Griffey Jr Retires: Steroid Free Star

[cjclong]

Being honest yes, I had hoped Palmeiro didn't use steroids, and I would suspect to this day his use was marginal. However, there was some evidence he had, before the testing and that came from Canseco. I challenge you to to give ANY evidence beyond your speculation that Griffey did steroids. You say that because some players used it puts all under suspicion. I say its people like you who raise the suspicions by raising the question " I wonder if he used" when there is no evidence he used. The majority of players did not use drugs. And yet you want to raise it about EVERYBODY who played then. Unless you follow a player around 24/7 for their entire sports career you are never going to "know" if they used. So why speculate ?Does it give you some kind of satisfaction? You say Griffey played in the steroid era. That is guilt by association. We live in a country that has a high murder rate and allows gun ownership. So I guess someone from another country would be right in wondering if each of us had ikilled somebody. That is exactly the same logic you are using. Let me ask you point blank, do yiou guestion whether Roger Maris used steroids. They were avaiable then. Do you really wonder if he.did? I'd like an answer because if you do question whether Maris did then I understand your questioning Griffey.

[gameused fan]

First, again, I need to make clear that I'm not saying Griffey took steroids. My whole point was that I cringe when people make the statement that Griffey for sure had a clean career, that there is no chance he ever took a PED despite putting up the best numbers of his career during that era.

I don't want to look at the negative with baseball players, but I just think it's naive that we'd make such a matter of fact statement that any player was for sure clean during the steroid era and that there is NO way this guy or that guy would ever take a PED.

To answer your question, I don't believe Roger Maris took steroids during his career because I don't think it was prevalent then. But you sure as heck won't find me saying that Roger Maris FOR SURE didn't use amphetamines during that time.

It certainly is sad that when it comes to baseball players, specifically those in the steroid era, that people are considered guilty first. It's why some clean players are upset at those who did do them, because it did cast a cloud over everyone. Those are the breaks. That's what the game gets for being filled with steroid abusers and not doing enough to stop it in time.

I guess I'd ask this considering it's a game-used forum: If just one game-used jersey with an MLB authentication sticker was found to be fake, and a story came out in which MLB admitted that a few fake jersey's did get on the market somehow, would you just blindly assume that every jersey after that was for sure real? Or would you question, just a little bit, that maybe it wasn't?

[justinwc80]

gameusedfan,
All of your examples are players that have been named by various people as guilty of using PEDs. This is a big difference between Griffey and them, its a hard secret to keep obviously, even with confidential testing names are leaked out, and not once has someone who had something to gain or want to bring someone down ever mentioned Griffey. I just don't see the argument here.

[gameused fan]

I guess there isn't much left to say. Some on here are convinced that he for sure didn't use PEDs. I'm more on the side that he didn't, as well. But you won't find me willing to say that for certain, because I think it's foolish to just assume at this point with any of the players.

It's as simple as that.

[Mat2786@aol.com]

I'm with gameused fan...But I am more on the side he used steroids. I think he used them as much or more then anybody. His first 4 years in the majors he was a 20+ hr guy.... he avg. a hr per 24.88 at bats in his frst 4 years. The next 4 he avg. a hr per 12 at bats and the next 4 years he avg. a hr per 11.8 at bats. Those eight years were the height of steroid use. Also what does everyone say steroids do??? they break a player down...who broke down more then Griffey?? nobody....I'm with game used fan I am sick and tired of people sayin certain players are steroid free during the steriod era...u showed me his stats with the info above and didn't show me the player I would say he used...and i think he should as well as mcgwire sosa bonds clemens and palmeiro should all be in the hall...every player from that era should be in the hall of fame with an * next to there name...i don't blame a single player for using...i would have used...look at the money they got...they were all great players steriods or not...just my opinion....but don't say a player is steriod free during the steriod era....when u just don't no...i would just talk about how great he was and not bring up steriods at all

Matt

[BradleyERyon]

Come on guys. I could not disagree more with those accusing Griffey. Griffey has given us no reason to suspect him of PED use. If good stats alone are reason enough to suspect a player of PED use then we've got a lot of guys that need to me looked at. I just don't understand the schadenfreude of some folks. For myself, until I see any evidence to the contrary I will consider Griffey a first ballot hall of famer who was one of the best centerfielders in the game's history.

[cjclong]

Gameused, I think we agree and disagree to a certain point. Let me put it this way. I don't THINK Cal Ripken used steroids. Do I KNOW that. Of course not, I didn't follow him around every day while he was playing. I guess the difference between you and me is that if I don't think a player used steroids, and there has never been any real evidence that he did, if someone did a thread saying Ripken was their favorite player and was steroid free I wouldn't feel called on to respond with a" how do you know he didn't post", when I don't think he did and there is no evidence he did. I guess that is the difference.

[3arod13]

I think it's more about that it's possible any player during that era could have, more than it is about accusing them of doing so.

I do agree that if someone says Griffey Jr. used, then proof should be there, vice just giving an opinion.

I honestly didn't think Arod did. Well, SURPRISE!!!

[Jags Fan Dan]

My own opinion is, in this day and age, it's tough to call anybody steroid-free with any certainty. And I must say that Griffey went from 20-30 HRs a year, to nearly 60, back to 40s. And then his body began to break down. So I can definitely see why some people are suspicious of him.

[cjclong]

I guess I tend to subscribe to the legal presumption that a person is innocent until proven guilty. One person points out that Griffey's production peaked at around the time of the steroid era and that he broke down shortly thereafter as some proof he used steroids. The other side of the coin is that his production spiked at about the same age that it has spiked for most power hitters whether they played in 1920, 30, 40, 50, 60, etc. He also broke down as he grew older and some of his injuries were caused by his style of play (breaking a bone on an outfield wall is damn sure not steroid related) plus because he was a more of a natural athete and didn't do stretching exercises, etc. that led to injuries. Also, he was nortorious for not lifitng weights which is usually something those that benefited from steroids did. Since no one has ever made a credible accusation I say as far as we know he didn't and go on. Outside of the fact that there were others who did at that time, and remember, the testing and even Canseco's estimates tend to show the majority of players did not use steriods, there is no evidence he did use other than speculating about factors that are as much proof of non use as they are use. I hope that players like Ripken and Griffey didn't use steroids, as the majority of players during there time didn't, and would be disappointed if they did. I feel that there are some people here who get their pleasure from specualting or trying to prove that everyone used drugs. The facts are whatever they are, but why some people delight in speculation on players using drugs and in some cases accusing them of doing so is beyond me.