Stan Musial was indeed a gentleman by all accounts. When one has to look hard to find a bad word about him in today’s age of the internet – and come up empty – it says an awful lot about the individual.

I am also glad you brought up the subject of Joe DiMaggio because he is so opposite the persona that the fans made of him. One could say neither was the Mick, however, with Mantle he did not go out of his way to foster a false image about himself – DiMaggio, on the other hand, did that with a passion. I too heard that story about the fan being told that a cancelled check was the only way he would give him an autograph. DiMaggio did everything he could to make Mantle uncomfortable. In fact, I’ve been told that when Mantle injured his knee in the ’51 world series and lying down in pain, DiMaggio was nowhere to be seen. What leadership.

But getting back to the “man”, as much as a gentleman he truly was, I would hesitate to conclude how any one player in the past would conduct himself in today’s time. I don’t mean by not being any less the gentleman but that things being different in today’s business world where there is less room for sentimentality on either side. Today, general managers like Sandy Alderson say they have to keep away from developing personal relationships with the players. Cordial ones, yes, but not personal. They separate the employee from the employer with the front office not having the same interaction with the players like they did then when baseball was run more as a mom and pop business and the reserve clause did bind many closer together.

So I’m glad Stan was from a different era because he deserved to be a part of “when it was a game” instead of today when everything is seen in terms of business. For myself, I wouldn’t want to be a part of that era for many reasons, one because those times created the need to honor one today with a rotunda in tribute for the courage he displayed – I’m sure the late Jackie Robinson would have traded all the honors bestowed on him for just having the simple opportunity of having been allowed to be judged as a man in his younger days.

As well as AP took offense to billboards being posted calling him El Hombre

“While spending 11 seasons in St. Louis, Pujols developed a friendship with Cardinal legend Stan “The Man” Musial. Pujols often pleaded St. Louis fans and media to stop referring to him as “El Hombre” to respect Stan Musial’s nickname and it appears Pujols demands the same in Los Angeles.”

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1077515-los-angeles-angels-albert-pujols-is-not-the-man

I believe only Andro was at one point not banned by either federal law or baseball — at the time a can of it was seen in McGwire’s locker. Only later did federal law regulate andro.

As for HGH, the biggest problem testing for it has been the lack of a viable test. Even today, the test they have can only detect HGH taken within a few days the HGH was used.

And isnt it ironic, that now, over a decade after much of this came out, is baseball only implementing testing for HGH.

Yes, I am becoming my father.

http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2013-01-31/news/a-rod-and-doping-a-miami-clinic-supplies-drugs-to-sports-biggest-names/

Gio’s name being on the list could have huge ramifications because players can be suspended if allegations check out. You do not need a test to suspend.

This could be taken as a slap against Pujols.

It was also revealed later on that Sosa was on the list of 104 players who came up dirty in the survey testing MLB did for steroids in 2003.

When it comes to steroids, I give every player the benefit of the doubt, unless there is substantive evidence or allegations of first-hand knowledge to the contrary. So Thomas in my book is clean. Hopefully he and others like Piazza will get a fair shake from the HOF voters next winter.