How Did Baseball Use Steroids And The Hall Of Fame
Baseball, Steroids, and the Hall of Fame
Kesley D. Fleming
Due March 1st, 2013
English 112: 11:00-11:50
Professor Welsh
Baseball, Steroids, and the Hall of Fame
Baseball has always been known as America’s Favorite Pastime. However, just recently the validity of the sport has started to come into question of the minds of MLB fans because of the significant use of steroids. Just recently, the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) voted and nobody on the Hall of Fame ballot received the 75% of votes necessary to be inducted in the Hall of Fame (“No Player”, 2013). This has only occurred one other time in the past four decades (“No Player”, 2013). There are several problems with this situation including …show more content…
the fact that it sends the wrong message to kids who admire these players, it isn’t fair to other players who don’t get the credit they deserve, and other inductees have negative feelings about it. Are they even worthy to be inducted into the Hall of Fame? Steroids were banned from the MLB in 2004 (Nedenhunter, n.d.). So, should the men who were caught using these drugs, although they have outstanding stats, be allowed into the Hall of Fame?
This past January the BBWAA voted and none of the 37 candidates were given entry into the Hall of Fame. Craig Biggio is number 20 on the career list with 3,060 hits, and had the highest percentage of votes of all the candidates with 68.2% (“No Player”, 2013). The only thing he was ever accused of was an “overly aggressive” slide at second base (Nightengale, 2013). Barry Bonds, who is MLB’s only seven-time Most Valuable Player, received only 36.2% of the votes (“No Player”, 2013). Although, this is only their first year on the ballot, they will have 14 more opportunities to be inducted. According to Desser, Monks, and Robinson, they believe that there may be racial discrimination in the voting for the Hall of Fame (p. 591). But Ken Rosenthal believes that it may be a good thing that nobody was voted in this year (“No Player”,2013). The BBWAA says that voting is “based upon the player 's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played” (Blum, 2013). Rob Neyer wrote a column after this year’s vote and in it included a quote from one of the Hall voters:
“While I do believe Bonds took steroids (whether it was knowingly or not doesn 't much matter to me, though if I had to guess, I think he knows everything that goes in his body), I don 't believe all steroid users should be excluded from the Hall of Fame. I 'm not here to sit in moral judgment of another human being (2013).
To me this says, that some players who use steroids, will be voted for, while some of them, will be voted against.
The first year Mark McGwire was on the ballot he received 23.7% of the votes needed. But then, after openly admitting to the use of steroids in January of 2010, he dropped to 19.8% and 19.5% the last two years (Lacques, 2012). The question then becomes, how do they decide? How is it okay for one man to use steroids and be rewarded by being inducted in the Hall of Fame, but another man be denied access? There are a few reasons that I have come up with as to why men who use steroids should not be allowed in the Hall of Fame, period, and below I have described …show more content…
them.
The most obvious reason that maybe they should not be allowed in is the fact that they did an un-honest thing by taking these drugs. The voters really have to consider the athletes true talent and whether or not he would have been able to achieve the things he did had he not been on these drugs. Some people say that whether Barry Bonds had taken steroids or not, he still would have been one of the best players in all of baseball history and certainly belongs in the Hall (Neyer, 2013). Well, maybe he would have been, but can they go on that? Or does the morality of things come into play and shut down his chances of getting into the Hall? Roger Clemens was the only seven-time Cy Young Award winner, but did not gain entry (“No Player”, 2013). The question that should come into play is the validity of his true talent and what he accomplished on his own. No doubt, Clemens was an all-star, and many would think worthy of the Hall, but as first timers on the ballot, they were both denied (“No Player”, 2013).
Another thing that really should come into play is how kids perceive their favorite athletes who tested positive for PED’s but are still allowed in the Hall. As a huge baseball fan myself, I can say that I would be devastated if it leaked that Chipper Jones had used steroids during his career with the Atlanta Braves. I’ve always looked up to him and it would be heartbreaking to find out that he cheated. What message does it send to kids when the people they have seen as perfect their whole lives, cheat? This could give them the idea that it is okay to do those things. But even further than that, if they are allowed entrance into the Hall of Fame, it would send the message that their role models cheated and still got credit for it. They received the highest honor they could as a baseball player, but they cheated their way to the top. Kids might say to themselves, “well, if he did it, then so can I.” It isn’t a very positive message to send to young kids who look up to these men. After a reporter saw drugs in Mark McGwire’s locker, and reported on it, he openly admitted to taking them, but then went on further to say that we was going to quit using them because it didn’t send a good message to the youth of America (Vecsey, p. 207). If more players had this mentality, then there probably wouldn’t be so much steroid use today.
