The Baseball Hall of Fame is just that - a hall of famous baseball players and others involved in the game. A combination of many factors have to be examined when deciding on a vote. It's about statistics, popularity, and contribution to the game. There are plenty of racists, jerks, and cheaters already in the Hall. There are a couple missing because of how they were cheating when they were caught (I'll write about one of them very soon). We can't turn a blind eye to players from the 1990s and 2000s because of suspicions. Several great players who probably never touched "the clear" and "the cream" are lumped in with others who have just because they played during that era. But the early 1990s were a boom time in baseball, and the 1998 season and Barry Bonds' accomplishments were an amazing time in the game. Their stories so far may not have happy endings, but how many AA middle relievers were also using steroids to try to get ahead. It's a product of the times.
These days, MLB fans have a lot to look forward to. Hopefully drug testing has actually improved (even if the policy isn't strict enough). Strasburg, Harper, Trout, and Posey are part of an amazing new group of players who should bring (hopefully clean) excitement back to the game for a new generation of fans.
Meanwhile, the Hall of Fame ballots will be quite controversial for the next several years. But those ten would be my pick this year. To not acknowledge the contributions of players from my childhood is to say that the games I attended, the players I cheered for, and the cards I collected meant nothing. And while Clemens and McGwire are the only two real "users" on my list (earlier today), as I've left off Sosa for the same reason Bonds is gone. The two of them expect to be in the Hall of Fame. Clemens and McGwire - based on what I've seen - don't seem to expect to make it any time soon. That sense of entitlement alone irritates me.
But let's get back to the issue of steroids. And to talk about that, let's look back at the McCarthy era communist scare. Remember how everyone just got off the hook by naming someone else involved in communism? The grand jury testimony and investigation ran just like the "trials" in the 1950s. Because no testing was involved, all we have to go on are players and trainers who may be lying to protect themselves or their teammates and associates. And unfortunately, Mark McGwire was right. To admit to steroid use meant shame upon him, but to deny it meant being branded a liar.
MLB was way behind the times on instituting a drug policy to combat this use. So while there are moral questions, the players we are dealing with on this year's ballot were never doing anything "against" the rules. In the end, it's a cloudy area for me. It's a time when steroids should have been tested for and clearly banned from the game, but that didn't happen. There were no rules in place. And we'll never know the whole, true story. I doubt there are smoking gun documents laying around at this point proving any certain players bought or used the substances, and so we have to go on the players' confessions only.
Do we turn a blind eye? No. But were Tony Gwynn, Nolan Ryan, and Cal Ripken using performance-enhancing drugs? I'd love to think not. But Ryan, like Clemens, was dominant late in his pitching career. Gwynn says he never used them, but how can we be sure? He had to have practiced a lot to be such a great pure hitter. And Ripken needed to keep his body in shape to play in so many games. Could he have used drugs to heal his body faster? Just because Gwynn didn't hit 500 home runs, Ripken's head didn't swell to be the size of a beer keg, and Nolan Ryan retired before Sosa and McGwire went on their ball-crushing rampage, doesn't mean they're clean. I believe they are. But everyone who played from the late 1980s through 2005 is suspect. There's no way around it.
Bob Gibson was a dominant pitcher, but he was on the mound when pitching was king. Does that make him any less of a great pitcher? What about this past year? There were three perfect games in 2012. Pitching has become big again. Will Verlander or Strasburg be compared fairly when their time comes to be voted into the hall, because they pitched during a weak-hitting era?
We have to accept the Steroids Era for what it was, and still acknowledge the legends of the time. How that pans out over the next few years and then into the future will be interesting to follow.
What are your thoughts? Post a comment here or link me to your blog post. I'm interested in what you think.
I like voting. It's still kind of fun to me to take surveys and express my opinion, and I find it interesting to see how I compare with everybody else. And now that the 2013 BBWAA Hall of Fame official ballot has been released, I can pick out the ten names I would choose if I had a choice (and used all 10 of my votes)! Here they are, in alphabetical order.
Jeff Bagwell was the face of the Astros in the 1990s, and while he didn't join the 500 home run club, he was a consistently strong player and holds several team records. He is considered one of the best first basemen of all time, and his batting stance is still visible in many baseball fans' memories today. That says Fame to me.
