Hall of Fame or Shame?

Everyone acts like they didn’t see this day coming…like they couldn’t foresee the spate of players who would pop up on the same Hall of Fame ballot in 2013.  Five years ago, when Barry Bonds retired, we knew this day would come.  Then why does everyone seem to be chiming in?  For whatever reason the Halls of Fame hold a special place in the hearts of Americans, with none more so than baseball’s at Cooperstown.

But, if you ask me, yesterday’s announcement that the Hall of Fame would not be enshrining anyone this year sounds, in the words of Thomas Jefferson, a warning bell in the night.  Sure, TJ was talking about disputes over slavery, but at heart in 1820 was his worry that the country would not adapt to increased sectional conflict over a divisive issue.  I’m beginning to wonder whether baseball’s posterity might be experiencing something similar right about now.  The steroid era, known for inflated numbers, corked bats, and bigger heads (literal and figurative) received a roundhouse kick to the face yesterday.  The all-time home run leader, the only man to hit 60 home runs three seasons in a row, and the best pitcher in the last 25 years all lost out on the first ballot of the Hall of Fame!  How can we even take that phrase seriously when three greats, surefire placements according to their numbers, don’t make the cut?

Unlike many who will waffle over the coming weeks, integrity remains a part of baseball.  Thus, suspicions about performance enhancers should justifiably enter the minds of voters (who are writers, by the way).  This year’s voting class watched the steroid era unfold and gave it just desserts.  To shut the gates of Cooperstown for a year might seem highly unfair and downright un-American, but if players belong in the Hall they will be voted in eventually.  Baseball’s rules allow players to remain on the ballot for 15 years assuming they stay above 5% each year when ballots are tabulated.  The Hall belongs for those unique moments of brilliance, the manifestation where God (or evolution to be PC) somehow got everything right.  Those athletes are able to perform at a high level with class.

Like it or not, steroids give a player advantages over their competition.  After numerous trials and books, not to mention a few admissions of guilt, we know many players doped.  Those who admitted, like Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro, don’t deserve their spot in the Hall (Raf might lose his ballot spot after next year).  They cheated, and admitted it.  Players like Bonds and Clemens, easily two of the best players in their generation, went through tortuous trials (one at taxpayer’s expense) to “prove” their innocence.  Despite not guilty verdicts, many analysts point to prosecutorial miscues in both cases, not an overwhelming lack of evidence.

And that applies to the minds of voters as well…they have circumstantial evidence for those guys, not overwhelming proof.  And yet, the era of big numbers defined itself throughout baseball for ever after by pill bottles, controversy, and a broken bat thrown from the pitcher’s mound.  The new label, not one found in lawbooks or courtrooms, reads “guilty by association.”

The evidence of this could not be clearer on the 2013 ballot.  Take away the exclusion of Bonds, Clemens, and Sosa…even Craig Biggio, a member of the 3000-hit club, couldn’t sneak past.  Mike Piazza, the best hitting catcher the game has seen, couldn’t get in.  Curt Schilling, a postseason monster, couldn’t reach 40%.  Mark my words, one of those three will be in next year, but considering they all played during the steroid era, how sure can we be anymore?  Will the baseball Hall forever close itself to anyone who played their career during the 90s and 2000s?

When many speculated about the Hall’s vote this year, very few saw a donut coming.  No one believed the Cooperstown gateway guardians would punish a leadoff hitter like Biggio, with 3000 hits, simply for playing in the steroid era.  And that’s what should be discussed.  We are kidding ourselves if we truly foresaw three-quarters of the 569 voters letting in shady characters like Bonds, Sosa, and Clemens.  But to not let a 3000-hit guy in on his first ballot?  Piazza has unswervingly professed innocence as far as steroids are concerned and has received the endorsements from his GM and manager while he played for the Mets.  But a power hitter like him will have trouble based on the precedent set this week.  He might be a great hitting catcher, arguably the best…but he will need some help to dispel the cloud around him.

Like everything, time may close all wounds here.  In ten years, with the noxious fumes of steroids halfway dissipated, will the home run king be part of Cooperstown?  It’s possible that future voters will look back at the era and not hold its vices against those unfortunate enough to play right then. But for right now baseball looks unable to adjust to the steroids era.  How will it make sense of steroids in regards to the legacy of the league and its individual players?  For my money, voters should not reward cheaters.  But, a different voting base, different time, and different perception may come to bear in the years to come.

If I’m Barry and Roger, I’d keep my mouth shut and suit dry cleaned while reserving realistic expectations.  This sure isn’t going to change overnight.

Bit #1: LET PETE ROSE IN!!!

With each passing year that the all-time hits leader doesn’t find himself in the Hall or even on a ballot continues to irk me and should bother you.  He lost his position in baseball, receiving a lifetime ban, for gambling on games while managing the Reds.  This all after a career where he accumulated 4,256 hits and a .303 batting average.  He never gambled against the Reds either, and even then gambling does not provide any kind of a competitive advantage on the field unless you are purposefully throwing games.

And yet, men who admitted to physically enhancing themselves to gain the upper edge garner over 30% of the Hall vote this year.  The farce of Rose’s ban must end…baseball has evolved from those days, passing through the terrors of steroids.  Mark McGwire admitted his use, and now coaches hitting at the major league level!  The inconsistency of MLB’s position makes no sense…I know Rose might not be a likable guy, but without gaining a competitive advantage he accrued numbers to make him one of the top 10 players ever…and yet writers can’t vote for him.  Every year I think of Rose right about now, as another year passes without him being eligible. 

Bit #2: Idiocy in Dallas

The title of this Bit should shock all but the intelligent of you, but the Dallas Cowboys continue their futile organizational structure.  Jerry Jones, GM, owner, and king of the franchise, fired defensive coordinator Rob Ryan this week.

While Ryan’s defenses have not been good this year, his firing reeks of a similar situation in Philly earlier this year.  When the team looked down, the DC received the ax despite leading a decent unit up to that point.  For Ryan, he’s only ever coached one top-10 defense, and generally lugs his ample weight around through bombast, defiance, and swearing.  If you were looking to identify an unlikable cuss, any member of the Ryan family would fit the bill, and Rob’s no exception.

Still, his defense signed eight new players in the last month of the season and was able to enough to contend in Week 17.  Might have been three-quarters devoted to offensive genius that gave this success, but the Dallas D did enough to stop opponents in close games, giving Romo a chance, which he took more often than not.  The patchwork job Ryan did for the D deserves some credit and would justify letting him come back next year in the last year of his current contract.

As people have already said, if Jerry wants true change he needs to hire a GM to replace him.