The Baseball Writers are Wrong...Again!

True confession, I was angry when I came across this article: https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/26/us/baseball-hall-of-fame-class-of-2021-empty-spt-trnd/index.html because as usual, while I love the game of baseball I am always stunned by the double standards and hypocrisy that come from the writers who created the myths of the great players from the past while creating narratives for their favorite players today. 

Still, when it comes to the Hall of Fame, players should be elected based on their performance on the field. As a Dodger fan I am more than happy to root against any great Giants player but as a fan of the game I will cheer their accomplishments when I am lucky enough to witness their greatness. Then when these same greats walk away from the game I will thank them for the memories.

Yes, seeing my team finally win a World Series after a 32 year wait was a great thrill but that doesn't mean that I didn't have just as many thrills from players on other teams over the past three decades. I saw the home run chase in 1998. I saw Barry Bonds break the single season and career home run records. I saw the Yankee dynasty led my Derek Jeter. I saw the Red Sox and Cubs breaks their curses. I saw Rickey Henderson break and set the all time stolen base record. I saw Joe Carter's famous World Series home run. I saw Ichiro Suzuki's amazing all around play. I saw the great Mariano Rivera dominate hitters like no one else in history. Yes, so many great memories. 

This game is so good. 

 

Banned Substances?  

For some reason the steroid era is beat down and bullied like no other era because for some reason their cheating is just too much to handle. The great players from that era who are currently being kept out of the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writer's Association are Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. 

I find it interesting how neither player has ever been tested for steroids and/or has not been found guilty of committing any sort of crime in court and still, that is not enough. Sure, Bonds admitted to unknowingly using steroids https://www.smh.com.au/sport/barry-bonds-admits-doing-drugs-but-thought-he-was-taking-flax-seed-oil-court-hears-20110323-1c5zb.html while Clemens' trainer admitted to injecting him with steroids https://www.foxnews.com/us/clemens-former-trainer-says-he-injected-him-with-performance-enhancing-drugs. Yes, to some that is enough. These men cheated, period. No Hall of Fame. No exceptions. 

Yeah. That's one way of looking at the situation.

The Mitchell Report lists several players suspected of using steroids with many of these players not only being peers of Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens but also pitchers Bonds would have faced along with batters Clemens would have faced http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/news/mitchell/players.jsp  

Yes, we can argue the ethics of steroid use but it was not a culture created by either of these players. So, why focus solely on the fact that these players cheated when we it can also be argued that they were just two of many who leveled the playing field? And it's not like the rest of the players were unaware of what was going on in the game at that time. Consider this excerpt, which is a quote from former Yankee manager Joe Torre  from Tom Verducci's book The Yankee Years: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/171445-book-review-the-yankee-years-by-joe-torre-and-tom-verducci

Though I don't remember ever having heard of this at the time, apparently former Texas Rangers pitcher Rick Helling was one of the first to blow the whistle on the steroid issue, at a players' union meeting in 1998. He challenged his fellow players to crack down on PEDs, to help make sure the game was played the right way, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. He repeatedly stated that, at least in his opinion, the increasing prevalence of steroids in baseball was forcing some otherwise clean players to consider using PEDs themselves, just to remain competitive.

And are we supposed to believe that Verducci and other baseball writers at that time were also unaware of this going on in the game? Meanwhile, I think Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman did a great job talking about this cheating culture that Bonds found himself in during this segment of Fist Take:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMgalhEEYTg 

So the big question is, are we really upset with cheaters or do we just go after the players who not only cheated but who were also the best of the best whose talent allowed them thrive even more in what was a dishonest culture? This was the same culture that Lance Armstrong competed in with his dominance pronouncing his guilt more than the other cyclists of his era. However, that doesn't make him less of a man than his peers who did the same thing. 

This is a bed that baseball made for themselves and they allowed it in order to resurrect the game that was still in shambles after the disastrous player's strike of 1994. In return, the game's popularity returned with both owners and several players making a lot of money. As Smith asked, are any of them planning on returning the money that they earned from their dishonest ways?  

Even the great Hank Aaron knows that the game and Hall of Fame are filled with cheaters.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iNycrHUGiY&t=241s   Notice, when asked if he ever cheated Aaron did not give a clear answer. With that in mind, consider the statement on the eleventh line of this article: https://sites.google.com/site/brettbushthesis/chapter-4/amphetamine-steroid-era/amphetamines 

Yes, there were whispers of steroid use at that time of that era but we also know that the game now will look back at other things before inducting people in the Hall of Fame. And with that being said, why stop at those who may receive induction? https://www.cleveland.com/tribe/2021/01/character-issues-may-hurt-omar-vizquel-curt-schilllings-hall-of-fame-vote-totals.html Maybe we should go back further and reevaluate those who are in the Hall of Fame right now. 

