They say that in Hollywood there is no such thing as bad publicity. But for the MLB, that may not be quite true. Because while the headlines and stories just keep on coming about a “softening” among writers sending in their Hall Of Fame ballots this year, the truth of the matter is that although suspected steroid users will ultimately get in, they will never be forgiven for what they did to the game, and they will certainly never be forgotten. But here’s a way to put it all behind us.
The trouble with this whole thing about steroids and the MLB Hall Of Fame is that entry into Cooperstown has, like baseball itself, always been about numbers. If you have the numbers, you get in. Likewise if you don’t, you’re out. Plain and simple, cut and dry with an occasional bit of controversy thrown in about these so-called borderline guys, who should at least be credited with keeping the bar business going as arguments continue to be waged about (not to pick on them) players like Luis Aparicio and Bill Mazeroski.
Does Baseball Really Need This (Every Year!)
But generally speaking, arguments of this kind are in the spirit of good fun, with little if any real emotion attached to them. However, that is usually not the case when the name Barry Bonds comes up in conversation. Things get heated quickly and we begin to hear words like “jerk”, “cheater” and “egomaniac” as the conversation drifts away from numbers and into the realm of politics and history, both of which are deadly conversation killers.
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I don’t know what to do with these guys, and I would venture to say neither do you. Nor does anyone, and especially the writers who are charged with the responsibility of casting their vote every year at about this time.
Mike Axisa, writing for CBS Sports tells us that the well known users are creeping up on election. And Buster Olney at ESPN wants to know why Mike Piazza gets in but Sammy Sosa is still on the outside looking in. I don’t know, Buster. Give me a break, would ya?
Here’s A Solution Maybe We Can All Live With
So maybe a solution to this mess would be for Commissioner Manfred to step in by issuing a pardon to the major violators, putting them in the Hall en masse and be done with it. Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon, didn’t he? And we all knew what Nixon had done to taint the Presidency. Take your poster boys Bonds, Clemens, McGwire, and Sosa and put them all up there on the stage, front and center. And maybe give a little extra space to Sosa so he can bring a supply of his corked bats with him. But give them one last chance to make that speech where each of them has a chance to say, “I’m thrilled to be here today and thank you for that. But, I’m sorry, baseball”.
Richard Nixon went to his grave never having admitted his complicity in the scandal that swept through his tenure in office. What will these guys do? Did Ford’s pardon of Nixon change anyone’s mind about Nixon’s “guilt or innocence”? Hardly, but at least it put it all behind us and we could move forward as a country again.
The MLB needs that cleansing as well. We don’t need to be rehashing this stuff over and over again. And I’m aware of the first thing that’s gonna be said – what about all the other guys, and especially the ones who did the dirty deed but never got caught, or in some cases were never even suspected. And that of course would include your Bagwells , who might even get in on this ballot, your Palmeiros , and a host of other honorees.
Baseball Waits For You’re Call, Sir
The Commissioner of Baseball is charged with the responsibility to act in the best interest of baseball. He sits there as the sole judge and jury when he hands out suspensions. And that becomes the final word on the matter, save for player grievances that usually go nowhere. Why can’t this be handled in the same way – for the good of the game.
Next: Mariners pitching options for 2017
One final thought. While he’s at it, he should include and welcome Pete Rose back in to the fraternity and get that one behind us too. Because only then, will it be possible to get back to the game of baseball as it’s being played on the field full time, not part time as these interruptions keep surfacing year after year……