Wednesday, January 10, 2007, 1:39 PM
Thank you HOF voters for keeping Mark McGwire out of the Hall Of Fame. I have long been an opponent of sportswriters as the keeper of the flame when it came to who should and shouldn't move into baseballs hallowed halls. Too many times I have seen a voter cast his ballot with the name of someone like Chet Lemon, and I would wonder, 'who are these people?'
But this time round' you did me proud. Maybe we should leave the voting to you, those of you who may, on this one subject, know a little more than we do. Maybe you have heard the whispers of who was using and who wasn't. Maybe now we need you more than ever to help the deserving enter the Hall Of Fame, while keeping the Mark McGwires of the world in a dark, cold place where they can't return from, even with an apology.
For those of you who compare the steroid users of this era to the likes of Ty Cobb (killed a man) or others in the HOF who were dastardly people off the field, let me say that there really isn't a comparison to be made. Unless Cobb murdered the pitcher on the mound in the middle of a two-out rally, then what he did away from the game means nothing. But the steroid users and fellows like Pete Rose, did something ON the field that took away from the integrity of the sport. Rose bet on the game while gambling, this in and of itself means he left himself open to changing the course of a game with his habit. This is unacceptable. Steroid users did the same thing. Their acts changed the course of the game forever. Records that we have long looked at with awe, fell by the wayside. Records that were put up by men who were playing their hardest with the talent God gave them, gone. All gone.
One point of view I never see is this. What about those players who weren't on steroids? How are they supposed to feel when it comes time to be judged? HOF voters look at how players stacked up against the rest of the field during that particular era. How much better were the candidates than everyone else? In this instance, isn't that unfair? If you were a guy who hit .290 with 180 hits, 30 homers and 95 RBI a year and didn't touch the juice.... are you going to like that you are not going to get your just desserts because the voters are comparing you to steroid pumped behemoths?
And how about the money that these steroid users took from those other ballplayers? How do the non-users feel when they know, if the users weren't cheating, that the non-users might have been paid the top dollar? Might have had the recognition due them?
Now, those same steroid users have cast a dark, black cloud over all of baseball. Now, because of them, their greed and their utter disregard for the game and the fans, they have cast doubt on other ballplayers, many of whom may never have touched the "clear and the cream" in their lives. Ballplayers who did the work, made the most of the talent they had, now are suspect because of the McGwires of the world.
Ever wonder what it must be like to place fourth in the 100 meter freestyle at the Olympics and then, months later, find out that the top three medal winners have had their medals pulled because of steroid use? (Don't know that that ever happened, its just an analogy). And there you stand, in your living room, or at some office, receiving the award that you should have won all along? Does it feel the same? Do your eyes well up and your voice crack? Does it feel the same as standing on the podium in front of thousands, watched by millions more, while your National Anthem rings out over the land. I doubt it. No... those other people, no matter that they gave the medals back, no, they will still be the ones to hold those memories. To feel the magic moment. A moment worked towards for years. No...they stole it from you. That must be how some ballplayers feel. They had their "moments" stolen by greedy, juiced asses.
I don't feel sympathy for any of these guys. They chose to do what they did. They took the risk of cancer at an early age, muscle and joint trouble. But don't for a second think that they only did it to themselves. Mark McGwire and many others took something away from us - the fan - and from those that play the game the right way, no matter what comes. They took away the innocent love of the sport, the innocence of a generation. There are ballplayers out there who will never feel the adoration and attention, if only for a moment in time, that these cheaters did, no, all they will feel is the glaring eye of the media and fans who wonder... is he on the "juice"? Is he a cheater?
Mark McGwire and the rest of the steroid guys did this, and it hurts. And I hope that the sportswriters remember this. The Hurt. And vote as they see fit. In the future, if a guy doesn't make the hall, I will always think...maybe the writers knew...maybe they heard the whispers.
And those that they vote for, I will think, maybe, just maybe, he was one of the good ones.
