America’s past time: baseball. It is a game of inches, hand-eye coordination, running 90 feet, and lately, steroids. The big names that everyone knows right now have been accused of taking steroids and found out. Here are a few just in case you are not too familiar: Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, and so many more. Why do some players get beat up real bad by the media, fans and critics while others get a slap on the wrist? What will happen to these guys when it becomes their turn to get a chance to be Hall of Famers? Will they get in or not? Will there be an asterisk next to their names or nothing at all?
Pete Rose, former player and manager for the Cincinnati Reds has the statistics to be in the Hall of Fame. But because he bet on the game while being the manager, he was banned from baseball; meaning he is not eligible to be enshrined. Is gambling a bad enough crime to ban a player/manager who was simply amazing on his own from the Hall? According to MLB it is, but how can they say that breaking records with the assistance of performance enhancers is not a crime and these players are allowed into the Hall?
Records are made to be broken. In every sport there are incredible records such as Cal Ripken Jr’s. record of most consecutive games played, and Barry Bonds’ home run record*. One thing for sure is Cal’s record will not be broken. But as for the home run record, Barry stole that record from Hank Aaron by using performance enhancers.
As of late, more and more athletes are getting caught using performance enhancers, granted, some of these performance enhancers were not illegal in MLB when they were being used. But why were Manny, Barry, and Sammy pretty beat up by the media when they were found out that they tested positive for performance enhancers? One explanation could be that these guys were supposed to be role models and players that broke/break records fairly. Another explanation (I lean more towards this explanation) could be these guys were already hated players throughout the league by other players, teams and fans.
That still does not justify why A-Rod did not receive the same treatment! A-Roid here is have an amazing season; for example, a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 15th against the Red Sox’s . In 2003, it was reported that A-Rod tested positive for performance enhancers. He came out and apologized for his actions just like all of the other players have and did but that was the end of it. Is it because he is in a Yankee’s uniform that people suddenly forget that he is a cheat!? Last time I checked, everyone deserves the same treatment regardless if what he took was not illegal in 2003, he should be ridiculed the same way. When it comes to Hall of Fame voting he should get the same treatment as the rest of the cheaters. Most likely though, this will not happen because he is a Yankee. I still will not take away his numbers and statistics but there needs to be an asterisk next to his name just like Barry Bonds’ name.
Should these cheaters be allowed into the Hall of Fame? So far none of them have been on the ballot because they have either not been out of the league long enough or they are still playing. Only time will tell if they get in or not. But we as fans need to look at how it is stealing records from the guys who were legit non-cheaters. If MLB decides these guys are allowed in the Hall, I think MLB needs to reinstate Pete Rose because he did not hurt the game.
A lot of the steroid and performance enhancer usage is due to the fact the fans want to see the long ball hit and big guys. Honestly, who likes seeing little guys that weigh 150 pounds only hit line drives and ground balls? Nobody likes that. Most people love seeing the ball fly out of the park and the ball being pitched over 100mph (not that the average person can actually see the ball when it is thrown that fast). I am glad that MLB has taken the right steps to prevent performance enhancing with drugs. Manny was made a great example of what will continue to happen to players if they choose to cheat. The commissioner and the players association are doing a good job on its reforming. It is too bad that records have been broken by cheaters and now it is too late to take those away. The only thing that can be done is an asterisk.
i partly agree with ya, kraig. i think an asterisk is a good idea if the player in question is a PROVEN roid user. i think that because it's impossible to prove how many homers, rbis, etc were a direct result of roid use, that it should should not preclude them from the hall, but that it should be noted on their plaque. as far as a-rod getting away with more because he's a yankee...not so much. yankees are hated as much as--if not more than--anybody else. but the yankees who have used PEDs have publicly apologized, which is why they've been treated better. the notable exception here is roger clemens, but he's rightly viewed as a scumbag, which further proves my point. good blog. -zac
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