Catch the stream of Bag's press conference here: http://www.khou.com/news/khou-11-breaking-news/94482994 Edit: funniest part of the press conference was Baggy describing his dad's hatred for MLB Network.
hate watching baggy get tarnished like this. really irks me. good explanation for the strawman argument re baggy's minors, below. (https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/...ack-college/Xf6vMYy6LQS37mzozT4aOP/story.html) http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...rry-bonds-roger-clemens-hall-ped-users-get-in Frank Thomas: Include Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens in Hall if PED users get in CHICAGO -- The way Hall of Famer Frank Thomas sees it, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens might as well be enshrined if players linked to performance-enhancing drugs are getting elected. The Big Hurt, a longtime critic of players using PEDs, spoke out again during the Chicago White Sox's annual fan convention Saturday. "They should be in now, as far as I'm concerned," Thomas said. "They've let a few people in already we all know. It's uncomfortable at this point. I'm sure this year's going to be uncomfortable because we've got two great players going in, but they know. It's no secret. If they didn't do it, they would be stomping and kicking and in interviews saying, 'I didn't do it.'" Bonds and Clemens, whose careers were tainted by allegations of steroid use, were passed over for the fifth straight year by the Baseball Writers' Association of America in voting announced a week and a half ago. But both received a majority of votes for the first time and could be in position to get elected in the next few years. Ivan Rodriguez and Jeff Bagwell did get in despite allegations of PED use, along with Tim Raines, Thomas' teammate with the White Sox. Jose Canseco wrote in a 2005 book that he showed Rodriguez how to inject steroids. Bagwell has faced speculation that he used PEDs mainly because he went from hitting six home runs in two minor league seasons to 449 with the Houston Astros from 1991 to 2005. Raines used cocaine. But while Thomas was thrilled to see him get elected, he doesn't really think players who used performance-enhancing drugs belong. "Not happy at all," Thomas said to a round of applause from fans. "Some of these guys were great players, but they wouldn't have been great players without drugs. ... I don't mind these guys doing what they want to do for their families and make their money. But don't come calling to the Hall of Fame and say, 'I'm supposed to be in the Hall of Fame,' when you know you cheated." He said if those players are going to get in, then Bonds, Clemens and Sammy Sosa should be enshrined, too -- in a wing devoted to PED use. Otherwise, keep them all out. "Some of these guys were great players, but they wouldn't have been great players without drugs. ... I don't mind these guys doing what they want to do for their families and make their money. But don't come calling to the Hall of Fame and say, 'I'm supposed to be in the Hall of Fame,' when you know you cheated." Frank Thomas, on suspected PED users being named to the Hall of Fame Thomas said other Hall of Famers feel the same way. "Trust me, there's a lot of internal talk going on," he said. "A lot of guys that I respect that are real, true Hall of Famers, all they have is their legacy. They didn't make this kind of money. ... They're not happy about this at all." Thomas, a two-time MVP with the White Sox who hit 521 homers in a career that spanned from 1990 to 2008, was inducted in 2014. He spoke out against PED use during his career and lost friendships as a result, though he did acknowledge using amphetamines known as "greenies" for an energy boost early in his career. "There are some days that you just don't have energy to do anything," Thomas said. "It's seven days a week. It's a grind. You're flying all times of the night. We didn't have the restrictions they got now. We used to get into cities at 5:30, 6 in the morning, we'd have a day game. When I first came up -- they kind of cleaned up as I got older in the league -- it was rough travel. It gave you a lot more energy." Thomas also said all-time hits leader and fellow Fox Sports analyst Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame as well as Fred McGriff. Rose has never appeared on the ballot because of a lifetime ban following an investigation into his gambling. "I think in this society, everybody deserves a second chance," Thomas said of Rose. "If you're gonna let the PED guys in, he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame."
F$&K Frank Thomas!!! He must have used PED's as well as I just looked up his minor league stats and he only hit 10 hrs in 480 abs (144 gms) his first yr in the minors.
I would like to think the article threw in Bagwell on their own and that Thomas was referring to Pudge.
It seems ironic coming from a dude, Mr. Thomas, who is in a commericial every ten seconds for a substance that contains and is in fact a testosterone booster. This is the grand slam of hypocrisy.
I'm hoping for that as well. But Thomas saying "I'm sure this year's going to be uncomfortable because we've got two great players going in, but they know. It's no secret. If they didn't do it..." makes me think he is referring to Pudge and Bagwell, because Piazza is already in.
Thomas can f&$k himself. Do we have a record of any players definitively saying they saw Bagwell use? His name was never in a report that I know of either. Getting bigger is hardly proof of anything and going back to minor league numbers is completely stupid. It would not shock me at all to find proof that any of these guys of the era used, but it makes no sense to point fingers with a complete lack of evidence.
Because he spoke out in a SI article. Of course Palmeiro came out of that Congressional hearing looking so good.
So not only is Frank Thomas a lesser player than Jeff Bagwell, he's also a hypocrite and a dumbass. "Nobody who used drugs should get in the hall of fame! Oh, by the way, I used greenies. And so did half the rest of the damn hall of fame. But those other guys are cheaters!" Hypocrite. Dumbass. Fat, no-defense, no-baserunning, one-tool tub of lard. How that POS was ever a "1st ballot" HOF is beyond me.
He only did it because of the challenging grind that is baseball. He really put his body out there physically exerting himself during those 4 ABs.
Anyone here going? We leave tomorrow morning: Newark to Hudson Park tomorrow (FDR museum!!...........) and then roll into Cooperstown Saturday morning to get my baseball nerd on.
