The Hall Of Fame*

With the increasing disillusionment that is steroids upon the national pastime, many players who were once thought to be shoo ins for Cooperstown -- guys like ManRam, A-Rod and Clemens -- are speculated to be unvotable into the hall of fame. Seen as disrespectful cheaters, many sportswriters claim (with good reason) that PED users should be left in the footnotes of history.

I tend to disagree with this statement on the basis that as a guy who hits 700+ home runs -- steroids or not -- still hit 700 homers, which is not a remotely simplefeat by any means. The records of these cheaters, unless overturned by MLB, will remain in place in history and the only real punishment incurred by these players (well, accept Manny, who also got a 50-game suspension) will be a ban from recognition as truly great and impactful upon the game of baseball.Is this really fair, however? On one hand, yes, they took steroids and cheated and tarnished the reputation of the sport. On the other hand, according to most accounts, steroids have long been utilized in the game. Who is to say that guys before Canseco and McGwire who are already in the hall weren't users? Who is to also say that simply using PEDs makes you an underserving cheater (it's not like guys who take steroids just inject themselves and then spend the offseason eating potato chips on the couch; they still have to work out very intensely and the steroids aid these "cheating" athletes in reaching the next level of super saiyan). Many of these cheaters", like Barry Bonds pre-1997, were still great (40/40, anyone?) before they started taking PEDs. Hell, even beyond PEDs, guys like Pete Rose, who tarnished the game in their own unique ways, were still among the game's great players.

For these reasons and many more that I am too lazy to list, I assert that we should start a new Hall of Fame for everyone who was great at baseball, but tarnished the sport in someway or another. We can call it The Hall Of Fame* and put a giant asterik over the entrance doors to the museum (perhaps the asteriks can be the door handles!). Here, in The Hall Of Fame*, we can chronical the history of the various players and events (ie, the Black Sox) that tainted the history and reputation of the sport. Rather than pretend steroids and cheating never happened, we can acknowledge it's existence and impact upon the game as we know it. That way, rather than pretending PEDs, gambling, cheating, etc. never happened, we can learn from the past and examine how it affects our present and will affect our future.

Knowing Bud Selig, however, if there were to ever be a Hall Of Fame*, he would probably hide it in the basement of the real Hall Of Fame.

9 comments:

The 'Bright' One said...

steroids were not banned by baseball. Nothing in the rule book said anything against steroids. The players should have been giving themselves booster shots while standing on first base, and baseball couldnt do anything about it cause it wasnt against the rules.

it's equivalent to a basketball team using a trampoline, if the rule book didnt say anything about using trampolines, then i guess it's legal.

Fuck major league baseball executives

Adam Kaplan said...

I agree with this post and TBO's comments but I'm still trying to decide what I think of Manny. The fact is he DID break an MLB rule. Performance-enhancing drugs were illegal when Manny got caught and he's getting punished for it. But then again, he was amazing and a HOF career before the steroid testing policy was put in place.

A big argument you guys are making (and one I agree with), is that steroids weren't illegal so they shouldn't get in trouble and it was the culture of baseball. But that wasn't true this year when ManRam got caught

And also, let's hypothetically say Braves OF Jordan Schaffer goes on to put up HOF numbers. Does he get excluded? He was caught in the minors using performance enhancing drugs so does whatever stat he produces in the majors almost null and void?

I think guys who used steroids/HGH/performance enhancing drugs and admitted to doing so before MLB officially made rules about it are off the hook- there are in the HOF no matter what if they have the #s. However, I think we need to change this stance a little bit to players who got caught AFTER it was illegal in baseball. But to what position that necessary should be I don't quite know yet

The 'Bright' One said...

I agree if you get caught after the policy, then your punishment should be more severe. But exiling every player who has ever been associated with roids is wrong. Do any of you even know what brady anderson looks like? he's a handsome man. I also miss seeing fernando vina, is he still alive?

Also, Jordan Shafer, HOFer. aaahahahahahahahaha

42K in 102AB. not exactly HOF material

Adam Kaplan said...

first of all- he's only had 102 career ABs. I know Jay Bruce is now a HOF lock based on what he did his first week but we all can't be Jay Bruce

Obviously, it was an example and I made sure to use the word "HYPOTHETICAL" to emphasize that point.

David "MVP" Eckstein said...

If i had a HOF vote, I would totally let Arod, Manram, Kevin Brown, Albert Pujols and Neifi Perez in

David "MVP" Eckstein said...

well, maybe not perez...

Adam Kaplan said...

Is anyone doubting Pujols' credentials right now?

I'm still skeptical on Manny just because he put up just great great numbers before this year- but the fact that not only did he get caught when it it WAS wrong and a bad thing to do but two- he flat out just doesn't care. If he came out and apologized, it would have made things a lot better for him.

I guess if I had a vote I'd put him in but honestly, I don't know if I'd do it on the first ballot. There's just absolutely no defense for what ManRam did THIS year. If he did it in Boston and Cleveland then whatever, but you just can't be that stupid and do it now.

David "MVP" Eckstein said...

He actually did come out and apologize. He also claims (and MLB has confirmed this) that he has a medical prescription for the substance he tested positive for. Alas, I think his doctor is from the Dominican...

Adam Kaplan said...

Yeah but he didn't do do it in person. That BS statement that his agents office did is not an apology