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Yes

17 (56.7%)

No

13 (43.3%)

Total Members Voted: 29

[Niles]

Bonds won't get an asterisk, but he probably won't have the record long. If Alex Rodriguez stays healthy, he will almost certainly break the record

[nerd]

The problem with letting them use whatever is that it diminishes the records that were set before and also sets a horrible example for kids who look up to these athletes. A pro athlete might make the choice to shave 10 years off their lives by using these drugs, but they influence other lives when they make that choice.

I don't think it is an athlete's responsibility to worry about how he is influencing the lives of others.  I don't think anyone expects them to.  There is a long list of professional athletes who were paid quite a bit of money even though they were horrible role models.  The ones I think of immediately are Roberto Alomar and Dennis Rodman for the way they mistreated the officials in their sports.  Yet fans continued to support the teams they were on and there was never enough pressure from the people paying their salaries (ultimately the fans of their teams) to get them sacked.  This implies to me that the fans really didn't care all that much.

If the professional sporting leagues want to stop substances that is fine I suppose since they should be in control of their own groups.  Up to this point I don't think they have really cared.  They say they do but I think they are more interested in having great performances to make more money.

[Niles]

Exactly Nerd, the home run chases of Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Bonds made money for baseball, so the powers that be turned their heads. That doesn't make it right. As a matter of fact, it makes it even more revolting. They traded the health of their players (and perhaps young athletes who look up to these guys) for a few dollars.

[Niles]

The bottom line to this discussion is whether or not Barry Bonds belongs in the Hall of Fame, so I have added a poll asking that quesiton.
Personally, I voted yes because I believe he had Hall of Fame talent with or without steroids. He certainly does not have a Hall of Fame personality or Hall of Fame ethics.

[sometimes-the-truth-hurts]

Hall of Fame??? NO............Hall of SHAME-Without a doubt.

[PrincessAmy]

It's a shame to me that Barry Bonds will be considered for the Hall of Fame, and he's cheated by using illegal substances to bulk up..but Pete Rose, who bet on baseball, but has never been proven to affect a game himself, has not.

With all that's going on with the wrestling community and the steroid issues, and the BALCO investigatinos still ongoing, this is a shame. Definately should be passed on to our children that bigger isn't always better!

[Semper Fi]

Niles,

The home run mark is tainted because of the steroids. Even without the steroids the feat is tainted to an extent because of the following.

The ball fields are shorter in todays game. If the fences are to deep, the players whine until the owners bring the fences in.

Nowadays the pitcher has to throw the ball right down the middle of the plate for a strike. The hitter just has to dig in with no fear and hit his pitch. Bob Gibson and Sandy Koufax could throw nipple, low, and batters box strikes. I think Ted Williams would hit .500 today.

The mound is also lowered


What do you think?

I do think Bonds should be in the hall of fame, but not on the first ballot

[Niles]

I do think Bonds should be in the hall of fame, but not on the first ballot

That might be the best solution, Semper Fi.
Put Bonds into the Hall of Fame, but voice displeasure over the steroid mess by denying him first-ballot honors.
As for Rose, his situation is different. He violated baseball's cardinal rule which had been set in stone since the 1919 Black Sox Scandal: Ye Shall Not Bet On Baseball. Every player knows the rule. Rose can not claim ignorance on this one.
Shoeless Joe Jackson still is banned despite a .356 career average and a .375 mark in the World Series that he supposedly threw.

[the nosh]

as we all know...contracts and rules are made to be broken in sports!

rose should be in the hall of fame!

[Niles]

Hmmmmm.... Rose in the Hall of Fame. That opens up another whole can of worms.
I say no on that one. Yes, he did set the hit record, but I can't get past the gambling thing. Besides, as someone pointed out in the Ruth-Aaron situation, Rose had far more at-bats (14,053-11,434) than Cobb.

[Will Sweat]

Tainted?  Sure, because Bonds (like Sosa) have not been given the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. 

Worthy of the HOF?  Sure, he is a terrific ball player that if he wore an old English "D" many of us would be cheering for. 

Bond's problem - he's not a very nice guy.  He has a reputation as being selfish.  He got freakishly big (unless you are from a former Soviet Bloc country) only after the age of 30. 

Nerd wrote:

I don't think it is an athlete's responsibility to worry about how he is influencing the lives of others.

I think all of us have a responsibility to worry about how actions effect the lives of others.  If you get a chance watch the movie "Pay if Forward". 

[Niles]

You're right, Will.... pro athletes might not like it, but they are role models. It's part of the job and they should take the responsibility seriously.

[caspar]

Niles,

I agree that Bonds' home run mark is tainted(steroids, dimensions, strike zone, mound).

I agree he should be a second ballot hall of famer due to the steroid issue. He is a great ball player.

The Babe is the real home run king. He had the fewest at bats and played in a huge ballpark.The strike zones were bigger and there wasn't a juiced up ball either.

Rose should not be in the hall of fame. The best way to punish him is to continue to keep him out of baseball(coaching, scouting, etc.). He loves being in the spot light.

[the nosh]

sorry niles and caspar...i still believe that pete should be in the hall of fame! not that i was a big fan of the reds back then...but...its how you played the game and your input to the game itself. no one since cobb probably played like rose did. he was there to win!!

im sure others before and after have bet on sports and didnt get caught...how rose lied about it etc etc was surely not the correct way to go about it but that still cant take away his efforts and output on the field. im sure in the seventies if they could have drug tested for pot...a major majority would have been guilty! would all of them not been eligible for the hall??? after all...they were breaking a federal law.

my dad always told me...hustle on the field at all times...and if i didnt...i heard about it!! lol hustle was petes middle name...i see some of pete in granderson. dont you?

[Greg Chamberlain]

Bonds doesn't deserve to be in baseball much less the hall of fame. Oh and while we're on the subject, Sammy Sosa is full of crap too. OH He only uses corked bats during practice, OH it was an accident he used one in a game. Please.