Delaney: Maybe steroids belong in the Hall
With Mark McGwire being the latest former or current Major League Baseball player to admit to peformance-enhancing drug use, I am having trouble figuring out what the steroid era means for the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
My first instinct is to declare players such as Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez or McGwire automatically ineligible. As Wade Boggs said in Cooperstown this summer, steroid use is cheating.
I began to consider a different perspective Monday night listening to ESPN coverage of McGwire's admission.
ESPN reporter and Hall of Fame voter Tim Kurkjian, who I think is a level-headed and responsible reporter, voted for McGwire in each of his four years of eligibility. Kurkjian said he will continue to vote for McGwire and did not eliminate the possibility of voting for players who admit to PED use because, in part, it is the era in which they played.
Kurkjian has a point. The steroid era, no matter how distasteful, is a part of baseball history. The Hall of Fame is a museum and is responsible for documenting baseball the history, for good and for bad.
Ignoring steroids in Cooperstown would be a disservice to the game.
My first instinct is to declare players such as Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez or McGwire automatically ineligible. As Wade Boggs said in Cooperstown this summer, steroid use is cheating.
I began to consider a different perspective Monday night listening to ESPN coverage of McGwire's admission.
ESPN reporter and Hall of Fame voter Tim Kurkjian, who I think is a level-headed and responsible reporter, voted for McGwire in each of his four years of eligibility. Kurkjian said he will continue to vote for McGwire and did not eliminate the possibility of voting for players who admit to PED use because, in part, it is the era in which they played.
Kurkjian has a point. The steroid era, no matter how distasteful, is a part of baseball history. The Hall of Fame is a museum and is responsible for documenting baseball the history, for good and for bad.
Ignoring steroids in Cooperstown would be a disservice to the game.
posted by Anne Delaney at
12:41 PM
3 Comments:
Ah, no.
Lets take Bonds.
Ok, we know he was sissified in the playoff series versus the Mets in 2000. Then, kaboom, next year it's home run heaven. Rebirth. Record breaking year followed by many more. Word is he was tired of McGwire and Sosa having all the fun.
But we also know that from his early days as a Pirate he was destined for the HOF and put up numbers, even before enlarging his head, that made him worthy.
Lucky for baseball, unike the BCS, people pick who makes it into the big show .. the HOF. So, absolutely .. for sure Bonds on the merits, ignoring steroids, should safely find a home in the HOF. Oh, and ignoring that elbow guard he used to cheat his way into the HO .. well, nevermind, he's still good enough.
I think the deal with Bonds though .. and all the other steroid cheats, should be what to do about the HR records (single season and career). I'm thinking you take those away. Just do it Commish ... what's he gonna do? Who's really going to defend him? No one who matters. That little fact is what I would put on Bonds' plaque .. had records removed due to steroid use.
Now, McGwire is CLEARLY different. Absent steroids, and despite his willingness to lie that it did not benefit him, he doesn't have that super year and he probably doesn't even break 500 HRs. What do you do with him? If I were a voter .. trying to 'normalize' his career numbers, I'd keep him out on merit. Don't think he was a HOF'er based on projected numbers without 'roids. Just my opinion but that's the basis for the HOF, opinion.
At least, of course, until I saw they let Dawson in. If that's the standard I may have to rethink McGwire.
No way. I don't know how you take steroids and consider yourself the same ilk as the real baseball greats whose records are broken... nor how you look Roger Maris' family in the eye. Hall of Fame shouldn't have a medicine cabinet in it.
And now Fisk weighs in:
"Some of these numbers that are out there are really warped. Should they be considered? You saw how McGwire was viewed in the Hall of Fame voting. If you take the length of time that [steroid users] use that stuff and subtract 15 or 20 home runs a year for those guys, where are their numbers then?"
All to say there's enough support to remove records but I also think folks, like Fisk, would be able to recognize players who would have made it to the Hall no matter. Again, just note on their plaque that certain records were erased due to the use of PEDs.
I'd still leave out players such as McGwire and Palmeiro. I'd probably put in Bonds .. and perhaps Alex. I'd also put in Brady Anderson just so others could see the PEDs really did for players.
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