He said he has spoken with numerous Hall of Famers recently while taking part in a series of charity games, and they’re strongly opposed to players with links to performance-enhancing drugs gaining entry to Cooperstown.
“They say, ‘Hell, no,’” Thomas said. “They don’t want any of these guys in. These are super-superstars in my eyes, and they’re serious about it. I would suggest you get around the Johnny Benches, the Ozzie Smiths, the Dave Winfields and Mike Schmidts. Hold court with them and see how they feel. I’ve talked to them and it was eye-opening.
One of the Hall of Famers Thomas mentions, Mike Schmidt, previously said he would have used PEDs if he had the opportunity and would welcome PED users to the Hall.Schmidt in 2009:
“I’d welcome him if he got elected to the Hall of Fame,” Schmidt said of A-Rod. “I always seem to walk down the middle of the fence. I understand the old, hard-line guys that use the words, `he cheated, he cheated.’ And the other guys that go, `It was a culture thing back then.’ If you played then, you would have been tempted, too. People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. I don’t want to get that wrong. We’ve all got some things in our closet.”
Schmidt once again indicated that he would have been tempted to use steroids if presented with the chance to take them when he was playing. He had said that before.