Drug cheats will likely miss out on Hall of Fame

Those of us who do not want performance-enhancing drug users to darken the doorstep of the Baseball Hall of Fame apparently have reason to be optimistic about the 2013 voting.

A rather intensive survey by the Associated Press (apparently more thorough than this year’s election polling) demonstrates that Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa, all linked to the use of PEDs in some way, likely have no chance of induction into the Hall this year.

I never expected Sosa to have a real chance at first-ballot induction. Sosa was a one-trick pony (even his hometown baseball writers refuse to vote for him) and that trick was up as soon as he was definitively linked to steroids by the New York Times. But I thought there was a slim chance enough writers would overlook the misdeeds of Bonds and Clemens and focus on their earlier careers, which some argue were Hall of Fame-worthy even before they even turned to drugs. I often want to ask people who make that argument how they know that Bonds and Clemens weren’t dirty, cheating in some form or another, back then. When it comes to those two, they have not earned the benefit of the doubt.

The survey does leave open the possibility of future induction, particularly for Bonds and Clemens, as some writers will simply punish the two by not voting for them on the first ballot. But that’s a question for another day, one that will be debated endlessly if they fail to score the first time around.

But Bill Madden today makes an excellent argument that the debate over the PED cheaters is overshadowing truly deserving Hall candidates such as Jack Morris and Craig Biggio. I was disappointed that Morris, the epitome of a big-game pitcher, did not get in last year, partly because of the anti-induction campaign launched by the stat geeks against his candidacy. But he got just shy of 67% in 2012, which bodes well for his chances in this round of balloting. I’d be surprised if Biggio, with his 3,000+ hits doesn’t make it in, although he could be hurt by voters who don’t believe he is worthy of first-ballot induction. If that’s the case, expect him to come really close in the balloting this year, which sets him up for election in 2014.  

So I won’t just be rooting against Bonds, Clemens and Sosa. I will be cheering hard for Morris and Biggio. Let these two deserving candidates in, writers!

 

Thanks to Wjmummert via Wikipedia for the Sosa photo.

Keep the drug cheats out of Baseball Hall of Fame

The next candidates for the Baseball Hall of Fame will be officially announced today, but we already have a good idea of who will make the list. Whether the drug cheats who will appear on the ballot are worthy of induction is another question that for many is difficult to answer, but for me is a no brainer.

I have long argued that baseball players linked to performance-enhancing drugs should not be allowed into the Hall. My position has not changed. But it will be tested for many of the baseball writers now that Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens will be on the ballot. There will be some writers who will attempt to separate their supposedly clean years when they started to build their Hall of Fame credentials from the latter years of their careers when they were linked to steroids or human growth hormone. That to me is a futile exercise so I have a hard-and-fast rule: if you cheated, you’re out.

That rule has allowed me to draw an unmovable line in the sand, even with players that I have had a great deal of affection for in the past such as Andy Pettitte (whose apparent decision to return for another year is great news for the New York Yankees). Pettitte, to his credit, admitted that he cheated and will likely be kept out of the Hall, even though his career postseason stats build a solid case for induction. I suspect Pettitte will receive a respectable number of votes given his resume and general likeability, but he will fall far short of the Hall of Fame, as he should.

But Pettitte’s probable return means he won’t even be on the ballot for five years after he decides to retire for good so his candidacy can be debated in future years. The writers will face the more immediate test on Bonds, Clemens and some of their contemporaries. There will be a lot of outside pressure from those who believe that rejecting such dominant players would make the Hall selection process a farce, but I hope the writers stick to their guns and keep the drug cheats out.   

 

Thanks to Keith Allison via Wikipedia for the Clemens photo.

PED cloud will forever hang over baseball

The baseball players union finally prevailed in its long battle to force the government to destroy the list of more than 100 dirty players it has in its possession. Does this mean that the cloud of performance-enhancing drug usage is starting to dissipate for baseball? Not quite.

As the court battle dragged on, the list was well preserved as potential state's evidence, which means that at least a few government employees have seen it. Names have already leaked, including Alex Rodriguez, in what has been a slow, painful release of supposedly confidential information. And even though the government is giving up its legal fight, the employees already know who else is on the list. Could they be motivated to leak other names since they no longer have any hope that the list will come out through legitimate legal proceedings? Possibly. I wouldn't be surprised if we see some more names leaked in 2011.

Barry Bonds was already outed as a steroids user and his upcoming trial for obstruction of justice and perjury will bring a fresh round of PED revelations, especially if the government succeeds in putting other players such as Jason Giambi on the stand. Roger Clemens will also go on trial for perjury and obstruction of justice related to his 2008 Congressional testimony. Bonds' trial is set to begin on March 21, 10 days before the first regular-season game of the 2011 baseball season, with Clemens' trial due to begin in April. Can you imagine worse timing? Perhaps a postponement of either the Bonds or the Clemens trial that drags it through the 2011 postseason, overshadowing the best time of the year for the sport.

Moreover, as guys such as Bonds and Clemens become eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame, the PED debate will resurface again and again as baseball writers, fans and critics all debate their candidacies. For me, there is no gray area on the PED issue. If a player has been caught using PEDs, there is no room for him in the Hall. It's not as black and white for other observers so the debate will rage on, bringing the PED story front and center for years to come.

So unfortunately, the dark cloud of PED use will continue to linger over baseball, with attempts to move on constantly disrupted by fresh revelations. It's something that baseball fans and officials will just have to find a way to live with.

Thanks to Kevin Rushforth via Wikipedia for the photo.