Columns

Updated: ECLETIC RANT:Should performance-enhancing drug use bar entry to Baseball’s Hall of Fame?

Ralph E. Stone
Thursday January 19, 2017 - 09:01:00 PM

On January 18, 2017, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum elected three new members to the Hall of Fame. Notably absent were home-run king Barry Bonds and star pitcher Roger "Rocket" Clements. 

The criteria for membership is based on "the player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player player." By being tainted with performance-enhancing drug (PED) use, both Bonds and Clements and others have been denied membership. A player must receive at least 75% of the votes cast to become a member. This year Bonds received 53.8% of ballots submitted up from 44.3% last year while Clements received 54.1% up from 45.2% last year. As the numbers keep climbing and most commentators speculate that it is only a matter of time before PED use will not be a bar membership. 

Many Hall of Fame voters attribute the election of Bud Selig and Tony La Russa to the Hall of Fame last year for Bonds and Clements rising numbers. Selig, former Commissioner of Baseball, presided over the so-called PED era in baseball. Selig claimed he knew nothing about rampant PED use and was only forced to take action when Jose Canseco published his tell-all book Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big in 2005. Until then, Selig, owners, and fans loved the way baseballs were flying out of the park making baseball more profitable than ever.  

Tony La Russa was the Oakland Athletic's manager when the bulked up Conseco and Mark McGuire were on his team. La Russa had "suspicions" but nothing came of them. Now La Russa recommends the PED cheats be admitted to the Hall of Fame but with an asterisk after their names. 

As the argument goes, why should Selig and La Russa be members when Bonds, Clements, and other PED users are not. True, Selig and La Russa did not take PEDs because, as far as I know, PEDs do not enhance leadership or management skills. Yet, both Selig and La Russa knew or should have known about widespread PED use and did little or nothing about it at the time it was so widespread. 

With Selig and La Russa in the Hall of Fame, it would seems that membership is now based solely on on field performance while "integrity" and "character" have been dropped. It is probably only a matter of time when PED use will no longer be an impediment to membership. 

But does it matter? Like it or not, superstar professional athletes are role models for many of our young people and celebrating cheaters sends the wrong message to them. If the would-be professional athlete believes that it will give him or her an edge, the temptation is high to use PEDs. In fact, PED use is increasing among high school and college students, especially among minorities. This is not surprising as professional sports --unlike most professions -- are where talent can trump color and ethnicity. In this age of wide-scale cheating and lying by public officials, researchers, school officials, students, etc., the use of PEDs appears irrelevant to a lot of people. After all, baseball is just entertainment and “everyone” was doing it.  

Now that on field performance will likely become the sole criteria for membership in baseball's Hall of Fame, perhaps "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and Pete Rose should now be considered for membership. 

the team(s) on which the player player." By being tainted with steroid use, both Bonds and Clements and other have been denied membership. A player must receive at least 75% of the votes cast to become a member. This year Bonds received 53.8% of ballots submitted up from 44.3% last year while Clements received 54.1% up from 45.2% last year. As the numbers keep climbing and most commentators speculate that it is only a matter of time before PED use will not be a bar membership. 

Many Hall of Fame voters attribute the election of Bud Selig and Tony La Russa to the Hall of Fame last year. Selig, former Commissioner of Baseball, presided over the so-called PED era in baseball. Selig claimed he knew nothing about rampant PED use and was only forced to take action when Jose Canseco published his tell-all book Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big in 2005. Until then, Selig, owners, and fans loved the way baseballs were flying out of the park making baseball more profitable than ever. 

Tony La Russa was the Oakland Athletic's manager when the bulked up Conseco and Mark McGuire were on his team. La Russa had "suspicions" but nothing came of them. Now La Russa recommends the PED cheats be admitted to the Hall of Fame but with an asterisk after their names. 

As the argument goes, why should Selig and La Russa be members when Bonds, Clements, and other PED users are not. True, Selig and La Russa did not take PEDs because, as far as I know, PEDs do not enhance leadership or management skills. Yet, both Selig and La Russa knew or should have known about widespread steroid use and did little or nothing about it at the time it was so widespread. 

With Selig and La Russa in the Hall of Fame, it would seems that membership is now based solely on on field performance while "integrity" and "character" have been dropped. It is probably only a matter of time when PED use will no longer be an impediment to membership. 

But does it matter? Like it or not, superstar professional athletes are role models for many of our young people and celebrating cheaters sends the wrong message to them. If the would-be professional athlete believes that it will give him or her an edge, the temptation is high to use PEDs. In fact, PED use is increasing among high school and college students, especially among minorities. This is not surprising as professional sports—unlike most professions -- are where talent can trump color and ethnicity. In this age of wide-scale cheating and lying by public officials, researchers, school officials, students, etc., the use of PEDs appears irrelevant to a lot of people. After all, baseball is just entertainment and “everyone” was doing it. 

Now that on field performance will likely become the sole criteria for membership in baseball's Hall of Fame, perhaps "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and Pete Rose should now be considered for membership. 


Editor's note: This version corrects errors in the originally posted version.