In the baseball world today, it is known as the “Steroid Era.” However, there are men in the Hall today who sharpened their spikes, popped greenies, and corked their bats, which are all illegal in the MLB (Schlesinger, 2009). Schlesinger references a Hall of Fame pitcher, Jim Bunning, in his article. Jim says:
“Major League Baseball must set an example so that children and young athletes don 't see steroids as a way to get ahead of the competition. If a player is caught using banned substances in an effort to break records set by players who achieved them through honest hard work, I think those numbers should be expunged from the record books. There is no place for cheaters in the Hall of Fame.”
Although he himself acknowledges that there are players in the Hall of Fame today who did things such as corking their bats and hurting other players by sharpening their spikes (Schlesinger, 2009) Isn’t this cheating as well? The counter argument to all of this is that maybe there isn’t a way to tell who would have achieved such greatness had steroids not been such a factor.
These drugs have been such a huge part of the 20th and 21st centuries that maybe it is impossible to wean out the guys who didn’t use them. Maybe they just didn’t get caught like others did. Just recently Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees and Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers have been linked to the same Biogenesis lab that Melky Cabrera attended. Last season, Cabrera was suspended because he tested positive for steroids. Rodriguez is undoubtedly one of the best players in the history of baseball. His career with the Yankees has been amazing, and he’s put up some outstanding numbers. At the end of his career will people look at his numbers, or will they remember him for using steroids? This is something that the BBWAA has to deal with every time they place a
vote. Next year, Braves’ pitchers Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux will appear on the ballot and Commissioner Bud Selig thinks it will be a big class (Blum, 2013). In a USA Today article by Bob Nightengale, he states that there is “no need to condemn the process. It might not be perfect but it’s ours” (2013). He goes on to explain that Jim Rice was on the ballot all 15 years he was eligible, and got in on the 15th year (Nightengale, 2013). Maybe he’s right. Just maybe, steroids have nothing to do with these outstanding baseball players not getting in the Hall of Fame. However, it is definitely something the BBWAA has to consider when casting their vote. I looked at other causes, such as the effect of steroids on the players, and discrimination against race, and decided that they were just coincidental, not causal.
Annotated Bibliography
Lacques, G., (2012). Steroid era’s lineup, USA Today, Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mih&AN=JOE222645049412&site=src-live Gabe Lacques, writing in a journal article, “Steroid era’s lineup”, (November 29, 2012), suggests his opinion of who may or may not get in the Hall of Fame class of 2013.He supports his thesis by giving information and stats about each player and his reasoning why they should or should not be granted entry. The authors purpose here is to give the public an informed opinion about what could happen when the votes are cast. The intended audience is fans of baseball and those who keep up with their favorite players even after their retirement.
Nightengale, B., (2013). Shutout no shame on hall of fame. USA Today, Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mih&AN=JOE227771041913&site=src-live Bob Nightengale, writing in a journal article, “Shutout no shame on hall of fame”, (January 10, 2013), suggests that it isn’t a bad thing that nobody will be inducted in the Hall of Fame. He supports his thesis by giving evidence of players who stayed on the ballot for 15 years before being voted in. His purpose is inform the public as to why this was a good decision for the BBWAA in order that the public will calm down and look forward to the potentially large class of 2014. The intended audience is fans of MLB who are appalled at the decision of this years Hall of Fame vote.
Vecsey, G. (2006). Baseball: A history of america’s favorite game. New York, NY: Modern Library.
George Vecsey, writing in an informational essay, Baseball: A History of America’s Favorite Game, (2006), asserts that the chances of players who use steroids getting into the Hall of Fame may be put in jeopardy. Vecsey builds his argument by talking about players using steroids long ago and then relating that to the things that go on today, including the new policy. The author’s purpose is to give some background information about steroid use in the MLB in order to help fans understand a reason as to why a player may not be considered for the Hall of Fame. The intended audience of the book is fans of Major League Baseball.
Writer’s Memorandum
While I was writing this paper, I found that I am good at researching and deciding what information to use and what information doesn’t necessarily relate to my topic and needs to be thrown out. Sometimes I have a very hard time organizing my paragraphs and making them flow, and I found that on this paper in particular, because I am so passionate about baseball, I get a little carried away with information that doesn’t matter. At the beginning of this project I didn’t know where I stood on the issue, and even after researching it and reading so many different opinions on the topic, I still am not completely on one side or the other. I would, however, say that I am not completely opposed to a player who used steroids being inducted into the Hall of Fame. I didn’t really reject any of the revisions that my peer made on the paper. I think she made very good suggestions and I accepted them because I also felt that the same things needed to be changed or added to. The changes added to the strength of my paper because I ended up giving way more examples than I originally had and it added more depth to it. My favorite thing about my paper is the section about the effect this issue could have on kids and future players. This is not something that most people would think of as an effect of a MLB player using steroids, but it certainly happens.
