Heading to the hall?
The Baseball Hall of Fame ballots has been officially released. Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn headline the ballot as shure-fired first ballot hall of famers. Also on the ballot and always a cause for debate on entry are players like Jim Rice and Goose Gossage. But the talk will not be about them if the narrowly make or miss entry in baseball's holy shrine. Nor will the talk most likely be about Ripken or Gwynn as it should be. Instead it will be on another first time ballotee (is that a word? I don't think it is either, but lets just move on from that.) His name is Mark McGwire and if you're not familiar with him or his body of work we'll give you the quick rundown.
McGwire appeared in games over the course of 16 seasons for the Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals. He finished his career with 583 home runs, good enough for 7th all time and in 1998 he set a then major league mark for home runs in a season with 70. The 70 homer season was the third year in a four year strech where he topped 50 home runs a season (52 and 58 in the preceding season and 65 in the following). Aside from his prodigious power there were 12 appearances in the All-Star game, a rookie of the year award and three silver sluggers. He led the league in slugging percentage four times and he even won a gold glove.
So there is a great case for him to be in the hall. In fact every hall eligible player with more than 500 career home runs is enshrined in Cooperstown. But this won't be quite as simple as in the past. There are questions about McGwire's achievements due in large part to speculation about him using steroids.
Steroids is the hot button topic in baseball and it will be there for a while, probably forever. If Barry Bonds plays next season there is a good chance he'll break the all time career home runs record. Bonds is 21 home runs away from tying Hank Aaron's career mark of 755, but that's deviating from what I'm getting at. The question about McGwire is whether or not he used steroids during his career.
Conventional wisdom would certainly point to yes. McGwire was built slightly smaller than a refridgerator and when he held a bat it looked like he was swinging a toothpick. His body wasn't abonormally large for an athlete of his caliber per se, but it sure seemed a lot bigger than any normal man would carry. There were signs too that something wasn't quite right. Despite his incredible physiche, which we were always led to believe was the result of grusome work in the weight room (and which it was to a degree), his body always seemed to be breaking down with the type of injuries associated with steroid use. But because McGwire was always likeable and also because the question of steroids wasn't much of a thought yet, he seemed to be get off with a pass.
Then in April of 2005 McGwire was called to testify in front of a congressional committee about steroid use, his and otherwise, in the realm of professional baseball and he offered such pearls of wisdom like, "I'm not here to talk about the past," and "My lawyers have advised me that I cannot answer these questions without jeopordizing my friends, my family and myself. I intend to follow their advice." That was about as detailed of an answer that McGwire gave to any questions asked of him that day and well, you can see for yourself that he really didn't answer anything, nor did he deny anything, nor did he really say anything at all. He avoided everything as much as he could and several times during his testimony, he was on the verge of tears. Again, there was no admission of guilt, but innocent men don't break down when the light shines on them either. This was a panel that also included Sammy Sosa who magically forgot how to speak english while testifying and Rafael Palmeiro who shook his finger at the committee denined he had ever taken steroids and then tested positive for them the following season.
Anyone that says there isn't enough evidence to support the fact that McGwire took steroids is either naive or just choosing not see something that they don't want to see. Also, anyone that says he never tested positive for steroids while playing baseball is a moron because baseball did not test for steroids, or any drugs for that matter while he played. McGwire took the country by storm when he chased Roger Maris' single season home run record. Sammy Sosa was right along with him as well and they helped to breathe life into a game that was still trying to recover from a strike in 1994. What they did for the game helped breathe life into it and also as a result what they did could also tear it back down.
McGwire took some kind of performance enhancing drugs, it just doesn't seem that it could be denied at this point. On that alone it should be simple, he shouldn't go into the hall, but this is a slippery slope sports are played on nowadays.
