What a superstar Albert Pujols is

[chisoxfan09]

He is on an absolute tear this year and if he stays healthy and survives his elbow problems stand to the best non-steroid or juicer candidate to break the modern HR record of Hank Aaron. I reject Bonds as the record holder due to his juicing charges. He is on track to break the record in his 14-15th season (2015/16). Maybe sooner. Too bad he will never wear a Sox uniform. Pure hitter for power, average, high BB rate, OBP. Can't ask for more.

[LittleHurt05]

He is on an absolute tear this year and if he stays healthy and survives his elbow problems stand to the best non-steroid or juicer candidate to break the modern HR record of Hank Aaron. I reject Bonds as the record holder due to his juicing charges. He is on track to break the record in his 14-15th season (2015/16). Maybe sooner. Too bad he will never wear a Sox uniform. Pure hitter for power, average, high BB rate, OBP. Can't ask for more.

 

I know hes never tested positive or been linked to a BALCO-like lab, but to me he definitely seems like he could be one of the juicers as well. I know we'll never find out the truth with most guys, but that thought will definitely always be there in my mind.

Edited July 1, 2009 by LittleHurt05

[chisoxfan09]

I know hes never tested positive or been linked to a BALCO-like lab, but to me he definitely seems like he could be one of the juicers as well. I know we'll never find out the truth with most guys, but that thought will definitely always be there in my mind.

I dunno, he does not seem like the juicing kind but yeah we will never know. Maybe someone in the future will pop out of the woodwork and try to tarnish him with some incriminating evidence. Just never know anymore.

[tonyho7476]

He's got steroids written all over him...but we may never know.

 

He is a hell of a player though.

[chisoxfan09]

He's got steroids written all over him...but we may never know.

 

He is a hell of a player though.

 

Tony, I think the MLB policy will random test all players at some point in their careers so maybe we will know at some point.

[tonyho7476]

Tony, I think the MLB policy will random test all players at some point in their careers so maybe we will know at some point.

 

We caught Manny...so you never know.

 

i think the latin players go back to their country in the off-season and just do what they want.

[Jordan4life_2007]

If he's juicing, he'll get caught at some point. For now, he's pretty much the best RH hitter I've ever seen.

[Milkman delivers]

Blasphemy, Jordan!

[clyons]

Perhaps I'm hopelessly naive, but I don't think he's a juicer and I would be seriously bummed if he were ever exposed as one. Most of the top guys who have been (Bonds, Sosa, Arod, Manny, Palmeiro, Canseco, Clemens), I already thought of as douche bags to begin with. Albert, however, seems like a legitmate class act, in line with guys like Ripken, Junior, and Thome. The sport needs its heroes, and to me it would be a real shame.

[ILMOU]

Tony, I think the MLB policy will random test all players at some point in their careers so maybe we will know at some point.

 

They don't test for HGH yet, and there are other substances as well. I truly hope he's clean, but he came into the game at a time when the PED's were so rampant, so he had to be exposed to it constantly. Wouldn't be surprised if Edmonds and other former teammates show upon that 2004 list.

 

Of course, this is all speculation, not accusation. Sadly, its a fine line in the present environment.

 

Albert is probably the most consistent hitter I've ever seen. He has the shortest "slumps", if you can even ever call them that.

 

[Milkman delivers]

They don't test for HGH yet, and there are other substances as well. I truly hope he's clean, but he came into the game at a time when the PED's were so rampant, so he had to be exposed to it constantly. Wouldn't be surprised if Edmonds and other former teammates show upon that 2004 list.

 

Of course, this is all speculation, not accusation. Sadly, its a fine line in the present environment.

 

Albert is probably the most consistent hitter I've ever seen. He has the shortest "slumps", if you can even ever call them that.

 

NO WAY!

[sircaffey]

The testing is strong enough that anyone juicing will be caught. There is off-season testing as well. If he's not on the list from 2003, we'll likely never know what he did in years past. But he's clean now, and he's a freak so he obviously doesn't need any serious PEDs.

[Milkman delivers]

The testing is strong enough that anyone juicing will be caught. There is off-season testing as well. If he's not on the list from 2003, we'll likely never know what he did in years past. But he's clean now, and he's a freak so he obviously doesn't need any serious PEDs.

 

Steroids are ahead of the game when it comes to testing. Players can be on a drug that the testers don't even know about yet, plus there's HGH. They don't even test for that.

[southsider2k5]

Its bad, but anymore because of the complete lack of control and accountability in MLB, I just assume all of these top guys are guilty until proven innocent, Pujols included.

[Milkman delivers]

Its bad, but anymore because of the complete lack of control and accountability in MLB, I just assume all of these top guys are guilty until proven innocent, Pujols included.

 

Agreed.

[ILMOU]

Its bad, but anymore because of the complete lack of control and accountability in MLB, I just assume all of these top guys are guilty until proven innocent, Pujols included.

