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By Anthony Mccarron
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Updated Saturday, February 14th 2009, 6:58 PM
The names are so big in baseball's worst scandal since the 1919 Black Sox that the fallout from the Steroid Era will reverberate through the quiet streets of Cooperstown, N.Y. Perhaps it will form a barrier to the Baseball Hall of Fame for a handful of players, and instead of what seemed certain enshrinement, players such as Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, Gary Sheffield and Ivan Rodriguez may find themselves in a decidedly less coveted club:
The New Eight Men Out.
Each player on the Daily News' not-so-great Eight is tainted by drugs, whether by admission, accusation, suspicion or a failed test. Each may find it difficult to get the required 75% vote of the Baseball Writers Association of America to get into Cooperstown, though most would be cinches for election if there were no drug cloud.
For as much outrage as these cases have ignited, there's still murkiness for voters, especially with players who haven't failed a drug test.
One voter, freelancer Gerry Fraley, says he will not necessarily disqualify "juicers," and Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe adds, "Who am I to judge that Mark McGwire was any more or less of a cheater than (spitballer) Gaylord Perry?"
But there are some who see less of a gray area in the decision. "I don't know that I would ever vote for anybody who has tested positive for steroids," says Jim Salisbury, a Hall voter from the Philadelphia Inquirer.
"If (Pete) Rose were on the ballot, I'd vote for him, but he's not on the ballot," says Massarotti. "So we don't have a choice. Baseball took that out of our hands. If baseball feels strongly about any of these guys, they should take them off the ballot. It's their game, not ours."
Here's a look at the New Eight Men Out. In or out? If it were up to Hall of Famer Goose Gossage, "I don't see how any of them have a prayer of getting in," he says.
Alex Rodriguez
Before Rodriguez last week admitted use of performance-enhancing drugs, everyone from Bud Selig to Joe Fan wanted A-Rod to break Bonds' home run record so someone who at least had the appearance of being clean could hold the biggest mark in the sport. Now, Rodriguez's countdown to 763 is not much different than Bonds' scorn-filled pursuit of Hank Aaron's mark was.
"The only reason he admitted to it is that he got caught. So he'll be rewarded?" Gossage says. "I don't understand why Alex Rodriguez even needed it. It's just such a shame. I mean, how great do you want to be? Is greatness not enough?"
Rest of the article 3 more pages.
The News examines the Hall of Fame chances for MLB's new 'Eight Men Out'
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Updated Saturday, February 14th 2009, 6:58 PM
The names are so big in baseball's worst scandal since the 1919 Black Sox that the fallout from the Steroid Era will reverberate through the quiet streets of Cooperstown, N.Y. Perhaps it will form a barrier to the Baseball Hall of Fame for a handful of players, and instead of what seemed certain enshrinement, players such as Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, Gary Sheffield and Ivan Rodriguez may find themselves in a decidedly less coveted club:
The New Eight Men Out.
Each player on the Daily News' not-so-great Eight is tainted by drugs, whether by admission, accusation, suspicion or a failed test. Each may find it difficult to get the required 75% vote of the Baseball Writers Association of America to get into Cooperstown, though most would be cinches for election if there were no drug cloud.
For as much outrage as these cases have ignited, there's still murkiness for voters, especially with players who haven't failed a drug test.
One voter, freelancer Gerry Fraley, says he will not necessarily disqualify "juicers," and Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe adds, "Who am I to judge that Mark McGwire was any more or less of a cheater than (spitballer) Gaylord Perry?"
But there are some who see less of a gray area in the decision. "I don't know that I would ever vote for anybody who has tested positive for steroids," says Jim Salisbury, a Hall voter from the Philadelphia Inquirer.
"If (Pete) Rose were on the ballot, I'd vote for him, but he's not on the ballot," says Massarotti. "So we don't have a choice. Baseball took that out of our hands. If baseball feels strongly about any of these guys, they should take them off the ballot. It's their game, not ours."
Here's a look at the New Eight Men Out. In or out? If it were up to Hall of Famer Goose Gossage, "I don't see how any of them have a prayer of getting in," he says.
Alex Rodriguez
Before Rodriguez last week admitted use of performance-enhancing drugs, everyone from Bud Selig to Joe Fan wanted A-Rod to break Bonds' home run record so someone who at least had the appearance of being clean could hold the biggest mark in the sport. Now, Rodriguez's countdown to 763 is not much different than Bonds' scorn-filled pursuit of Hank Aaron's mark was.
"The only reason he admitted to it is that he got caught. So he'll be rewarded?" Gossage says. "I don't understand why Alex Rodriguez even needed it. It's just such a shame. I mean, how great do you want to be? Is greatness not enough?"
Rest of the article 3 more pages.
The News examines the Hall of Fame chances for MLB's new 'Eight Men Out'
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