As mentioned above, baseball didn't test for steriods when McGwire played, in fact it wouldn't have mattered if they tested for them because they did not become illegal in baseball until 2002, on year after McGwire retired. So technically, he didn't really cheat if he used steroids when he played. Sure it was dishonest and dangerous, but accoding to baseball, not illegal. Then again, I'm pretty sure its against US law to have steroids in your posession unless your a medical doctor, but again, I digress. There is also the issue of when McGwire started using and how it would tarnish numbers from some years, but not those when he was clean. And also of great importance is how many pitchers McGwire faced that were on some type of performance enhancing drugs. Does the fact that there were most likely pitchers on the juice excuse the fact McGwire most likely used? No, but it could certainly level the playing field in a way that maybe his competative edge from using was reduced. Plus, how can you single one man out and not the rest? How can you discount his accomplishments from an era that can be described as cloudy as best.
It also not like baseball has been the most level of playing fields of all time. Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb never faced black or latin ball players. Willie Mays, Frank Robinson and Mickey Mantle played in a time when ballparks dimensions resembled those of national parks. If Vic Wertz and Mays played today, Wertz would have been trotting around the bases and May would have looking over the centerfield fence instead of over his shoulder as Wertz's blast in the 1954 World Series landed in his glove. Batters in the 60's and 70's faced pitchers coming off a higher mound, only asserting the domiance of pitchers in that era. The point I'm trying to make is that everything in sports is relative. We want to measure stars of this era against stars of the past and stack up their numbers and decide who is better than who and who deserves to be recognized for their accomplishments. What McGwire accomplished can't be diminished easily because he played in era where what he did was commonplace. It doesn't excuse what he did, but you can't dimiss what he accomplished. But you can argue against his character if you want.
During that magical summer of 1998, McGwire was more loveable than a teddy bear. It was due in part to the fact that he was likable, well spoken and he also seemed to be of great character. His son was with him that summer, as a Cardinals bat boy. He was the first person he greeted when he crossed the plate after a home run. It endeared McGwire to legions of people and we heard about the great character the man possesed. Well, turns out he didn't have the character we thought he did. Anyone willing to put their body at such risk, long term risk, for a short trem reward, then refuses own up to it for fear of reprisal, well it would seem that the character of that individual would be lacking.
Some sportswirters are using this lack of character as a reason to not induct McGwire into the hall. There actually is a clause on the ballot that indicates that character should be taken into cosideration in the voting process. Well hooray for them, trying to take the high moral ground, but there are men enshirned in the hall of fame whose sins are far greater than McGwire's. There are racists, spousal abusers, womanizers, alcohlics and gamblers; even a couple of members of the Ku Klux Klan enshirned in Cooperstown. If these people are at all serious about a man's character playing into whether or not he should be in the hall, they should show they're serious about getting some guys out because of their character before denying others entry into it because of it.
Well I don't think his lack of character should keep him from being enshrined. Nor do I think his use of performance enhancing drugs should keep him from being enshrined either. Let him be inducted into the hall of fame, pure and simple, well maybe not so simple. I say put him in on one condition. Never let him go to the hall of fame. Not once. Make him watch the induction ceremony from some where far away. Make him watch some one hold up his plaque and read his accomplishments in a drab monotone way (Bud Selig would be great for this, wouldn't he?). Then when they're finished have them move on. No applause, no speeches on his behalf or against it. Let his plaque hang and don't ever let him see it. Maybe then the gravity of his situation will really hit him. Maybe then he'll realize the choices he made and get some real consequnces from the outcome. I'm not saying he doesn't feel remorse and realize the error of his ways, but is it right to reward some one with baseball's highest honor when they aren't honest about their time in baseball?
I wonder if McGwire gets in sometime what he'll say in his induction speech. Most of those speeches look towards the past, towards their careers and what was. But McGwire has already said he doesn't want to talk about the past, so what will he mention if he stands in front of the hall some day?
I also wonder if five or ten years from now, or however long it is before the statue of limitations on possesing or using illegal steroids runs out if McGwire will then finally talk. If the threat of legal trouble is off the table if then he'll finally talk and tell us what he did or didn't do during his time in the major leagues. I hope he does talk whenever that time is up, in fact I would like for him to talk before then, but we've already seen that isn't going to happen. I hope that he sheds some light into what happened and that he tries to warn younger people not to do as he did. I hope if that all happens too that we don't hear about the courage and conviction of Mark McGwire. If he had true courage and conviction we would know all we need to know by now, but obviously we don't.
