Editorial: The Tainted Hall of Famer?

Today, The New York Times reported that its sources have confirmed that star sluggers Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz were among the list of 104 players that tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs back in 2003. The test--which was supposed to be anonymous--was conducted as a survey in order to determine whether an official drug testing policy would be implemented (which it was). Other famous names reportedly on the list include Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Alex Rodriguez. The leaks themselves are controversial enough, especially from a legal perspective, but amongst the rampant questions surrounding Ortiz today, much more significant news may have been overlooked.

In an article by ESPN's Pedro Gomez, former MLB slugger (and self-admitted steroid user) Jose Canseco says that he was not at all shocked by today's news and that he had already known about both Manny's and Ortiz's places on "The List". He goes on to say that "Major League Baseball is going to have a big, big problem on their hands when they find out they have a Hall of Famer who's used." Canseco declined to elaborate on who that Hall of Famer might be but does allude that the player in question was on that 2003 list as well; Pedro Gomez, however, quickly moves on from the subject to discuss Canseco's warning of a potential class-action lawsuit. But it is in fact the prospect that a steroid user may have already gotten into the Hall that resonantes most, especially when fierce debate surrounds other Hall of Fame-caliber players that have been alleged to use the drugs, such as Mark McGwire.

So who is this mystery man? Well, a quick run-through of Hall of Fame members yields only four players that even played during the "Steroid Era" (1990s or later): Rich Gossage, Cal Ripken Jr., Tony Gwynn, and Rickey Henderson. Of those four players, Henderson is the only one to have been active in 2003 when the survey testing was conducted. In addition, the timing of Canseco's revelation is important as well, since he has clearly liked getting attention on the issue yet only now decides to share that there is a Hall of Famer that used these drugs--perhaps not at all coincidental when considering that it was only this past weekend that Henderson was inducted. When you also consider that the end of his career was characterized by trying to desperately hang on to a place in the big leagues, its not a stretch to suggest he might have given himself some help in order to compete with younger talent--many of whom were allegedly using PEDs themselves. While its entirely possible either Ripken or Gwynn is the alleged user (or no Hall member at all), signs definitely seem to be pointing toward Rickey Henderson.

Should it later be revealed Henderson in fact used performance-enhancing drugs, Major League Baseball and the National Baseball Hall of Fame sure have an enormous mess on their hands. Would they consider ejecting someone from the Hall? What about all the players coming up on the ballots in future years that were also tied to steroid use? Do they go ahead and implement the dreaded Asterisk? If nothing else, the future should be interesting. It is worth noting that Canseco has a pretty good track record with his accusations thusfar, so let's put the official question out there for the better educated to ponder: did Rickey Henderson use performance-enhancing drugs?