Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines and Ivan Rodriguez have been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The vote shows a marked change in the way writers view players suspected of PED use.
Rodriguez garnered 76% of the vote in his first year on the ballot. Rodriguez suddenly could not live up to his nickname of “Pudge” once drug testing started, showing up to Spring Training much slimmer than he had ever been. Plus, Jose Canseco claims to have injected Rodriguez with steroids. Yet he made it as a first-timer, while Mike Piazza, who was the subject of much weaker PED whispers, had to wait four years.