrated article put the US chances of winning the World Baseball Classic at 6-5 and the Dominican Republic’s at even.  While these are the two best teams in the tournament, it is far from a lock that one of them is going to win.  The semi-finals and finals are both one game series, and baseball can be a crapshoot.
• I used to hope that the Knicks would win a title at some point in my lifetime.  Now, I would settle for another playoff appearance.
• Today, the lead story on ESPN.com was that Barry Bonds struck out in his first Spring Training at bat.  Are you kidding me?  Are we going to have to deal with this all season?

Is Bonds still HOF material?

Hall of fame voters have never had to deal with anything as subjective or confusing as the steroid era.  It has been brought to the forefront recently with this book about Bonds being published.  If this book is enough to convince Hall of Fame voters that Bonds definately took steroids for an extended periods of time, will it be enough to keep one of the best players ever out of Cooperstown?

 

The simple answer is yes.  He cheated, and shouldn’t be rewarded for accomplishments he achieved while cheating (although even before 1998, he was already HOF bound).  Pete Rose isn’t in the Hall because he cheated, and what he did wasn’t close to as bad as using steroids.   Pete Rose’s accomplishments are not at all tainted.

 

If you do factor in steroids when voting for the HOF, it definately keeps Palmiero out and could keep Bonds out (although his dominance and place in history might get him in anyway).  It gets real dicey with players like Sosa, McGuire and Pudge.   Most people think Sosa and Big Mac took them, and some suspect Pudge, but there has never been a “smoking gun.”  Can you keep someone out of the Hall based on speculation?  How about Sheffield, who admitted to unknowningly using a steroid?  Although it’s unlikely, what if Giambi were to have a career resurgence and play his way into HOF consideration.  Would he be ineligible for Cooperstown for juicing early in his career?

 

As ugly as it has been in recent years, in 4-5 years when these players start becoming eligible for the Hall it could get uglier than the McCarthy hearings.