This is just great. From Frank Thomas shortly after today’s Hall of Fame announcement:
Frank suggests his production might have led players to use PEDs.
— Doug Padilla (@ESPNChiSox) January 8, 2014
Actually, wouldn’t shock me at all. By most accounts the PED thing -- at least at the top end of the talent pool -- was spurred on by great guys wanting to be even better because of ego and competitive spirits and things. Barry Bonds was famously reported in “Game of Shadows” to be inspired to take PEDs because he saw McGwire and Sosa getting all the glory in 1998 and was convinced he was better than them. And it wasn’t a “hey, they take drugs so I will too!” It was “they hit bombs so I want to hit MORE BOMBS!”
Thomas hit bombs. Heck, he hit everything. There isn’t a player in baseball during his prime that couldn’t look at him and see a better hitter. Is this statement driven by ego? Maybe a little, but it’s his day. And it’s also driven by no small amount of truth, I imagine.