The steroid issue is much tougher to deal with imo. While i personally think that until evidence can be shown that Rose threw games, he should be allowed; with Steroids it's not exactly clear who did and didn't take them and what effect they took from them. I mean what if Clemens, Sosa, Mcgwire, Bonds, etc are banned and a few elite players like Griffey Jr, Maddux, R.Johnson, etc make it simply because they were never caught? Just to clarify i'm not accusing any of those guys, it's just difficult to be sure with how messed up that era was.
Also with Bonds in particular it's even more difficult because he was on his way to a HOF career before he started juicing. From all accounts i've read Bonds started around 98, without the roids he obviously wouldn't have set the single season or all time HR records, or have beat Babe Ruths single season Slugging % record. Still he was hitting 30 HR's and Stealing 30 Bases every year before he started using Steroids.
This is just my opinion and i know most will disagree with it, but i think these guys should be personally punished; as in charges brought against them if warrented and a lifetime ban from Baseball, but a Hall of Fame without Rose, Bonds and Clemens just seems weird. Mcgwire can stay out he pretty much admitted to taking them his full career and Power Hitting seemed to be pretty much all he done.
I agree with this, and many are being punished because they were part of the era. That era is a big mess, and who knows if any mentioned above will be in. Unless of course somebody already in Cooperstown took them (I believe there were rumors or speculation about Henderson).
Also, I believe that Bud Selig should be banned from Cooperstown as well.
Agreed with everything you said here. I'd never heard of the Henderson rumours, i really hope that's all they were, rumours. The biggest problem that era has caused is the questioning of every single player practically. Another player i've read rumours about is Nolan Ryan, mostly stemming from his unusally long career as a pitcher (or in general) and his post 40 success. Hendersons Base Stealing records may have also have called him into question, unless there's more to it?
I thought that Canseco said something around the time Henderson was being inducted. But, I did find this interesting report. Does not say or speculate which player though. I honestly would think it would be a teammate of Canesco.
