[stevenash]

Former All-Star closer Eric Gagne has done the impossible—he has presented shocking information on the use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball.

In a world saturated with tales (mostly coming from Jose Canseco) of the widespread use of PEDs in baseball, Gagne's comment that "80 percent" of his teammates were taking HGH knocks me in the head like a Justin Verlander fastball.

Gagne makes this claim in his new book, Game Over: The Story of Eric Gagne,and ESPN's Mark Saxon passed along the following excerpt:

I was intimately aware of the clubhouse in which I lived. I would say that 80 percent of the Dodgers players were consuming them.

Gagne pitched for the Dodgers from 1999-2006. He spent parts of 2007 with both the Red Sox and Rangers, and had a 50-game stint with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008.

Like every other piece of information emerging about the use or non-use of PEDs, this needs to be met with a certain amount of skepticism.
Perhaps Gagne—who, as Saxon points out, admitted to using HGH in 2010—is simply inflating the number in an effort to help drive up sales of his book.

But then again, there have been enough accounts of widespread use that this claim can't be completely discounted.

And the sad reality is, at this point, it is hard to even care. There will never be any clarity on which players were on PEDs and which weren't. Or what gains those who were using actually benefited.

It is all just a cloudy picture of accusations, bloated stats and bloated records set that many fans now view as hollow. There have been Congressional hearings to try to get to the bottom of this, and, really, we are no closer to knowing the truth than we were when we first accepted the fact that PEDs in baseball was a big problem.

Gagne's comments are indeed shocking, but they will have very little impact.

[No coincidences]

What makes Gagne's comments "shocking"?

If you told me every single player was on them, it still wouldn't be "shocking" to me.

[BuddyBear]

No big deal anymore. Most of the public has forgiven and forgotten.

[stevenash]

Make a "Steroid Era" wing in the Hall of Fame and put the Sosa's, Palmiero's of the world in there.

[Smoke]

Steroids make the game better

[No coincidences]

Make a "Steroid Era" wing in the Hall of Fame and put the Sosa's, Palmiero's of the world in there.

There could even be a virtual game where 10-year-olds can go into a mock bathroom stall and inject themselves in the ass.

[No coincidences]

Steroids make the game better

Why does this response not surprise me.

[Vegas39]

There could even be a virtual game where 10-year-olds can go into a mock bathroom stall and inject themselves in the ass.

[str]

Talked to more than a couple of guys who knew or know all about it.

80% might be a stretch but well over 50% and some clubs more so than others.

[Ghenghis Kahn]

well the dodgers need some of that now. their offense is pathetic...

[stevenash]

^

ooof, Kemp looks ordinary, and Ethier is a pig

[Mikeyanks23]

Make a "Steroid Era" wing in the Hall of Fame and put the Sosa's, Palmiero's of the world in there.

They should just do a wing for every era say 80 and 90s. 60s 70s etc and just point out certain things. i.e in this generation mound was lower etc. This generation considered dead ball era. This generation the Ped era etc.

[William Walters]

Gagne's MLB record of 84 consecutive saves is fukkin unreal. Was fun to watch. Guy was untouchable.

[crustyme]

unless he names mike piazza, this is a non story.

[rumnblack]

Maybe he could show A Gon how it's done.

[R.P. McMurphy]

Not shocked by any of this and never have been. These are sad days in sports though where guys break the omerta locker room code and sell all their boys out to sell a few books. I would not wanna be in a fox hole with any of these d-bags!

[deadstare]

more shocking ped's or gambling players?

[matt1216]

Hmm the better you play, the more you get paid??????? if i was making 1.5 mil a year, took some supplements came back and was offered 10 mil a year, im pretty sure evryone would continue to use. People are human

[PaperTrail07]

lower than I woulda guessed...wow...non users must been back-up players and AAA

[BennyFang]

Sounds like the Canseco-ish story of a player that wasn't wise with his earnings while he played so he had to resort to calling others out to generate some income.

[Resler]

Steroids make the game better

This!!!!! They should be legal. They also level the playing field, not the other way around. Especially if they are allowed.

[eidolon]

I've known 3 guys in the last 10 years that played in the minors, and all 3 said that almost everyone uses something. So this stat doesn't surprise me at all.