Kesley D. Fleming
Due March 1st, 2013
English 112: 11:00-11:50
Professor Welsh
Baseball, Steroids, and the Hall of Fame
Baseball has always been known as America’s Favorite Pastime. However, just recently the validity of the sport has started to come into question of the minds of MLB fans because of the significant use of steroids. Just recently, the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) voted and nobody on the Hall of Fame ballot received the 75% of votes necessary to be inducted in the Hall of Fame (“No Player”, 2013). This has only occurred one other time in the past four decades (“No Player”, 2013). There are several problems with this situation including …show more content…
the fact that it sends the wrong message to kids who admire these players, it isn’t fair to other players who don’t get the credit they deserve, and other inductees have negative feelings about it. Are they even worthy to be inducted into the Hall of Fame? Steroids were banned from the MLB in 2004 (Nedenhunter, n.d.). So, should the men who were caught using these drugs, although they have outstanding stats, be allowed into the Hall of Fame?
This past January the BBWAA voted and none of the 37 candidates were given entry into the Hall of Fame. Craig Biggio is number 20 on the career list with 3,060 hits, and had the highest percentage of votes of all the candidates with 68.2% (“No Player”, 2013). The only thing he was ever accused of was an “overly aggressive” slide at second base (Nightengale, 2013). Barry Bonds, who is MLB’s only seven-time Most Valuable Player, received only 36.2% of the votes (“No Player”, 2013). Although, this is only their first year on the ballot, they will have 14 more opportunities to be inducted. According to Desser, Monks, and Robinson, they believe that there may be racial discrimination in the voting for the Hall of Fame (p. 591). But Ken Rosenthal believes that it may be a good thing that nobody was voted in this year (“No Player”,2013). The BBWAA says that voting is “based upon the player 's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played” (Blum, 2013). Rob Neyer wrote a column after this year’s vote and in it included a quote from one of the Hall voters:
“While I do believe Bonds took steroids (whether it was knowingly or not doesn 't much matter to me, though if I had to guess, I think he knows everything that goes in his body), I don 't believe all steroid users should be excluded from the Hall of Fame. I 'm not here to sit in moral judgment of another human being (2013).
To me this says, that some players who use steroids, will be voted for, while some of them, will be voted against.
The first year Mark McGwire was on the ballot he received 23.7% of the votes needed. But then, after openly admitting to the use of steroids in January of 2010, he dropped to 19.8% and 19.5% the last two years (Lacques, 2012). The question then becomes, how do they decide? How is it okay for one man to use steroids and be rewarded by being inducted in the Hall of Fame, but another man be denied access? There are a few reasons that I have come up with as to why men who use steroids should not be allowed in the Hall of Fame, period, and below I have described …show more content…
them.
The most obvious reason that maybe they should not be allowed in is the fact that they did an un-honest thing by taking these drugs. The voters really have to consider the athletes true talent and whether or not he would have been able to achieve the things he did had he not been on these drugs. Some people say that whether Barry Bonds had taken steroids or not, he still would have been one of the best players in all of baseball history and certainly belongs in the Hall (Neyer, 2013). Well, maybe he would have been, but can they go on that? Or does the morality of things come into play and shut down his chances of getting into the Hall? Roger Clemens was the only seven-time Cy Young Award winner, but did not gain entry (“No Player”, 2013). The question that should come into play is the validity of his true talent and what he accomplished on his own. No doubt, Clemens was an all-star, and many would think worthy of the Hall, but as first timers on the ballot, they were both denied (“No Player”, 2013).
Another thing that really should come into play is how kids perceive their favorite athletes who tested positive for PED’s but are still allowed in the Hall. As a huge baseball fan myself, I can say that I would be devastated if it leaked that Chipper Jones had used steroids during his career with the Atlanta Braves. I’ve always looked up to him and it would be heartbreaking to find out that he cheated. What message does it send to kids when the people they have seen as perfect their whole lives, cheat? This could give them the idea that it is okay to do those things. But even further than that, if they are allowed entrance into the Hall of Fame, it would send the message that their role models cheated and still got credit for it. They received the highest honor they could as a baseball player, but they cheated their way to the top. Kids might say to themselves, “well, if he did it, then so can I.” It isn’t a very positive message to send to young kids who look up to these men. After a reporter saw drugs in Mark McGwire’s locker, and reported on it, he openly admitted to taking them, but then went on further to say that we was going to quit using them because it didn’t send a good message to the youth of America (Vecsey, p. 207). If more players had this mentality, then there probably wouldn’t be so much steroid use today.