The great Babe Ruth had many skeletons in his closet and while certain behavior traits have been overlooked for years what about cheating?  http://www.baltimoreorless.com/2011/01/babe-ruth-injected-sheeps-testicles/  And while he may have tried this method one time are we to assume that this was the only time he experimented with some kind of foreign substance in order to get an edge? The same thing would apply to the great Mickey Mantle but yet again, certain eras and methods are not held to the same standard. Unfortunately, most members of the Baseball Writers Association do not have the same set of standards as Steve Goldman: https://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2014/1/7/5284236/time-to-delete-mickey-mantle-from-the-hall-of-fame

Then you have those who made use of amphetamines. Many baseball fans and historians dismiss the use of these substances but it's just not that easy: https://www.espn.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=kreidler_mark&id=2225013 And were players aware of the fact that these substances were more useful than say a few cups of coffee? Consider this quote for this article: https://www.alternet.org/2016/04/5-drugs-major-league-baseball/

Greenies" (Dexedrine) were a club house staple for decades beginning just after World War II, when ball players drafted into the military returned to the diamond having been exposed to the stimulant pills, which the armed forces dispensed by the millions. Another incubator of baseball speed-freakery was the winter Caribbean baseball circuit. There, players on seasonal hiatus discovered the two coffee pot system, where each club house had one pot with regular coffee and one with an amphetamine additive.  Talk about a morning wake me up!

Maybe we could finally have this conversation later this year when the Hall of Fame ceremony was schedule to take place. 

Inappropriate Worldview? 

Let's face it, most members of the media lean left and I really don't care. They are entitled to their opinions and while many speak of the influence they have on our culture we also need to remind ourselves that we have the right to change the channel or refrain from reading any of their books, articles or blogs. 

I am not here to agree with or defend Curt Schilling's political or social views but I will defend his right to speak his views. It's most interesting to me how in this article by Mike Oz: https://sports.yahoo.com/curt-schilling-requests-to-be-removed-from-hall-of-fame-ballot-after-falling-short-again-010044122.html we see how he was instructed by ESPN on how to run his own social media page. Again, I am not defending Schilling but I find it interesting how he is held to a strict standard due to the fact that his political and ideological views may not agree with the media herd, yet, he stated these views on his personal social media pages and not necessarily on one of the network's broadcasts.

Meanwhile, from Bob Costas to many of the baseball announcers on ESPN, how many of them have spouted their political views on live television? Do they think all of their viewers agree with them? Do they think that all of us even want to hear such things considering the fact that we may want to watch sports to escape all of the nonsense going on in our world? And many times I have found this happen over a number of innings as three people in the booth do everything but....call the game! 

There is a further hubris to the situation. Okay, so perhaps Schilling may have associated with those that many categorize as racists (let's face it, thanks to slander there are plenty of people who are purposely misrepresented by the media). But, what makes these privileged writers think that their left wing side of the aisle is devoid of any type of bigot? Consider this statement from Schilling that came from Oz's article: 

I’ve certainly been exposed to racism and sexism and homophobia as it’s part of who human beings are. I’ve played with and talked with gay teammates. I’ve played with wife beaters, adulterers, assaulted, drug addicts and alcoholics. I’ve never hit a woman, driven drunk, done drugs, PEDs or otherwise, assaulted anyone or committed any sort of crime.

Are we to think that other athletes who speak out in favor of left wing causes are free from such sins? Are we to think that all baseball writers are also free from such sins? More than that, if Schilling played with such players are we led to believe that the media were also not aware of these behaviors from many of the players that they covered? Meanwhile, did they still speak to them on a regular basis in order to complete their stories? If such characters were that disgusting why just ban them from the Hall of Fame? Perhaps they should not even have the privilege of playing major league baseball. More than that, why would these holier than thou writers even want to be around them? I'm sure their editors would understand.

And what does any of this have to do with a person's performance on the field? Obviously not much if Schilling and many other players for that matter had such players on their teams. I guess winning or even the chance of winning solves all of our personal problems. 

The Bottom Line 

Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens should have made the Hall of Fame during their first year of eligibility. Their career numbers, even against their steroid using peers, more than tell the complete story as to why they deserve to be enshrined.

Curt Schilling may not a first ballot player but he certainly has the credentials to also be enshrined. 

The writers don't like Barry Bonds and this is their way of getting back at him. Even Bonds has acknowledged that he could have behaved better during his playing career: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2016/06/01/barry-bonds-says-he-was-stupid-for-behavior-during-playing-days/

These same writers want punish both Bonds and Clemens for their use of steroids but are they certain that each player from the same era as these two greats, including the ones who have already been enshrined, refrained from using any performance enhancing substances? 

Even if they did know, if they like the players I'm sure they would find a way to spin those facts and/or provide just enough smoke and mirrors to ease their conscience for acting as hypocrites....again. 

Yes, I am disgusted by this nonsense but it will not take away my love for the game as well as my appreciation for all that these players have done throughout the history of this great game. 

In this case I would like to thank Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling for all that you gave to the game. Now, it's time to enjoy many of their career highlights on YouTube. 

 

 

Carlos Solorzano 

@csolorzano18