Thanks McGwire, you worthless excuse for a sportsman. You and your ilk did this. Caused this. Brought this on. I hope your money keeps you warm while the rest of us debate and fight about this era, for many years to come.
I hope your happy. Although, I've got a hunch, you couldn't care less.
But this time round' you did me proud. Maybe we should leave the voting to you, those of you who may, on this one subject, know a little more than we do. Maybe you have heard the whispers of who was using and who wasn't. Maybe now we need you more than ever to help the deserving enter the Hall Of Fame, while keeping the Mark McGwires of the world in a dark, cold place where they can't return from, even with an apology.
For those of you who compare the steroid users of this era to the likes of Ty Cobb (killed a man) or others in the HOF who were dastardly people off the field, let me say that there really isn't a comparison to be made. Unless Cobb murdered the pitcher on the mound in the middle of a two-out rally, then what he did away from the game means nothing. But the steroid users and fellows like Pete Rose, did something ON the field that took away from the integrity of the sport. Rose bet on the game while gambling, this in and of itself means he left himself open to changing the course of a game with his habit. This is unacceptable. Steroid users did the same thing. Their acts changed the course of the game forever. Records that we have long looked at with awe, fell by the wayside. Records that were put up by men who were playing their hardest with the talent God gave them, gone. All gone.
One point of view I never see is this. What about those players who weren't on steroids? How are they supposed to feel when it comes time to be judged? HOF voters look at how players stacked up against the rest of the field during that particular era. How much better were the candidates than everyone else? In this instance, isn't that unfair? If you were a guy who hit .290 with 180 hits, 30 homers and 95 RBI a year and didn't touch the juice.... are you going to like that you are not going to get your just desserts because the voters are comparing you to steroid pumped behemoths?
And how about the money that these steroid users took from those other ballplayers? How do the non-users feel when they know, if the users weren't cheating, that the non-users might have been paid the top dollar? Might have had the recognition due them?
Now, those same steroid users have cast a dark, black cloud over all of baseball. Now, because of them, their greed and their utter disregard for the game and the fans, they have cast doubt on other ballplayers, many of whom may never have touched the "clear and the cream" in their lives. Ballplayers who did the work, made the most of the talent they had, now are suspect because of the McGwires of the world.
Ever wonder what it must be like to place fourth in the 100 meter freestyle at the Olympics and then, months later, find out that the top three medal winners have had their medals pulled because of steroid use? (Don't know that that ever happened, its just an analogy). And there you stand, in your living room, or at some office, receiving the award that you should have won all along? Does it feel the same? Do your eyes well up and your voice crack? Does it feel the same as standing on the podium in front of thousands, watched by millions more, while your National Anthem rings out over the land. I doubt it. No... those other people, no matter that they gave the medals back, no, they will still be the ones to hold those memories. To feel the magic moment. A moment worked towards for years. No...they stole it from you. That must be how some ballplayers feel. They had their "moments" stolen by greedy, juiced asses.
I don't feel sympathy for any of these guys. They chose to do what they did. They took the risk of cancer at an early age, muscle and joint trouble. But don't for a second think that they only did it to themselves. Mark McGwire and many others took something away from us - the fan - and from those that play the game the right way, no matter what comes. They took away the innocent love of the sport, the innocence of a generation. There are ballplayers out there who will never feel the adoration and attention, if only for a moment in time, that these cheaters did, no, all they will feel is the glaring eye of the media and fans who wonder... is he on the "juice"? Is he a cheater?
Mark McGwire and the rest of the steroid guys did this, and it hurts. And I hope that the sportswriters remember this. The Hurt. And vote as they see fit. In the future, if a guy doesn't make the hall, I will always think...maybe the writers knew...maybe they heard the whispers.
And those that they vote for, I will think, maybe, just maybe, he was one of the good ones.
Thanks McGwire, you worthless excuse for a sportsman. You and your ilk did this. Caused this. Brought this on. I hope your money keeps you warm while the rest of us debate and fight about this era, for many years to come.
I hope your happy. Although, I've got a hunch, you couldn't care less.
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