Should the stats of ANY baseball player caught using drugs be stripped from the record books? Why not?
476228
You can't strip stats from the books because it will create continuity problems and holes in the way we look at accomplishments.   Stats are the major way we record baseball history.. The problem with steroids and other devices used to create an advantage over your opponent, it makes the honorable player suspect. Everyone who is good must be cheating.  Baseball should follow the I.O.C.'s logic and penalize for perception not proving beyond a shadow of a doubt.  Sports are not the legal system and need to show that they are beyond reproach and cheating.  It should fall to the individual player to know what medication he/she is taking and realize that it is their career and reputation at stake every time they use something on themselves internally or externally.
845174
Rose didnt' cheat so he's out of the race. Rogers  who cares? Half the pitchers in base baseball are doctoring the ball. Every year a few get caught. Some like Perry made a career out of it. \n\nBonds, Sosa, McGwire, Canseco, Palmiero, Caminitti. Sheffied, McGriff, Giambi are just a few of those busted cold with steriods. \nWith McGwire I think it actually hurt his stats. McGwire and Canseco were both TOO strong. They lost huge parts of thier careers to injuries I think were steroid related. If you watch McGwire's swing nobody ever designed a more perfect HR swing. It was perfect. Most of McGwire's blasts were overkill. If he were not on Roids I think McGwire would have hit more HRs. It's meaningless now since he used them and it taints his stats. \n\nBonds would have been in the hall. I think Sosa will help keep Bonds and McGwire out. After seeing declines in power and general hitting and basically facing the end of his career suddenly Bonds beats his best HR total ever in a year most thought would be his last??? Then the next year hits 70+ HRs. His stats alone bust him and show exactly why Steroids are banned. \n\nOn a side not. People Bonds ADMITED using steroids. He said it was by accident but his steroid use is proven. Whether he did it intentionally or not the fact is he was roided out when he set that record. \n\nThen you have Sosa. Not only did he use steroids. He was twice caught with corked bats. Not once, but twice in MLB games. He was also caught using one in a pre-season game if I remember correctly. So I'd have to go with Sosa. He's a known Steroid user, busted with corked bats and suspected of HG usage. What DIDN"T he do to enhance his own personal stats? He sure didn't do it for the team. \n\nSo Sosa hands down is the biggest cheater the game has seen in years. Not since Ty Cobb was there a player that broke more rules. Unlike Ty Cobb Sosa was motivated purely for personal stats. Cobb wanted to win. He also enjoyed his personal stats but Cobb did most of his cheating to help his team.
263369
Unfortunately, the answer to this point is that yes, the records should probably stand. Remember, steroids were not an illegal performance enhancing drug according to the rules of Major League Baseball until just two years ago. Any records set before that point will stand.\n\nThe interesting part will come in with situations like Barry Bonds and the career home run record if he is actually proven to have used steroids since they were made illegal. And that's not just proving he used, but proving he has used since they were made an illegal substance by MLB.
300231
If they can ban Pete Rose ( a proper decision) for illegal activity (gambling) tehn Bonds should be similarly banned. Regardless of the legality of steroids in baseball's rules they are an illegal substance when obtained and used without the advice/consent of a physician. \nBonds has broken the law and should be punished for having done. \nThe obsurdity here is that if he were a footballer in Europe FIFA and the local FA would have no problem in dealing with him in a swift and decisive manner.
320556
How can you people keep saying his record will be forever tainted?  Yes he has admitted to taking things before baseball passed the law against it.  Since that time the man has yet to fail a drug test.  Come on already wait until he fails before you all go trying to take records away.
1048047
He should have an * next to his records. The sportswriters should not vote him into the hall of fame, unless they let Pete Rose in also. His records were achieved without cheating but by "hustling". (Trying Harder)
666320
Doing that would legitimize the steroids, which would kill baseball in the eyes of WADA and the US Congress. They have to at least give lip service to the idea that they are taking this seriously.\n\nBesides, what's the point of having clean leagues if the tests are so easily beaten? How do you know that the clean players are clean?
466024
the number will not matter...all stats over the past 10 years should be erased due to substance abuse.
413339
Definitely. Baseball has been around a long time, and every record ever set has to be placed in the context of its era, but this is the first time a large number of statistics are called into question because of behavior that was banned shortly thereafter. People will forever assume that everyone who hit more than 60 homers since Roger Maris, did so with the help of chemistry, not just natural strength, hand-eye coordination and hard work.