This topic isn't going away anytime soon. Ballots don't have to be postmarked until the 31st of December and the results will be announced on the 9th of January. This debate won't die down, it's only going to intensify. All we can do really is to wait and see what those with the votes decide, so until then.....
McGwire appeared in games over the course of 16 seasons for the Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals. He finished his career with 583 home runs, good enough for 7th all time and in 1998 he set a then major league mark for home runs in a season with 70. The 70 homer season was the third year in a four year strech where he topped 50 home runs a season (52 and 58 in the preceding season and 65 in the following). Aside from his prodigious power there were 12 appearances in the All-Star game, a rookie of the year award and three silver sluggers. He led the league in slugging percentage four times and he even won a gold glove.
So there is a great case for him to be in the hall. In fact every hall eligible player with more than 500 career home runs is enshrined in Cooperstown. But this won't be quite as simple as in the past. There are questions about McGwire's achievements due in large part to speculation about him using steroids.
Steroids is the hot button topic in baseball and it will be there for a while, probably forever. If Barry Bonds plays next season there is a good chance he'll break the all time career home runs record. Bonds is 21 home runs away from tying Hank Aaron's career mark of 755, but that's deviating from what I'm getting at. The question about McGwire is whether or not he used steroids during his career.
Conventional wisdom would certainly point to yes. McGwire was built slightly smaller than a refridgerator and when he held a bat it looked like he was swinging a toothpick. His body wasn't abonormally large for an athlete of his caliber per se, but it sure seemed a lot bigger than any normal man would carry. There were signs too that something wasn't quite right. Despite his incredible physiche, which we were always led to believe was the result of grusome work in the weight room (and which it was to a degree), his body always seemed to be breaking down with the type of injuries associated with steroid use. But because McGwire was always likeable and also because the question of steroids wasn't much of a thought yet, he seemed to be get off with a pass.
Then in April of 2005 McGwire was called to testify in front of a congressional committee about steroid use, his and otherwise, in the realm of professional baseball and he offered such pearls of wisdom like, "I'm not here to talk about the past," and "My lawyers have advised me that I cannot answer these questions without jeopordizing my friends, my family and myself. I intend to follow their advice." That was about as detailed of an answer that McGwire gave to any questions asked of him that day and well, you can see for yourself that he really didn't answer anything, nor did he deny anything, nor did he really say anything at all. He avoided everything as much as he could and several times during his testimony, he was on the verge of tears. Again, there was no admission of guilt, but innocent men don't break down when the light shines on them either. This was a panel that also included Sammy Sosa who magically forgot how to speak english while testifying and Rafael Palmeiro who shook his finger at the committee denined he had ever taken steroids and then tested positive for them the following season.
Anyone that says there isn't enough evidence to support the fact that McGwire took steroids is either naive or just choosing not see something that they don't want to see. Also, anyone that says he never tested positive for steroids while playing baseball is a moron because baseball did not test for steroids, or any drugs for that matter while he played. McGwire took the country by storm when he chased Roger Maris' single season home run record. Sammy Sosa was right along with him as well and they helped to breathe life into a game that was still trying to recover from a strike in 1994. What they did for the game helped breathe life into it and also as a result what they did could also tear it back down.
McGwire took some kind of performance enhancing drugs, it just doesn't seem that it could be denied at this point. On that alone it should be simple, he shouldn't go into the hall, but this is a slippery slope sports are played on nowadays.
As mentioned above, baseball didn't test for steriods when McGwire played, in fact it wouldn't have mattered if they tested for them because they did not become illegal in baseball until 2002, on year after McGwire retired. So technically, he didn't really cheat if he used steroids when he played. Sure it was dishonest and dangerous, but accoding to baseball, not illegal. Then again, I'm pretty sure its against US law to have steroids in your posession unless your a medical doctor, but again, I digress. There is also the issue of when McGwire started using and how it would tarnish numbers from some years, but not those when he was clean. And also of great importance is how many pitchers McGwire faced that were on some type of performance enhancing drugs. Does the fact that there were most likely pitchers on the juice excuse the fact McGwire most likely used? No, but it could certainly level the playing field in a way that maybe his competative edge from using was reduced. Plus, how can you single one man out and not the rest? How can you discount his accomplishments from an era that can be described as cloudy as best.
