An apparently popular source of “news” for sports writers seems to be interviewing retired Major League Baseball players and asking for their thoughts on the sport’s “steroid era”. The money question is whether or not baseball players linked to anabolic steroids should be allowed into the Hall of Fame. Reggie Jackson, Goose Gossage, Mike Piazza (if his wife is to be believed), Dave Henderson, George Brett, Curt Schilling and Morgan Ensberg have been vocal in their opposition to anabolic steroids. Now, a local CBS radio station decided to obtain the opinion of Wade Boggs.
Wade Boggs played professional baseball for eighteen years spending most of his time with the Boston Red Sox. However, he also won his only World Series ring while playing with the New York Yankees.
Boggs was asked whether steroid users should be inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame by Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton on the “Boomer and Carton in the Morning” sports talk radio program on WFAN in New York City.
“No. No. Absolutely not,” said Boggs. “It’s a bad message that we’re sending to the youth of America… Don’t let one guy get in the Hall of Fame and stand up on the podium in front of 30,000 people and say, ‘I’m the greatest player and I’m with all of these legends because I did steroids. That’s a huge message to send to the youth of the world.”
However, when Boggs was asked about former New York Yankees pitching legend Roger Clemens, Boggs clammed up and refused to say anything negative about the recently-acquitted Clemens.
Clemens was the subject of a federal government investigation that he lied to Congress about his use of anabolic steroids and human growth hormone (hGH). The government charged him with six counts of obstruction of Congress, false statements and perjury. The jury, after only a few hours of deliberations, was unanimous in its decision to acquit Clemens of all charges.
The acquittal of Clemens did little to dismiss the widespread belief among the general public that Clemens enhanced his performance with steroids.
And while Boggs refused to cite Clemens specifically, he delivered an unambiguous attack on pitchers who used steroids.
“You’re telling yourself that you’re not better than that guy 60 feet, 6 inches away from you,” he said. “So you’ve got to have something to get the edge and beat him. This is what’s offensive.”
Photo credit: Bbsrock via wikipedia
Source:
CBSLocal.com. (July 17, 2012). Wade Boggs: If I Had Hall Of Fame Vote, Proven Steroid Cheats Wouldn’t Get It. Retrieved from http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/07/17/wade-boggs-if-i-had-hall-of-fame-vote-proven-steroid-cheats-wouldnt-get-it/