691326
While there have been many allegations, I don't know of Bonds ever actually failing a drug test.\n\nHow many of the pitchers he hit off of were on steroids?\n\nWhen he breaks the record it will be his and unless he fails a future drug test NO ASTERISK.
633038
First things first:  Intrepid18's answer is moronic.  First he states that Barry Bonds should be awarded the record because we don't know how many people are ueing steroids, then he uses as his source Jose Canseco, thenin the next breath he states that Jose Canseco cann't be trusted.  Geez, with that kind of gymnastic logic it is hard to even respond.\n\nOf course Bonds should not be mentioned in the same breath as Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron.  It makes no difference HOW many players have "juiced up" today.  The fact that a lot of people have juiced up is irrelevant.  The fact that Bonds has juiced up IS relevant because he is the only one challenging the record.  There is little doubt that Bonds will pass Ruth, probably by this time next week, but i don't think any serious sports scholars think he will remain healthy enough to challenge Aaron's 755.  Bonds simply isn't healthy enough to last another year.  He has virtually no chance of catching Aaron this year.  He is currently at 712, which leaves him 43 shy of tying Aaron and 44 shy of passing him.  Bonds is not going to get enough good pitches this season to hit 45 ringers.\n\nIf by some miracle Bonds does pass Aaron his name should have an asterisk next to his name with a note that "performance enhancing drugs were employed."
581905
I'd get rid of it completely. \n\n1) It takes the strategic aspect away from the Managers. \n\n2) It screws with the History of Baseball. i.e. If Edgar Martinez had played the field he'd be a Hall of Famer, because he didn't he probably won't go. One day there may be the same debate about David Ortiz or Travis Hafner.\n\n3) IT'S STUPID! It's like the NBA creating a Designated Free Throw Shooter so guys like Shaq don't look bad anymore. Or the NBA having a Designated Defender/Offensive Player. One guy stays on one side of the court one on the other. Or how about the NFL has a Designated Run After Catch Guy. Joe Jurevicious catches it (Stop the game...Everyone hold places) Insert Peter Warrick, and resume play. \n\nTruly the dumbest rule in sports ever. \n\n4)Ruins the World series. National League teams are at a disadvantage in American League parks. They don't have a guy signed and paid just to hit.\n\nI like Inter-League I do. I like the wild card even though I think they should add another wild card. I think the two wild cards should play a 3 game set while the three division champions rest. There's no incentive to win the division. But the DH rule, I have always hated.
183179
My opinion is that they should only count the record upto the time that it is proven that he started taking drugs. I also think that he should be barred immediately from playing another game until he is clean. Think about it...if YOU were found by your employer to have illegal drugs in your body, what would your employer do??? You would be either fired or forced to do rehab.
636837
Absolutely!  I agree with your reasoning, but I want the record away from Bonds even more.  I'd like to see it belong to someone legit so it is not disputed, and then have it stand for a long time.
691649
I think they'll honor it just like any other record, if he does break the record.  They didn't say that wouldn't.  Steroids were banned just recently, and they can't go back and enforce something that was legal back then.  Otherwise, they would have to go back and investigate every single player since the start of baseball in order to have no discrimination and that's not going to happen.
597049
Many people do. That is why the reaction to his tying Babe Ruth has been so low key. When Hank Aarons was chasing Ruth in the early 1970s people were really excited. Many people think that he would not be there if it wasn't for steroids, although steroids don't help you win Golden Glove awards. Perhaps he should have an asterisk besides his name as happened with Roger Maris in the home run in a year record. It would be more appropriate for this record. Apparently, investigators are currently looking as to whether Bonds committed perjury in a 2003 trial. In general, Bonds isn't well liked and is under a taint. A recent book called "Game of Shadows" claims Bond starting using steroids in 1998.
561079
If it is proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that Barry Bonds was on steroids during his career, his records should not have an asterisk beside it...it should be erased from all record books.  And that goes for any baseball player who was on steroids during their career.  And the Commissioner's stance on punishing Pete Rose is getting flimsier with each passing day.  Less than 5 years after the Commisioner resigns, is kicked out or replaced, no one will be able to recall his name,  but baseball fans will forever remember Pete Rose as the best hitter of all time.