Say It Ain't So, A-Rod, Say It Ain't So

In this steroid era of puffed-up bodies and puffed-up cartoon numbers, Alex Rodriguez was supposed to be, along with the aging Ken Griffey Jr., the man that was getting all the numbers and doing it clean.

He was going to be the guy that got the "real" career home run record, which many people still think belongs to Hank Aaron and not Barry Bonds.

With A-Rod's admission of using performance-enhancing drugs now, no one is above reproach. Did Griffey take performance enhancers? I don't think so, but I'm not sure anymore. Pujols? Don't think so. Am I sure? Not at all.

This would be like if Luke Skywalker turned to the dark side after all. Now, no one can be trusted.

What part of A- Rod's numbers do you discredit and which ones do you consider legit? He claims his best seasons came without using performance enhancers, and the statistics are pretty close to backing that up. But since he lied in the past about using anything, this is just one big confusing mess.

The thing about Rodriguez, Bonds, Clemens, McGwire, Sosa, and all the rest of the many who have cheated is that they have ruined the sanctity of the game. Baseball is the one game, more than any other, where the numbers are sacred.

Look at the guys who played in the bygone era before everyone was juicing. Their numbers now seem pedestrian by comparison. It's not fair to those men to have these records shattered in a dishonest manner.

The only good thing is folks have figured that out and are now judging players by eras. This is the only fair barometer. I'm sure that's why players like Goose Gossage and Jim Rice have now been elected to the Hall of Fame.

Does A-Rod belong in the hall? Yes and no. He was good enough to be in the hall without any performance enhancers, but this admission of use clouds his hall status.

A-Rod, Bonds, and Clemens would definitely have been Hall of Famers without using anything. McGwire and Sosa would not. That's what's so sad about all of this; these guys did not have to cheat in order to go down the path of greatness.

They were already there.

I don't think A-Rod belongs in the Hall. If players like him, Barry Bonds, and Roger Clemens get in now, guys like Pete Rose and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson should gain admittance. Hall of Famers should be held to a higher standard.