I have long held an unpopular opinion. I believe if you have Hall of Fame talent, you belong in a Hall of Fame. I, myself, believe this shows up earlier rather than later. I didn’t think that Jim Rice, Duke Snider, or Gary Carter should have waited over 5 years (and in the case of Rice and Snider 15) to have their names enshrined among the greats.
I also believe that Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens shouldn’t have to wait 10 years. “Gee, Tom, don’t you mean 15?” No weird voice in my head I mean ten. In a gutless move that only will ensure the games all time home run leader and a pitcher with over 350 wins will be excluded from the rightful plaque in Cooperstown, the Hall of Fame perverted a time-honored standard and went from a 15 year eligibility window to 10 years.
Well that weird voice inside my head says “Gee, Tom, don’t you believe in truth, justice and the American way?” Well, W.V. I sure do. I also believe in innocent until proven guilty. I also believe that there are no innocence in the Hall, but that is a debate I have used for years. I think the worst thing that baseball ever did was utilize sanctimonious writers as the arbiters of who is Hall worthy and who isn’t. For proof? Well, I have proof and speculation.
We as a sports loving public will condemn Mssrs. Bonds, Clemens, Sosa, McGwire, Palmeiro, Rodriguez, Canseco etc. all as “dirty flippin’ cheaters”. Yet, we will commend Tony LaRussa, one of two people who benefited from steroids more than anyone in professional sports and call him a genius as he enters the hall of fame on the alleged acne riddled backs of accused steroid users. Of course it was merely his ‘brilliant’ mind that won three World Series.
The speculation is that if the only person who was a commissioner longer than you is the guy who first became a commissioner odds are your simple…mind is going to the Hall. I can think of only one person less fit than Bud Selig to enter a Hall of Fame (wanna make a Bett, man?) Where to begin with the symphony of failure that is Allan Huber “Bud” Selig. He was brought in to reign in the big spenders and make small markets more competitive…outside of a small run by the Twins, and last year by the Pirates, big money still wins and gets to the playoffs every year. Well that was a bear to tackle what about this steroid stuff going on? “Bobblehead” Bud’s answer? “Chicks Dig The Long Ball”…So remember now as McGwire and Sosa are saving Baseball in areas without winning teams by making the game and records relevant and fun again, “Bobblehead” Bud is starting up that bus to throw them under and polish his apple. Then of course there was the All Star game debacle. His screw-up solution? “It’s an exhibition that counts!” Nothing that Selig did benefited the game of baseball. Big spenders still spend, as we saw from Ryan Braun, Alex Rodriguez, Nelson Cruz, Jhonny Peralta and more steroid users still use and the All Star game still determines home field for the Series…and this guy will get his plaque in Cooperstown.
What bugs me the most is there are the pain in the…neck writers that will justify how LaRussa and Selig belong in the Hall on their merits yet call the players dirty cheaters. Make no mistake, if I thought all parties were held to the same standard, I wouldn’t mind these players never seeing the Hall of Fame without a ticket, but seeing what has and knowing what will happen, I can’t help but feel that the players we’ve paid good money to cheer on, hate, cry about and for are getting the short end of the stick. A la Mr. Commiskey short-changing the players yet making money hand over fist getting his ticket punched for the Hall although he as much as Arnold Rothstein, Sport Sullivan or Chick Gandil was responsible for the throwing of the 1919 Series.
Yes I understand it’s a belabored point and I am tilting at a windmill that will never bend to my ideal, but I still can be angered. Dan LeBatard was right.
