Shockingly, since they did so much thorough, proactive reporting on performance enhancing drugs, the BBWAA may have been duped by a doper.  Jose Canesco told ESPN’s Pedro Gomez that baseball had a Hall of Famer who used performance enhancing drugs.

“When you tell me something I didn’t already know, I’ll be surprised,” Canseco told ESPN. “And I’ll tell you this, Major League Baseball is going to have a big, big problem on their hands when they find out they have a Hall of Famer who’s used.”

“It’s not about naming names,” he said. “I’ve never had anything against the players. It’s always been against Major League Baseball. I know who’s on that list, but like I said, it’s not about attacking the players. It’s about the machine that allowed this to happen. What I speak out of my mouth is the truth. It burns like fire. Just remember, I have never lied about this subject.”

Canseco said the player used, not that he tested positive in 2003, which would eliminate everyone except Henderson.  Assuming the “Steroid Era” stretched from the late 1980s until now, here are the 20 Hall of Famers who played during the era.  Those with an asterisk were teammates with Canseco.

1993: Reggie Jackson*
1994: Steve Carlton
1995: Mike Schmidt
1999: Robin Yount, Nolan Ryan*, George Brett
2000: Carlton Fisk
2001: Kirby Puckett
2002: Ozzie Smith
2003: Eddie Murray, Gary Carter,
2004: Paul Molitor, Dennis Eckersley*
2005: Ryne Sandberg, Wade Boggs
2007: Cal Ripken, Tony Gwynn
2008: Rich Gossage*
2009: Jim Rice, Rickey Henderson*

Henderson seems like a plausible miscreant.  He stood out and won an MVP with Canseco on the “Bash Brothers” A’s teams.  Henderson also would have been fresh on the brain, having just been inducted.  Though, Canseco told Mike Missanelli he had “no knowledge” of Rickey Henderson’s steroid use.

For what it’s worth now, Henderson has denied it.  In a 2005 interview, he also mentions discussing drug use with Canseco.

“When I talk to Jose (Canseco), I tell him, ‘I played with you. You kept that secret from me. That wasn’t right,’ ” Henderson said. “I’m glad it didn’t come my way, but I think they cheated me out of it. When you see how much success people have had, I probably would have been Superman.”

Canseco said Henderson was not the Hall of Famer.  If he is truthful and you move down the list, it gets scary.

Cal Ripken played on Orioles’ teams with Rafael Palmeiro and Brady Anderson.  The two combined for 89 home runs in 1996, the year all seven Orioles’ hitters who played full seasons hit more than 20 HR.

Tony Gwynn, who hit 10 HR just twice from 1984 to 1996, hit career highs of 17 in 1997 and 16 in 1998 (at 37 and 38), as a teammate of known steroid-abuser Ken Caminiti.

Kirby Puckett from 1984 to 1985 hit 4 HR in 1,248 AB.  In 1986, he hit 31 HR.  It is a bit early, but perhaps Bill James had a point.

We know there are about 100 names from 2003 on the list yet to be released.  Some steroid users retired before 2003.  Some , presumably, stopped in 2003, scared of any testing.

The league, teams, players and media members profited from the steroid era.  It was exciting, insane and lucrative.  No one, including those whose explicit responsibility it was, stepped forward to stop it.  The resulting climate has invalidated common sense about innocence.  Speculation will be rampant, frantic and, sadly, fair.