Jan 10, 2008 9:30 AM EST

Goose Gossage can understand why some players would try steroids. With major league salaries so high, finding a way to extend a career is an awfully tempting proposition.

"Chances are I probably would have done it, too," Gossage said Wednesday.

That doesn't mean baseball's newest Hall of Famer is giving Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds a free pass on their alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs. Whether throwing a fastball or speaking his mind, Gossage has never been one to let up -- and he's not about to start.

"I've been in that situation, trying to prolong my career with the money that was out there to be made at this time in baseball. I can't sit here and say that I would not have done it," he said. "But had I done it, I'm going to face the consequences. And the consequences are, that whether they belong in the Hall of Fame or not, the records can't stand."

"These guys downplay the significance of steroids. Don't even go there. I don't buy it at all," Gossage added at a news conference. "These guys are getting better the older they get? Nah. The body doesn't work that way. And baseball is a young man's game."

Via ESPN