http://betkowski.sportsblog.com/post/47895/baseball_hall_of_fame_what.html
05.12.13
<!--.post-label -->May 12, 2013 at 8:07pm
Baseball Hall of Fame: What To Do When They're Already In
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Steroids and other P.E.D.S (performance enhancing drugs) have long tainted the game as far back as the late 1980's with the Oakland Athletics and their core of sluggers, Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire also known as "The Bash Bros." The debate has always been whether these players would have had the hall of fame talent to get into the hall of fame without P.E.D.S. It's almost impossible to know but statistics that follow Barry Bonds career suggest he was a hall of fame caliber player before he entered into steroid use. A big question before the argument gets started though is whether the hall of fame should be viewed as a museum or a shrine. The answer to that question weighs heavily on the outcome of many hall of fame fates both pre and post induction.
Before accusations are made let me be clear, these are my own personal beliefs and observations about the game and the trend of P.E.D. use. It has been said by other hall of famers and baseball players that there are people in the hall of fame as it stands that "absolutely" used performance enhancing drugs throughout their career. The example I look to when I hear such accusations is Rickey Henderson. Rickey had a long and prosperous career as the premier base stealer in the history of the game. However, what is suspect compared to every other great base stealer is his lack of a decline. In his 40's Rickey still managed 25 and 31 stolen bases in a season that was abbreviated by injuries, another obvious sign of steroid use. Rickey Henderson was inducted into the hall of fame in 2009. If it were to come out that he did in fact use as I suspect what should be done with his place in the hall. Should his plaque be removed or should it be placed in a portion of the hall with an asterisk. This again begs the question: Is the hall of fame a shrine or a museum?
The old school, die-hard baseball lover will say the hall of fame is a shrine, and I would care to agree with that assessment. However, do kids and families not go to the hall of fame on annual basis' looking to see the history of the game. Despite their illegal conduct on the field, these players are still part of the history of the game and were premier players at one point in time. My solution to this problem is to take away the plaque but have items like bats from famous games, game worn jerseys that reflect these particular players careers. If we keep them as part of history but acknowledge their cheating of the game, both sides are compensated for and thus the integrity of the game and the hall of fame is accounted for.
05.12.13
<!--.post-label -->May 12, 2013 at 8:07pm
Baseball Hall of Fame: What To Do When They're Already In
<!-- .post.header -->
<!-- .thumbnail-selectors -->
<!-- .image-gallery -->
Steroids and other P.E.D.S (performance enhancing drugs) have long tainted the game as far back as the late 1980's with the Oakland Athletics and their core of sluggers, Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire also known as "The Bash Bros." The debate has always been whether these players would have had the hall of fame talent to get into the hall of fame without P.E.D.S. It's almost impossible to know but statistics that follow Barry Bonds career suggest he was a hall of fame caliber player before he entered into steroid use. A big question before the argument gets started though is whether the hall of fame should be viewed as a museum or a shrine. The answer to that question weighs heavily on the outcome of many hall of fame fates both pre and post induction.
Before accusations are made let me be clear, these are my own personal beliefs and observations about the game and the trend of P.E.D. use. It has been said by other hall of famers and baseball players that there are people in the hall of fame as it stands that "absolutely" used performance enhancing drugs throughout their career. The example I look to when I hear such accusations is Rickey Henderson. Rickey had a long and prosperous career as the premier base stealer in the history of the game. However, what is suspect compared to every other great base stealer is his lack of a decline. In his 40's Rickey still managed 25 and 31 stolen bases in a season that was abbreviated by injuries, another obvious sign of steroid use. Rickey Henderson was inducted into the hall of fame in 2009. If it were to come out that he did in fact use as I suspect what should be done with his place in the hall. Should his plaque be removed or should it be placed in a portion of the hall with an asterisk. This again begs the question: Is the hall of fame a shrine or a museum?
The old school, die-hard baseball lover will say the hall of fame is a shrine, and I would care to agree with that assessment. However, do kids and families not go to the hall of fame on annual basis' looking to see the history of the game. Despite their illegal conduct on the field, these players are still part of the history of the game and were premier players at one point in time. My solution to this problem is to take away the plaque but have items like bats from famous games, game worn jerseys that reflect these particular players careers. If we keep them as part of history but acknowledge their cheating of the game, both sides are compensated for and thus the integrity of the game and the hall of fame is accounted for.
