If you (in general, not you dcfan4life, specifically) cannot assume anything, then only the guys that tested positive can be called cheaters. Otherwise, you’re then “biased” towards guys that are big or guys that hit lots of HR. Take a look at the Mitchell report. I would say more than half the guys there don’t fit the stereotypical ‘roider. Hell, A-Rod averaged 40HR for years before and after his positive test and no one suspected he was a juicer until he actually tested positive.

Bottom line is, this whole era was a mess and there is no way to sort out who was doing what.

If you did cheat I can see an argument for putting a thumb on the scale. But guys that weren’t caught should be treated as though they did not cheat, not as if they’d gotten away with something. I’m no PED Warrior, but since it’s become a real rule you should be held accountable for rules you break.

The difference between you and your job vs a professional sport is that you can hold a job and be a top performer without resorting to artificial aids. (I don’t know you, but you sound like you could do this.) But MLB (and the NFL and NBA et al) have a finite number of spots and there’s an army of others doing whatever it takes to get those spots. I’m assuming your job is mostly cerebral? These jobs have a huge physical aspect where PEDs can make a big difference.

This isn’t a case of being better at your job, for many it’s a case of getting and holding a job. It’s likely not 99% who are cheating, but at the height of the 90s it was probably much higher than the general public would like to know. I too have friends who have worked in D1 training rooms and the stuff works. Guys will do what works.

There’s small-hall guys, and then there are guys like you…micro-hall guys. If not Biggio, then who gets into the hall in the next few years?

While I am not a professional athlete, I have the same desires to be the best at my job, and I am sure there are substances that would make me get more done.

Probably b/c the money isn’t that significant. Let’s be generous and say you are making $100K a year at your job. What if you could take a pill that may or may not have some side effects 20-30 years down the road, but could get you a promotion where you cna earn $10M a year? Would you think about it then? Doing something illegal to set you and your family up for life?

When discussing his accumulated hits, why is the rate at which it is done not part of the conversation? A guy like Rod Carew approaching it at a blistering pace – that’s Hall of Fame worthy, for sure. Traipsing along at a .278 clip is better than most, but not all that impressive for his era.

I don’t argue the few statistical categories he ever led the NL in, but it’s hard to say he was the best player of his era. He was the best at his position for the few years of his prime. If you want to compare him to his contemporaries, let’s look at players who had their careers overlap with Biggio’s. Look at all the Gold Gloves Robby Alomar took home. The MVP award Jeff Kent or Ryne Sandberg has. Or, the 10 or more All-Star appearances of Sandberg or Alomar. Sure, Biggio is notable as being one of the top 4 second basemen, but I’m not convinced he was better than any of them just based on their trophy cabinets.

And, maybe, all of this is irrelevant to debate. Perhaps we just have a different bar to which we feel members of the Hall of Fame should achieve to. That’s fair too. There’s no true qualifier for who is worthy and who is not.

Maybe some guys on the Astros gave each other shots in the butt, and maybe they didn’t. If you are looking for a banner to carry with your righteous indignation, perhaps you should take a peek at the other big American professional sports league.

If you were comparing him to say…corner outfielders….then yes, he is not incredibly great (though I should point out, *still probably hall worthy*!), but you aren’t. His competition is other second baseman, a much lighter hitting group since it requires much better defensive abilities.

So, what second baseman were better than Biggio during his era? The only contemporary who was close was Roberto Alomar. Biggio played nearly 500 more games, scored 336 more runs, hit 80 more homers, grounded into 50 fewer double plays… At his peak, the guy was hitting .300/.400/.500 with 40 steals and winning gold gloves in the toughest hitters park in the game.

He is easily one of the 10 best second baseman of all time, was the best second baseman of his era. Not only is he a Hall of Famer, but he should be a Hall of Famer whose place in that hall isn’t never even questioned.