Happy New Year to all of my fellow Pioneers. With every new year comes new sporting news, and 2014 is no exception. Last Wednesday the BBWAA (Baseball Writers Association of America) voted in three new members to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Four-time Cy Young-winner Greg Maddux will be joined by former Atlanta Braves pitcher Tom Glavine and two-time MVP slugger Frank Thomas in Cooperstown this summer.
Maddux, the long-time Brave and Cub, was considered a shoo-in this year. His four consecutive Cy Young awards and 18 Gold Glove awards set him apart as one of the best pitchers of all time. Meanwhile, Glavine’s 305 career wins and Thomas’ 521 home runs were more than enough to prove their worth to the voters. All three were first ballot inductees. While Maddux, Glavine and Thomas were all widely expected to receive the necessary votes (75 percent of voters), the BBWAA continued to shun other potential entrants, including Craig Biggio, who missed out by only .2 percent of the votes. With suspected clean players such as Biggio continuing to miss out and new steroid-era players reaching eligibility every year, Hall of Fame voting is becoming more controversial than ever.
Last year, the BBWAA failed to elect a member to the Hall of Fame for the first time since 1996, keeping out big -name players such as Barry Bonds and Rodger Clemens. The writers’ persistence in keeping these players out shows their stance on proven and suspected users of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs). Both Bonds and Clemens saw their vote totals drop about two percent each this year, an indication that as ballots become more crowded the less likely it is that they, and others with tarnished reputations, will ever gain entry.
While this is one of the most divisive issues in baseball today, to me the issue is simple. Some writers say the Hall of Fame is simply a museum that records the most prominent and significant players and moments in baseball history. While I don’t necessarily disagree with this point, I believe it must stand for something much more. I had the distinct pleasure of visiting Cooperstown in 2005 just after the induction of All- Star infielders Wade Boggs and Ryne Sandberg.
Looking at the plaques, George Herman “Babe” Ruth, Tom Seaver and Hank Aaron made it all too clear Barry Bonds doesn’t belong. Ruth and Aaron, the former home run kings, both knocked out over 700 home runs without even the possibility of PEDs, and Seaver posted a career .286 ERA (earned run average) with over 300 wins with no more than hard work and God-given talent.
While the achievements of Bonds, Clemens and even Alex Rodriguez, who has just been suspended for 162 games for his connection to the Biogenesis scandal, can’t be denied, the black mark they left on their legacies far outweighs their accolades.
It is not fair for the players who helped create America’s pastime to have to share their museum with those who reigned in its darkest years.
The point is not that Bonds and the like were not great players. It is true that in an era when fans were dwindling, a newfound excitement led by big home run hitters and record hunts helped to fill stadiums and reignite America’s love for the game.
The point is there were some players who chose to respect the game and there were those who did not. While we may never be certain, I believe there were notable Hall of Fame worthy players who chose to stay clean even when others around them were gaining an unfair edge. Players such as Chipper Jones and Ken Griffey Jr. prove that PEDs were not necessary to keep up in league, and they, as faces of the league, can be beacons of clean and prosperous careers.
For now it seems, with the exception of perhaps Biggio, the BBWAA seems to agree with me. However, with a substantial number of voters and fans screaming for reform, the current voting system may soon be out of date.
In a sport where statistics and records are what fans seem to love most, the breaking of such records by steroid users is somewhat perverse. I know I’m not the only one left with a sour taste in their mouth every time I hear Bonds called the home run “king.” Keep the cheaters out, and let the truly exceptional in.
