When Canseco arrived, Pudge was 22 in his first full year in the majors. Russo and others (who make pronouncements and offer judgements without doing any relevant research) chortle that because Pudge played with Canseco and Palmeiro then I-Rod’s offense MUST have been ‘juiced’.

Following Russo’s brand of logic, one must at least consider consider that Johnny Bench also dabbled in ‘steroids’ prior to his 1970 (Age 22) season, backed off of the juice prior to 1971, and then came back fully roided prior to 1972. I mean, how else could someone produce such dramatic differences in production? (<—heavily slathered sarcasm)

                                                                                      
Year          Age    G   PA    R    H  2B 3B  HR  RBI SB   BA  OBP  SLG  OPS OPS+   TB
1968           20  154  607   67  155  40  2  15   82  1 .275 .311 .433 .743  116  244
1969           21  148  592   83  156  23  1  26   90  6 .293 .353 .487 .840  129  259
1970           22  158  671   97  177  35  4  45  148  5 .293 .345 .587 .932  141  355
1971           23  149  613   80  134  19  2  27   61  2 .238 .299 .423 .722  107  238
1972           24  147  653   87  145  22  2  40  125  6 .270 .379 .541 .920  166  291
1973           25  152  651   83  141  17  3  25  104  4 .253 .345 .429 .774  119  239
1974           26  160  708  108  174  38  2  33  129  5 .280 .363 .507 .870  143  315
1975           27  142  606   83  150  39  1  28  110 11 .283 .359 .519 .878  140  275
1976           28  135  552   62  109  24  1  16   74 13 .234 .348 .394 .741  109  183
1977           29  142  563   67  136  34  2  31  109  2 .275 .348 .540 .889  133  267
17 Yrs            2158 8674 1091 2048 381 24 389 1376 68 .267 .342 .476 .817  126 3644
162 Game Avg.      162  651   82  154  29  2  29  103  5 .267 .342 .476 .817  126  274

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original TableGenerated 4/25/2012.

                                                                                         
Year          Age    G    PA    R    H  2B 3B  HR  RBI  SB   BA  OBP  SLG   OPS OPS+   TB
1992           20  123   454   39  109  16  1   8   37   0 .260 .300 .360  .659   87  151
1993           21  137   519   56  129  28  4  10   66   8 .273 .315 .412  .727   98  195
1994           22   99   405   56  108  19  1  16   57   6 .298 .360 .488  .848  118  177
1995           23  130   517   56  149  32  2  12   67   0 .303 .327 .449  .776   98  221
1996           24  153   685  116  192  47  3  19   86   5 .300 .342 .473  .814  100  302
1997           25  150   648   98  187  34  4  20   77   7 .313 .360 .484  .844  114  289
1998           26  145   617   88  186  40  4  21   91   9 .321 .358 .513  .871  120  297
1999           27  144   630  116  199  29  1  35  113  25 .332 .356 .558  .914  125  335
2000           28   91   389   66  126  27  4  27   83   5 .347 .375 .667 1.042  156  242
2001           29  111   470   70  136  24  2  25   65  10 .308 .347 .541  .888  126  239
21 Yrs            2543 10270 1354 2844 572 51 311 1332 127 .296 .334 .464  .798  106 4451
162 Game Avg.      162   654   86  181  36  3  20   85   8 .296 .334 .464  .798  106  284

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original TableGenerated 4/25/2012.

Anyway, I was attempting to point out the rather unsubstantive knee-jerk manner in which many sports talking heads and pundits go about in applying their opinions to a HOF candidacy. Tim Brown has a HOF vote and he agreed with Russo’s incomplete misinformed opinion on I-Rod’s career.

The topic was Pudge Rodriquez and both Brown and Russo have placed themselves firmly in the Pedro Gomez HOF ‘eye-test’ camp.

I love Chris Mad Dog Russo like you would love a crazy uncle. He’s been a distant part of my life since puberty. While Russo makes great radio – he can often trap himself in his own (il)logic. He loves to divine observations and make judgements from reading a players career numbers over the air.

Anyway, today Russo even went so far as to analyze Pudge’s career against Canseco’s arrival in Texas. The obligatory flood of “I agree fully with you” calls followed until a caller made the claim that Pudge should be a HOF solely based on his defensive prowess prior to Pudge’s alleged ‘steroid’ use. Russo said he could understand that but he still wouldn’t vote for him.

They didn’t discuss Bagpipes, and I can’t remember what Russo has stated previously about Bagwell’s HOF candidacy, but his response would fascinating because when a subsequent caller inquired about whether Russo had any concerns about Chipper Jones and “steroids”, Russo responded by stating that he does not because Chipper was never implicated or connected to steroids in any way.

Russo is continuing ‘steroids’ and HOF electability discussion now if you’ve got SXM.

@pedrogomezESPN I care. Bcuz BBWAA HOF voters like u eschew dispassion & logic in favor of some self-professed sixth sense. @Brown_Eric—
Johnny BigLeagues (@bigleagues) April 25, 2012

Predictably, no response.

Which is the very point that I made to P-Go earlier today on Twitter. His response? Crickets.

@pedrogomezESPN no one, but yourself, believes you'd get a ballot if #ESPN hadn't graced you with notoriety. #justsayin #mlb #hof #ped—
Johnny BigLeagues (@bigleagues) April 25, 2012

Of course, he kept right on responding to far less pointed criticisms.

#strangebuttrue

#PedroGomezNeverDenied

Oh yeah . . . probably because it’s true!

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/09/bill-mueller-is-getting-at-least-one-hall-of-fame-vote/

Can we just petition the BBWAA to implore them to reconsider allowing Pedro Gomez to vote?

I mean have you ever seen HBT readers and commenters so UNITED about any one issue?

I haven’t.

At some point, a fan like wpjohnson needs to acknowledge that there has been a Hall of Fame-quality player whose career began and ended in our own lifetimes

A bit odd especially when you look at other sports. Last 30 years we get, MJ (best NBA ever), Gretzky (best NHL ever), Peyton Manning possibly best NFL ever, Maradona/Pele for best soccer player ever (Messi closing in).

But baseball? Pujols/Arod are definitely up there, but some people will stay take Ruth over Bonds.

At some point, a fan like wpjohnson needs to acknowledge that there has been a Hall of Fame-quality player whose career began and ended in our own lifetimes. But it’s easier to pretend — all evidence to the contrary — that the best players all retired shortly after the Dodgers moved west.

In sports that can be fully measured — say, track or swimming — the idea that athletes from the 1950s were better than those of today is objectively crazy.

And now, even if he were to start covering the NBA and never cover another baseball game in his entire life, he’d still have a ballot. It makes no sense.

What kind of sick bastard hates all 3?