If there is proof even solid suspicions that Piazza was involved in PEDs it’s one thing because his name would already have been cast into the mud.

Do I Believe he probably used PEDs? Sure! if 90% of players did then the odds are certainly in the favor of his being a user.
But I can’t indict or punish someone based merely on odds cause as Jessup said if thats what your going to do then no one from that era should get in for the same reason. The odds don’t change for them unless there is even further proof they used them.

Innocent until proven Guilty is the key that makes this country great.

Truth of the matter is since it wasn’t really against the rules at the time it’s almost a stretch to call it cheating at all! If 90% were doing it then those who did were merely playing by the same rules as everyone else.

John Delcos wants to talk about PEDs and says that Hank Aaron is is home run king. The same Hank Aaron who admitted using amphetimines during his playing career? Hey John, do you know what a PED is? Greenies qualify.

And what about other performance enhancers. The big argument writers like to make is how it allows people to work harder and come back from injuries and prolong careers. You know what else prolongs careers, medical advances. In tommy john surgery, they remove a ligament from your leg and put it in your elbow, a stronger ligament then what was naturally in your elbow. While recovery takes a while, most pitchers return from TJ surgery and actually throw harder than before. The surgery both enhanced their performance AND prolonged their careers. Should we start holding them out as well?

Steroids were a part of baseball. Many many players used them. Before the steroids area, players admittedly took greenies even in the dugouts! We can’t cast a pall on this era and pretend that in the 60s and 70s guys were using substances. Its total bs, its shameful. Regardless, to not vote someone in the hall because some asshole journalist who no longer even works for a credible newspaper said piazza has backne is totally bullshit and John Delcos, you should be ashamed of yourself, and ashamed to call yourself a journalist.

The idea that Piazza held back the publication of his book till after the voting because he is going to make a revelation is ludicrous. There is no benefit to doing that. It would make him look arrogant, assuming he is a lock for first-ballot induction. And if he didn’t get in on the first ballot, then there would be no benefit to making a revelation at any time. It would sabotage any attempt to get in on a second or third ballot. If he ever did do steroids, there is no benefit at all to reveal it at any time whatsoever in any form.

Another thing … how can you presume that the HOF has already decided Piazza will go in wearing a Dodgers cap? Have you already spoken to HOF execs who have the power to decide that? I thought that if it were close, the players’ wishes would be weighed heavily. He said he’d like to go in as a Met. And Piazza’s stats were just as impressive with the Mets as they were with the Dodgers.

Also, your assumption that the Mets haven’t lobbied for Piazza because they may know something about PEDs usage is pretty shoddy. I don’t recall teams heavily lobbying for many players in the past, but even if they did, with Piazza what cap he should be wearing is up for debate. So I could see the Mets not wanting to lobby for Piazza only to see him going in with a Dodgers cap. There are enough jokes and criticisms of the Wilpons for their love of the Dodgers that they don’t need yet another reason for fans to bash them should Piazza go in as a Dodger.

So all in all, your thinking on Piazza is incredibly weak and speculative. I certainly hope most writers who have votes have better reasons than you for voting in or not voting in certain players.

And the point above is fair regarding the stadium however Biggio’s HR production increased in to 20+ in 1993 and stayed pretty consistent for 7 years before they moved to Enron Field (now Minute Maid)

So I can’t really use the field as an excuse.

And I am not saying he took anything. I don’t know – but there is an argument to be made for it and if that is enough to keep Piazza out then it should be enough to keep others out.

http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports_hardball/2009/06/sosa-reportedly-tested-positive-in-03.html

So much for Sammy Sosa having kept his alleged use of steroids at arm’s length.

The New York Times is reporting that Sosa was among the group of 104 big-leaguers who tested positive in 2003, when the union agreed to supposedly anonymous, “survey testing” to determine if use was widespread enough to trigger a random testing policy. These were the same tests that Alex Rodriguez infamously tested positive for, according to his admission after a report from Sports Illustrated.

I couldn’t agree with you more and I love your McCarthy reference (the peed in the pool one too).

For me personally I would vote for Piazza not for Biggio (I just don’t feel he’s a first ballot HOFer) I would NOT vote for Bonds, Sosa, McGuire, Palmero or Sosa. The numbers for each of these players SCREAMS first ballot HOF but the reason I would leave them off is NOT because they took steriods, I would absolutely vote for Alex Rodriguez (and I can’t stand him). I would NOT vote for them for the FACT that they made a mockery out of deceiving the public on the matter. At least ARod came clean.

The league DEF tried everything possible to make the game more exciting

http://deadspin.com/5937432/was-mlbs-juiced-era-actually-a-juiced+ball-era

During the steroid era, a player age 22-31 hit a career 116 Homeruns. Then from age 35-41 they hit 131 HR.

So Biggio suddenly got more powerful in his final years without any help?

Why isn’t that a red flag for voters? If Biggio was less liked by writers, it would be. Keeping Piazza out due to suspicion with no evidence but voting Biggio IN is a copout.

Can you tell me with 100% certainty that Craig Biggio never took a thing?

Ages 22-26 .274/.350/.370/.720 6HR 38RBI
Ages 27-31 .300/.398/.470/.868 17HR 71RBI

His power numbers dramatically increased as he got older during the steroid era. Why isn’t that red flag for voters but Piazza is?

I’m not saying Biggio took anything, I have no idea – which is why I’d never keep him from the HoF.

You are basically asking him to give a statement that he does not, or has never used PED’s. Substitute “been a Communist” for “used PED’s:, and it sounds a lot like what Joe McCarthy wanted from a lot of people to keep them off of another blacklist.

Moral: You shouldn’t penalize everyone who swam in the pool when you don’t know who peed in it.