In the baseball world today, it is known as the “Steroid Era.” However, there are men in the Hall today who sharpened their spikes, popped greenies, and corked their bats, which are all illegal in the MLB (Schlesinger, 2009). Schlesinger references a Hall of Fame pitcher, Jim Bunning, in his article. Jim says:
“Major League Baseball must set an example so that children and young athletes don 't see steroids as a way to get ahead of the competition. If a player is caught using banned substances in an effort to break records set by players who achieved them through honest hard work, I think those numbers should be expunged from the record books. There is no place for cheaters in the Hall of Fame.”
Although he himself acknowledges that there are players in the Hall of Fame today who did things such as corking their bats and hurting other players by sharpening their spikes (Schlesinger, 2009) Isn’t this cheating as well? The counter argument to all of this is that maybe there isn’t a way to tell who would have achieved such greatness had steroids not been such a factor.
These drugs have been such a huge part of the 20th and 21st centuries that maybe it is impossible to wean out the guys who didn’t use them. Maybe they just didn’t get caught like others did. Just recently Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees and Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers have been linked to the same Biogenesis lab that Melky Cabrera attended. Last season, Cabrera was suspended because he tested positive for steroids. Rodriguez is undoubtedly one of the best players in the history of baseball. His career with the Yankees has been amazing, and he’s put up some outstanding numbers. At the end of his career will people look at his numbers, or will they remember him for using steroids? This is something that the BBWAA has to deal with every time they place a
vote. Next year, Braves’ pitchers Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux will appear on the ballot and Commissioner Bud Selig thinks it will be a big class (Blum, 2013). In a USA Today article by Bob Nightengale, he states that there is “no need to condemn the process. It might not be perfect but it’s ours” (2013). He goes on to explain that Jim Rice was on the ballot all 15 years he was eligible, and got in on the 15th year (Nightengale, 2013). Maybe he’s right. Just maybe, steroids have nothing to do with these outstanding baseball players not getting in the Hall of Fame. However, it is definitely something the BBWAA has to consider when casting their vote. I looked at other causes, such as the effect of steroids on the players, and discrimination against race, and decided that they were just coincidental, not causal.
Annotated Bibliography
Lacques, G., (2012). Steroid era’s lineup, USA Today, Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mih&AN=JOE222645049412&site=src-live Gabe Lacques, writing in a journal article, “Steroid era’s lineup”, (November 29, 2012), suggests his opinion of who may or may not get in the Hall of Fame class of 2013.He supports his thesis by giving information and stats about each player and his reasoning why they should or should not be granted entry. The authors purpose here is to give the public an informed opinion about what could happen when the votes are cast. The intended audience is fans of baseball and those who keep up with their favorite players even after their retirement.
Nightengale, B., (2013). Shutout no shame on hall of fame. USA Today, Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mih&AN=JOE227771041913&site=src-live Bob Nightengale, writing in a journal article, “Shutout no shame on hall of fame”, (January 10, 2013), suggests that it isn’t a bad thing that nobody will be inducted in the Hall of Fame. He supports his thesis by giving evidence of players who stayed on the ballot for 15 years before being voted in. His purpose is inform the public as to why this was a good decision for the BBWAA in order that the public will calm down and look forward to the potentially large class of 2014. The intended audience is fans of MLB who are appalled at the decision of this years Hall of Fame vote.
Vecsey, G. (2006). Baseball: A history of america’s favorite game. New York, NY: Modern Library.
George Vecsey, writing in an informational essay, Baseball: A History of America’s Favorite Game, (2006), asserts that the chances of players who use steroids getting into the Hall of Fame may be put in jeopardy. Vecsey builds his argument by talking about players using steroids long ago and then relating that to the things that go on today, including the new policy. The author’s purpose is to give some background information about steroid use in the MLB in order to help fans understand a reason as to why a player may not be considered for the Hall of Fame. The intended audience of the book is fans of Major League Baseball.
Writer’s Memorandum
While I was writing this paper, I found that I am good at researching and deciding what information to use and what information doesn’t necessarily relate to my topic and needs to be thrown out. Sometimes I have a very hard time organizing my paragraphs and making them flow, and I found that on this paper in particular, because I am so passionate about baseball, I get a little carried away with information that doesn’t matter. At the beginning of this project I didn’t know where I stood on the issue, and even after researching it and reading so many different opinions on the topic, I still am not completely on one side or the other. I would, however, say that I am not completely opposed to a player who used steroids being inducted into the Hall of Fame. I didn’t really reject any of the revisions that my peer made on the paper. I think she made very good suggestions and I accepted them because I also felt that the same things needed to be changed or added to. The changes added to the strength of my paper because I ended up giving way more examples than I originally had and it added more depth to it. My favorite thing about my paper is the section about the effect this issue could have on kids and future players. This is not something that most people would think of as an effect of a MLB player using steroids, but it certainly happens.