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this is the problem with everyone from that era. there were no tests in place to know who was juicing, so people just go on assumptions.

the assumptions are based on deeper issues like whether or not the person is question is likeable or was a player they greatly admired before the issue of steroids was raised.

steroid use is a great out or rationalization to blackball guys if you are a fan or a reporter. IMO it will be used in a highly inconsistent manner to keep some guys out of the HOF and ignored when it comes to other players.

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thats why i believe if you didnt fail a mlb test and you're worthy (bonds, clemons, ect) you should get in.

failing a test strikes me as silly distinction - now you're just picking on guys who played more recently and had a less sophisticated drug distributor

I agree with all of this, this whole thing just bother's me so much. So many things have been assumed about the entire era. It is assumed that we can "tell" who was using and who wasn't buy simply looking at body types, yes there are definitely guys who were seriously juicing up in the late 90s, but there were just as many other guys taking PEDs that are assumed "clean" because they didnt look like a damn bodybuilder.
I played college ball in the early 2000s, right as MLB was starting to crack down on steriods. There were atleast 4 or 5 different types of PEDs players on my college team were using, so surely Professional players have had many different complex varieties of PEDs readily available in the early 90s at the absolute latest.
The only thing I ever took personally was creatine and whey protein, but I was truly amazed at some of the things 90% of the players on my team were putting into their bodies, PEDs were so ingrained into baseball culture that no one even thought twice about it. I can only imagine what was really going on in locker rooms of professional players through the 90s.

To just complete write off the best players from that era is ridiculous, I truly believe a lot of these guys took steroids because they knew they had to if they wanted to compete and be the best in a league where 80% or more were taking some sort of PED. Does it make it right that they did it, no it doesn't, but to eliminate an entire generation of great players because they were doing something while the league looked the other way is a mockery of the sport.'

Barry Bonds was one of the 5 greatest hitters in the history of baseball, he belongs in the HOF.