There's no crying in baseball, but there is definitely cheating.
The Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) released its Hall of Fame ballot on Wednesday, and the age-old argument of steroids in baseball has reared its ugly head. The nominees include players who have been in and out of media attention and testimonies for years, such as Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Roger Clemens.
The credibility of baseball is no longer what it once was. But the BBWAA and the league now have an opportunity to set a precedent for future players and generations of fans, an opportunity to return some of that credibility to the sport. To do that, the players accused of using performance-enhancing drugs need to stay out of Cooperstown.
It would be inappropriate and even downright stupid to ignore such a large part of baseball history. Bonds is the all-time home run champion with 762 and has won a record seven MVP awards. Clemens holds a record seven Cy Young trophies. Sosa ranks eighth on the homer chart with 609. They are players synonymous with excellence in their sport.
But they are also players synonymous with what is being deemed by many as the "Steroids Era" of baseball, creating a stigma in the sport for every player involved whether they are juicing up or not.
The quality of Bonds' and Clemens' performances is not the overall issue. They are not going to be forgotten whether they have a spot in Cooperstown or not, and unless the league changes its policy and the charges against them are proven without a doubt, they will continue to keep their records and their performance legacy. What is being questioned is the quality of their integrity and sportsmanship.
If an instance of an athlete losing his legacy because of steroids is even needed, all you need to do is go back to September to the sport of cycling. If Lance Armstrong had his titles and accomplishments stripped from him, then there shouldn't be any differentiation between that and a player being disqualified from the Hall of Fame for the same reason.
If these players are guilty of what they have been accused of - namely, cheating in baseball - then why should they be awarded the highest honor baseball bestows? If they were to, indeed, make it into the Hall of Fame, after cheating in the game, then anyone with a history of cheating for whatever reason should also have the opportunity to make it in.
Pete Rose is the all-time MLB leader in hits with 4,256. He has three World Series rings, three batting titles, one MVP award, two Gold Gloves and 17 All-Star appearances. But Pete Rose is not in the Hall of Fame because in 1989 he was deemed permanently ineligible from baseball after being accused of gambling on games while playing and managing for Cincinnati. In 1991, the Hall of Fame banned all permanently ineligible players from being admitted.
Rose isn't in the Hall of Fame because the league doesn't believe ethics are that black and white. Cheating with steroids is not the same thing as cheating with money. Cheating is not all lumped into one category - one inherits suspension while the other inherits a lifelong ban. And that should change, all or nothing.
The league and the BBWAA, for now, need to realize and recognize these actions don't get to be casually ignored and swept under the rug if the sport wants to move forward and repair a tarnished legacy. They can set an example for future players and further generations and make sure the vote goes to the right kinds of players.
A player needs 75 percent of the vote to get into Cooperstown, though, and the odds are already stacked against Bonds, Clemens and accused returners if history repeats itself. Mark McGwire publically admitted to using PEDs in 2010 after years of accusations. He peaked at 23.5 percent in his first year of eligibility in 2007 and dropped to 19.5 on last year's ballot.
The Hall of Fame's motto is "Preserving History, Honoring Excellence, Connecting Generations." This is not history we need to preserve or a connection we need to make. Let's keep to honoring excellence, though - excellence not just in performance but also in character.
Email: editorial@ubspectrum.com
