"Say It Aint So...Sa" Another Oversized Late 90's Slugger Tests Positive

In a not so surprising development it has been stated by the New York Times, that Sammy Sosa tested positive for PED's in the same testing group as Alex Rodriguez.  This test was administered in 2003 and was agreed to by the players and the players union on the  assumption that the results were secret and would subsequently be destroyed.  However, we now know that this was not the case as 2 of the 104 positive tests have been released.  Are there more names coming, should there be more names released?  The answer is yes the names should be released. 

Now to begin with I am happy that cheaters are being outed, however Sosa and Rodriguez got screwed in that they are the only names to come out, and I have sympathy for them on the basis that they were under the impression that no one would ever know who tested positive.  That being said, why should the other 102 names be held in some safe somewhere.  The other positive tests should come out so baseball fans don't have to wait to find out if there favorite player was a cheat or not, and it will get the ball rolling on what the MLB should do in terms of voting these guys in the hall of fame.  Should they leave it to the writers, not let any of the positive testers in, or have a "steroid era" section of the HOF and let the fans decide on there own if they recognize these players acheavements.  In my opinionit should be left up to the writers, although the players were cheating they did not break a baseball rule, and if any of the cheaters get in than Bud Selig is to blame for being a lame duck on this issue.

Another reason for divulging the names on the list is to end some of the speculation of current players.  These days in the MLB most players are presumed guilty, with the exception of a few, i.e. David Eckstien.  Now I don't think it is fair to the players, but unless you go on to Sportscenter and pee in a cup twice a year randomly fans will believe that sluggers, as well as pitchers are on PED's.  Players can come out and say anything they want to, like Sosa a few weeks before saying I am buying my time until I get into the HOF, but unless these 102 names come out there is still speculation over the best players that came into the league Prior to the testing policy.

And finally for my own selfish reasons.  I grew up in St.Louis and am a die hard cardinals fan, I saw, if i remember correctly, 60, 66,67 69,70,  referring to the home runs Mark McGwire hit in the summer of 98.  That was an amazing sight to see, all summer long people flocked to see #25 all over the country.  I remember seeing old Busch become silent when he was at the plate, waiting in anticipation for another 500 foot blast.  The flashes from the cameras in the crowd when a pitch was thrown were almost blinding.  No one cared if we one or lost, we just wanted to see the real life Casey at the bat.  Looking back on it now it seems like such a shame that the best summer, for the best rivalry in baseball, Cards v Cubs, in this case Sosa v McGwire was fueled by sleazy pharmacists the likes of Victor Conte.  I still try to catch every Cardinals game on tv, and i would like to say that I have seen in the area of 90% of the at bats in the career of the best player I have, and will ever see, I am talking about Albert Pujols.  I want these names to come out to show that he is clean, or that he is not.  I know that he might not have been tested in the 2003 tests, that being said I do not want to see El Hombre, the best player since The Iron Horse, doing what he is doing because of steroids.  So please for my personal selfishness release the names so I can stop worrying about some day in the distant future hearing that the best hitter in Cardinals history (in time, Stan is still the man now) is a fraud.

P.S. I believe deep down that Albert is acctually one of the clean ones.