While he may have been (okay, was) a jerk, and might have used steroids at some point in his career, he is one of the best pitchers of all time. His domination on the mound didn't just come from power, but also presence and pitching smarts. And while I'm not condoning it, having a cocky attitude may be what Roger Clemens needed to be a dominating pitcher.
Julio Franco may not hold many MLB statistical records, but he's Hall of Fame material in my mind for other reasons. He set several records for "oldest" player to do several things, and he was an all-around good guy to have on any ballclub - several of which he played for. Between eight MLB teams, at least nine minor league teams, Mexican League ball, the Dominican Winter League, a South Korean team, and twice playing for the Marines here in Japan, he might have the record for most teams played with total. I'm not sure. Over his 26-year career, he compiled over 4200 hits in major, minor, and international league play - only Ty Cobb and Pete Rose have done that too. He had an outstanding 1991 season, and holds an MLB career batting average of .298 with 2586 hits. While I think he doesn't have a chance to make it on the BBWAA ballot, I hope he eventually gets in.
Could there be anyone who looks more miserable to be riding the bench? Edgar Martinez made a career of spending most of his time on the pine while still being on the starting lineup, and might be the best designated hitter of all time. He has a career batting average of .312 with 2247 hits and 309 home runs. The award for the best DH is named after him. He is one of Seattle's fan favorites, and raised the bar for players who take the field.
Don Mattingly might be one that gets elected many, many years from now. He had a high batting average and was a great player, though he was on the worst Yankees run in the past century. Mattingly has won multiple awards and has had his number retired by the Yankees. I would like to see him elected after his managerial career comes to an end, because the Dodgers are looking pretty good and could put it all together for a while.
What do you do with a man who is a member of one of the most prestigious clubs in baseball, brought interest back to the game after the horrible 1994 strike, and recently admitted to using steroids during his career? Maybe you put an asterisk on his plaque. I'm not sure. But McGwire was an important part of baseball both during the A's dynasty of 1988-1990 and the 1998 home run chase, and he has 583 home runs in his career.
Jeff Bagwell, Edgar Martinez and Don Mattingly are all faces of their franchises. So is Dale Murphy. He didn't put up great career numbers but was a perennial All-Star, Gold Glove winner, and Silver Slugger winner. He has twice been the NL MVP. His number is retired by the Braves and his legend in Atlanta is on par with Chipper Jones. Plus, the Braves were America's Team for a long time and thus his fame reaches out beyond the southeast.
What do you do with one of the best hitting catchers of all-time? Piazza was known for his bat (.308, 427 HR) but was a pretty good behind the plate as well. He was a twelve-time All Star, ten-time Silver Slugger winner, and the 1993 NL Rookie of the Year. He should be in the Hall next year.
A member of the 3000-Strikeout Club, Curt Schilling has frequently come through in the postseason and has been a member of a World Series-winning team three times.
Another local fan favorite, Trammell ended up on several All Star teams and has won multiple awards. Between his bat and glove, he proved to be a valuable part of the Tigers organization and was half of the longest-running double play combination in history with Lou Whitaker. Statistically, he's one of the top ten shortstops of all time and ranks better than many Hall of Fame shortstops.
I put that card of Barry Bonds at the top of this post. Bonds belongs in the Hall of Fame. Whether you like him or not, he was a presence on the field both with the Pirates and the Giants. He holds a ton of records - he was the Babe Ruth of the 1990s and 2000s. I believe he did steroids, but at this point I believe that nearly everyone else did as well. He was driven to be the best, and even before he probably started doing steroids he was one of the best on the field. But I think there are plenty of other deserving players not getting enough attention. And, Bonds doesn't deserve unanimous selection. He will have to settle for less than the best.
Honestly, I really think Bonds suffered from a need to be the best. He had to be better than everyone - season home runs, career home runs - he is very close to being the all-time leader in several other categories. Even just a couple years ago, he had dreams of returning to the field, and I bet he would have played for the league minimum.
I'm going to continue my thoughts on the Hall of Fame in my next post...