It also not like baseball has been the most level of playing fields of all time. Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb never faced black or latin ball players. Willie Mays, Frank Robinson and Mickey Mantle played in a time when ballparks dimensions resembled those of national parks. If Vic Wertz and Mays played today, Wertz would have been trotting around the bases and May would have looking over the centerfield fence instead of over his shoulder as Wertz's blast in the 1954 World Series landed in his glove. Batters in the 60's and 70's faced pitchers coming off a higher mound, only asserting the domiance of pitchers in that era. The point I'm trying to make is that everything in sports is relative. We want to measure stars of this era against stars of the past and stack up their numbers and decide who is better than who and who deserves to be recognized for their accomplishments. What McGwire accomplished can't be diminished easily because he played in era where what he did was commonplace. It doesn't excuse what he did, but you can't dimiss what he accomplished. But you can argue against his character if you want.
During that magical summer of 1998, McGwire was more loveable than a teddy bear. It was due in part to the fact that he was likable, well spoken and he also seemed to be of great character. His son was with him that summer, as a Cardinals bat boy. He was the first person he greeted when he crossed the plate after a home run. It endeared McGwire to legions of people and we heard about the great character the man possesed. Well, turns out he didn't have the character we thought he did. Anyone willing to put their body at such risk, long term risk, for a short trem reward, then refuses own up to it for fear of reprisal, well it would seem that the character of that individual would be lacking.
Some sportswirters are using this lack of character as a reason to not induct McGwire into the hall. There actually is a clause on the ballot that indicates that character should be taken into cosideration in the voting process. Well hooray for them, trying to take the high moral ground, but there are men enshirned in the hall of fame whose sins are far greater than McGwire's. There are racists, spousal abusers, womanizers, alcohlics and gamblers; even a couple of members of the Ku Klux Klan enshirned in Cooperstown. If these people are at all serious about a man's character playing into whether or not he should be in the hall, they should show they're serious about getting some guys out because of their character before denying others entry into it because of it.
Well I don't think his lack of character should keep him from being enshrined. Nor do I think his use of performance enhancing drugs should keep him from being enshrined either. Let him be inducted into the hall of fame, pure and simple, well maybe not so simple. I say put him in on one condition. Never let him go to the hall of fame. Not once. Make him watch the induction ceremony from some where far away. Make him watch some one hold up his plaque and read his accomplishments in a drab monotone way (Bud Selig would be great for this, wouldn't he?). Then when they're finished have them move on. No applause, no speeches on his behalf or against it. Let his plaque hang and don't ever let him see it. Maybe then the gravity of his situation will really hit him. Maybe then he'll realize the choices he made and get some real consequnces from the outcome. I'm not saying he doesn't feel remorse and realize the error of his ways, but is it right to reward some one with baseball's highest honor when they aren't honest about their time in baseball?
I wonder if McGwire gets in sometime what he'll say in his induction speech. Most of those speeches look towards the past, towards their careers and what was. But McGwire has already said he doesn't want to talk about the past, so what will he mention if he stands in front of the hall some day?
I also wonder if five or ten years from now, or however long it is before the statue of limitations on possesing or using illegal steroids runs out if McGwire will then finally talk. If the threat of legal trouble is off the table if then he'll finally talk and tell us what he did or didn't do during his time in the major leagues. I hope he does talk whenever that time is up, in fact I would like for him to talk before then, but we've already seen that isn't going to happen. I hope that he sheds some light into what happened and that he tries to warn younger people not to do as he did. I hope if that all happens too that we don't hear about the courage and conviction of Mark McGwire. If he had true courage and conviction we would know all we need to know by now, but obviously we don't.
This topic isn't going away anytime soon. Ballots don't have to be postmarked until the 31st of December and the results will be announced on the 9th of January. This debate won't die down, it's only going to intensify. All we can do really is to wait and see what those with the votes decide, so until then.....
posted by MC at 1:31 PM
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