Tommy LaSorda, the legendary manager who has never been short of opinions, said voters should shun the Hall of Fame candidates Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Roger Clemens because of the specter that they used performance-enhancing drugs.
“To me, they don’t belong in there,” Lasorda, a Hall of Fame manager, told the San Francisco Chronicle. “They cheated. That’s the way it is. If my brother did that, I’d say the same thing about my brother. I mean, I know those guys. They’re good friends of mine. But by golly, they didn’t do it the right way.”
Although Bonds has never admitted to taking steroids and never failed a drug test, Lasorda sounded convinced the slugger had indescretions.
“I tell you, it’s a shame,” Lasorda said. “How in the hell could a guy hit 73 home runs (as Bonds did)? I mean, Babe Ruth couldn’t do it.”
Lasorda’s comments coincide with a recent Associated Press survey that showed Bonds, Clemens and Sosa don’t have enough votes to gain entry into Cooperstown.
In the survey, the trio failed to muster even 50 percent support among the 112 voters contacted by the AP — nearly one-fifth of those eligible to choose. To get in, candidates need 75 percent approval.
The candidates have the numbers: Bonds is the only seven-time MVP, Clemens is the only seven-time Cy Young Award winner and Sosa finished his career with 609 homers. But the voters are mostly purists who believe Clemens’, Sosa’s and Bond’s performances were heightened by banned drug use.
“I’m not going to vote for anybody who has been tainted or associated with steroids,” Hal Bodley, a columnist with USA Today, said. “I’m just not going to do it. I might change down the road, but I just love the game too much. I have too much passion for the game and for what these people did to it.”
Bonds, Clemens and Sosa are on the Hall ballot for the first time. Votes will be cast throughout December, and results will be released Jan. 9.
