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Bloomberg

Reggie Jackson, a two-time World Series most valuable player, said there's no room in baseball's Hall of Fame for those who have used steroids.

The 63-year-old Jackson, who played Major League Baseball from 1967 to 1987, is 12th on the all-time list for home runs with 563. Players who have moved ahead of him and been linked to performance-enhancing drug use include Alex Rodriguez, Rafael Palmeiro, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds, the career leader with 762.

"It bothers me,'' Jackson, 63, said in an interview with Bloomberg Television in New York. "A lot of Hall of Famers are very offended by this. I am starting to get affected and I am hoping that those guys that get caught don't get into the Hall of Fame.''

Jackson, who played for the New York Yankees from 1977 to 1981 and now serves as a special adviser to the team, also said that he misses the old Yankee Stadium. The Yankees moved from the ballpark that was home to 26 World Series championship teams, including two of his own, to their new venue across the street.

"I never really saw the new stadium when they were building it,'' Jackson said. "I hung out at the old one. I had a difficult time leaving it. The last day I went out with a couple of friends and we walked around the stadium and I sat in the center field block with the fans and others and got a little teary-eyed.''

Jackson, known as "Mr. October'' after joining Babe Ruth as the only Major League Baseball players to hit three home runs in a World Series game, said he bought his old locker and the Yankee Stadium sign that was on top of the ballpark.

Jackson also said that a playoff spot for the Yankees this year hinges on their pitching staff. New York is 51-37, three games behind the American League East Division-leading Boston Red Sox.

"Our starting and middle-relief pitchers are the ones to depend on to keep ballgames close," Jackson said. "I believe that getting into the postseason, which I think we will, will depend on pitching."

 Tags  Hall of Fame New York Yankees Reggie Jackson steroids

Comments

baseballfanatic said:

I agree with Jackson. The man was an amazing even legendary baseball player sans performance enhancing drugs. It's not right to have players who have used drugs to pass true players on the list. Reggie got this one right!

Link | July 16, 2009 1:48 PM
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