 

The only thing that will come close to really cleaning up the game, is the effin' MLBPA conceding to year round urine AND BLOOD testing in the next CBA, with samples frozen for eternity. That way, HGH users know they'll be caught eventually, because a blood test is near, and other substances will also be preserved in the blood as the tests are developed. A cheater will still make his money while the testing catches up to the PED's, but they'll know that their legacy will be completely tarnished eventually. That's as good a deterrent as we're ever going to get.

 

Will it happen? Probably not, with the union still so powerful, but the continuing media onslaught of heroes being revealed as cheaters, makes it a possibility.

 

[rangercal]

Perhaps I'm hopelessly naive, but I don't think he's a juicer and I would be seriously bummed if he were ever exposed as one. Most of the top guys who have been (Bonds, Sosa, Arod, Manny, Palmeiro, Canseco, Clemens), I already thought of as douche bags to begin with. Albert, however, seems like a legitmate class act, in line with guys like Ripken, Junior, and Thome. The sport needs its heroes, and to me it would be a real shame.

 

Exactly how I feel.

[BearSox]

The only thing that will come close to really cleaning up the game, is the effin' MLBPA conceding to year round urine AND BLOOD testing in the next CBA, with samples frozen for eternity. That way, HGH users know they'll be caught eventually, because a blood test is near, and other substances will also be preserved in the blood as the tests are developed. A cheater will still make his money while the testing catches up to the PED's, but they'll know that their legacy will be completely tarnished eventually. That's as good a deterrent as we're ever going to get.

 

Will it happen? Probably not, with the union still so powerful, but the continuing media onslaught of heroes being revealed as cheaters, makes it a possibility.

 

Exactly.

 

As for Pujols and other players, I'll stick with the innocent until proven guilty route. Of course there will always be speculation, but until you got a legit reason to suspect a player uses/used steroids, its bogus to automatically say someone is a user because they're good.

[BearSox]

Its bad, but anymore because of the complete lack of control and accountability in MLB, I just assume all of these top guys are guilty until proven innocent, Pujols included.

That's just stupid.

 

According to your logic, every single player in baseball is a juicer, cause there's no way to prove any of them have never taken PED's before.

 

Be skeptical all you want, but to label Pujols and other players as juicers with no evidence except that he's good, that's just crap. I could see if he had connections to a trainer who was suspicious, or he suddenly got really big and started putting up big power numbers, or hell, he was even a teammate of a big time juicer. But there is no evidence of any of that stuff.

[southsider2k5]

That's just stupid.

 

According to your logic, every single player in baseball is a juicer, cause there's no way to prove any of them have never taken PED's before.

 

Be skeptical all you want, but to label Pujols and other players as juicers with no evidence except that he's good, that's just crap. I could see if he had connections to a trainer who was suspicious, or he suddenly got really big and started putting up big power numbers, or hell, he was even a teammate of a big time juicer. But there is no evidence of any of that stuff.

 

No, what is stupid is assuming they aren't, when so many before them have been exactly that.

[BearSox]

No, what is stupid is assuming they aren't, when so many before them have been exactly that.

I assume nothing. I wouldn't be surprised if more than half of the current players in the league used steroids before. However, I'm not gonna say players are definite users because they are good. Statistically, black people commit a high percentage of crimes. So, using your logic, when you see a black person walking down the street, I might as well assume they are a criminal.

 

What you are basically doing is racial profiling, except instead of races, you are using baseball players and if you're good, you're a steroid user. I guess Jim Thome and Ken Griffey Jr. are obviously PED users.

 

Also, it's a whole lot easier to prove someone guilty than it is innocent. So I'll stick with the good old way of looking at people innocent until proven guilty. However, if I find news about Pujols being involved with steroid trainers and such, that might all I need to give him a guilty verdict.

 

However, the only evidence we got is a lot of people have done it, and he's a damn good baseball player. I'm sorry, I'll need a little more than that before I accuse him of steroids.

 

Did he use steroids? I don't know, maybe he did. However, I don't know and nothing leads me to believe he has.

[zenryan]

He came in as a 21 year old rookie and hit 37 HR's on a team that had a few guys who probably was on the juice and a manager who didnt care if his players did. I'm going to assume that he was on something.

[TheBlackSox8]

He came in as a 21 year old rookie and hit 37 HR's on a team that had a few guys who probably was on the juice and a manager who didnt care if his players did. I'm going to assume that he was on something.

He made the team as an invite out of Spring trainging, because he absolutely mashed in the minors. So McGwire/Vina(only players linked to PED's) came up to the rookie and "helped" him out? I don't buy that kind of scenario.

A young player can't come into a league and dominate without suspicion?? Calvin Johnson, Adrian Peterson, Dwight Howard, Lebron James, Tim Lincecum, Miguel Cabrera

[Milkman delivers]

I cannot wait until he tests positive or is tied to steroids somehow, just to bump threads like this where people are willfully ignoring the fact that we all know he's on something.

[BearSox]

I cannot wait until he tests positive or is tied to steroids somehow, just to bump threads like this where people are willfully ignoring the fact that we all know he's on something.

 

It wouldn't shock me if he does fail a test. It wouldn't shock for 90% of the players in the league. However, until there is a legit reason to say he's guilty, I'm not gonna say he's guilty.