Let’s get one thing straight: I am NOT giving the players a pass for using steroids, HGH, or any other illegal substance, either now or at any time in the past. In my opinion, in the vast majority of cases the players KNOWINGLY took illegal substances, usually in attempt to gain and edge on their competition. We can debate the relative merits of such laws, but the fact is these players HAVE broken the law, and have done so with impunity for many years. Like it or not, they are public figures and are role models for youth, and while I am a big believer that parents are the ultimate role model, having pro athletes and other celebrities continually break the law can make life tough on a parent.
Having said all that, the situation really is becoming a joke. Alex Rodriguez is getting pilloried in the press for a test he failed 5 years ago, which was SUPPOSED to be confidential AND anonymous. This test was administered to measure the number of users in the game – there were no league-enforced penalties for use at that time. 103 other players reportedly tested positive, yet Rodriguez is the only name released. It cannot be a coincidence that he’s the highest-paid player in the game, and also on-pace to set the home run record. Both the owners and the players’ association bear great responsibility for this serious breach of trust – why was the list of names even kept? If the tests were anonymous, how was a link between the test sample and Rodriguez possible? Yet no one talks about any of that, it’s all ‘shame, shame, the game is forever tainted.’ Really?
In 1890, hall-of-fame pitcher Pud Galvin tried a very…unique method of raising his testosterone. Throughout the early 20th century pitchers did everything they could to the ball – spit, tobacco, Vaseline, scuffs, any cheating they could get away with. In the 1950’s through the 1980’s illicit drug use was rampant in baseball – be it via amphetamines, cocaine, or other drugs. The aim of all was to gain that ‘edge’. In 1998 Mark McGwire smashed the home run record while having Andro (a derivative of anabolic steroids, legal at the time) in his locker; the owners counted the dollars and didn’t ask questions.
Not until pressure began to mount from Congress and the press did the owners see fit to take action. Since that time, they’ve gone out of their way to a.) vilify the players while playing themselves as innocents; and b.) keep this ‘news’ story cycling, rather than letting it fade like football (can you name the last high-profile NFL player to receive a steroid suspension? Answer below). The latest example of this behavior was 2 weeks ago, with Commisioner Bud Selig telling Newsday “I don’t want to hear the commissioner turned a blind eye to this or he didn’t care about it”, amongst other self-pity quotes. What a joke. The owners and general managers clearly had at least HINTS of what was going on, but took no action until forced to do so by Congress. I’m not interested in their protestations of innocence.
Turning to the Hall of Fame, and those who elect its members, the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA). They’ve already made an example out of McGwire, as he’s garnered less than 25% of the vote for three years running. Many voters are on record as stating no steroid user will ever get their vote. How does this compare to historical precedent? That depends on how you view steroids. The Hall has barred entry by any of the banned 1919 ‘Black Sox’, most notably Joe Jackson. I’ll buy that one, baseball had to take a stand against the fixed games. Pete Rose also broke the one unbreakable rule – no sympathy for him from me, and I have no issue with his continued exile.
However, the voters HAVE elected Ty Cobb (who once charged the stands to beat a man with no hands, AND refused to shake Babe Ruth’s hand because he thought Ruth had a black ancestor), Babe Ruth (noted philanderer, alcoholic, missed about 1/3 of the 1925 season due to his nightlife and overeating), Willie Mays (amphetamine user), Mickey Mantle (known alcoholic), Willie Stargell (implicated in the Pirates’ cocaine scandal in the 1980’s), Gaylord Perry (known, admitted spitballer). I’d also add that former commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis is enshrined as well, and there’s considerable evidence that he kept blacks out of baseball for decades. I have my opinions about the CHARACTER of each of these players. I have NO question that each of the players above was among the very best in the game and deserved to be enshrined. What kind of a Hall of Fame doesn’t eventually include Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Alex Rodriguez? Does it become the Hall of Clean? If so, it’s time to clean out some of the older, less virtuous players.
The real answer is: vote on PLAYING merit and don’t try to vote on morality. Based on everything I’ve seen of the man (and I’ve seen a lot), Barry Bonds is a Class 1 jerk. Based on everything I’ve read, so was Ty Cobb. Both are inner-circle Hall-of-Fame talents. Enshrine them, make sure the facts of their careers are available, and let the fans judge them as they see fit. To do anything else is to embark down a slippery slope. Where do we stop? Do the voters exclude a player who got a DUI as a 21-year-old rookie? Exclude a player who had 7 kids to 6 women? Exclude a player who drinks 15 cups of coffee a day while playing? No, it’s time to get past all of that. Baseball has had one unbreakable rule for 90 years – bet on the game and you’re out – permanently. Aside from that, all other players should be considered strictly based on their on-field performance.
Some will say, ‘but the entire ERA is tainted! Smaller parks, steroids, who is to say who is worthy?’ My response: did you know that in 1930 the NL LEAGUE BATTING AVERAGE was .303? In other words, a .300 hitter was below average that year. Teams averaged almost 6 runs per game Hack Wilson had 191 RBI in 1930, a record that still stands. Now that you know how inflated the numbers were, do you think less of his accomplishment? In 1968, the league average was .243, and teams scored only 3.4 runs per game. Does that mean you appreciate Bob Gibson’s 1.12 earned run average a little less? Well, you probably should – and we should consider today’s accomplishments in context as well. But that does NOT mean we throw a blanket over the era end exclude everyone – any more than we did in the 1930’s, or the ‘60’s. We simply should elect the best players, acknowledge the quirks of a given era, and move on.
In conclusion, we have to hold the players accountable for their actions. But let’s realize that players are entitled to due process as well – for all the accusations and circumstantial evidence flying around, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, and Sammy Sosa never failed a drug test administered by MLB. Let’s also hold the owners partially responsible for this debacle, as well as the press, who once turned a blind eye but now seems intent on tacking scalps to the wall, evidence be damned. MLB’s testing and penalties for drug use are now the class of major league sports – I commend that, and hope that players realize the benefits do not outweigh the risks. There are always new substances out there to try, as a friend recently said to me ‘the users are always going to be 1 step ahead of the testers’. This is a problem across many sports – let’s hope the news for this season focuses more on the field and less on actions from 5+ years ago.
By the way, Shawne Merriman was the last top-caliber NFL player suspended for steroid use. Note that the NFL noted it, noted his penalty (4 game suspension) then mostly refused to talk about it. The NFL has abusers as well, they know it, but they don’t continually bash their own product by magnifying the issue in the press. It would be nice if MLB would learn this lesson.
Dave Glass lives in Clearfield with his wife, Suzanne, and their six children. He can be reached at buggyracer@verizon.net