A compelling article has been penned by Boston Red Sox Senior Baseball Operations Advisor Bill James about why he believes yesterday’s steroids users and accused users, including Mark McGwire, will eventually be enshrined in Baseball’s Hall of Fame.
I began to read the four-page article with a healthy dose of skepticism. “So what if a stats guru had finally decided to break his silence about the steroid era? What possibly could he say that is new?” I thought to myself. By the end, James’ practical arguments had me in agreement.
Rather than recap it, lest I leave out important supporting points, I offer the link for you to read it in its entirety.
“Cooperstown and the ‘Roids” by Bill James, courtesy of ACTA Sports.
Mr. James says that in the future people will not view use of steroids as a moral failure. That may be true but use of steroids is not really the issue, cheating is. If he believes cheating will not be seen as a moral failure, then he’s right about the hall of fame. Pete Rose and the black sox will be redeemed as well.
As I mentioned in a Facebook post about this a few minutes ago, I found the analogy of Shoeless Joe most interesting. While public opinion may be in Jackson’s favor today, he is still one of the Eight Men Out last time I checked. It is 90 years and counting for him.
Therein lies what may be the most important unanswered question in all of this. How long will it take for the opposition to fully erode? We may or may not be around to see it.
I don’t see the analogy of Jackson here. Players and organizations have been bending rules for ages in an attempt to gain a competitive edge. A legitimate sport cannot afford to have questions about its competition being real.
The Black Sox were throwing baseball games. If I wanted to be entertained by “contests” in which the victors were pre-determined, I’d watch the WWE or Roller Derby.
In James article he says it isn’t cheating if there is no rule in the rulebook against it. I agree.
He also says Jackson didn’t start getting much support for induction until the 1950′s, 1960′s even tho he admitted he took the money. So I think with Jackson he is saying that people forget and forgive over time and look at the stats. Not that Jackson’s case is like using PED’s .
Pete Rose most assuredly broke a rule that is posted in every clubhouse, I think there will be steroid users in the HOF before Rose.
James says roid use will become mainstream in society, so presumably MLB would then allow it. When guys who then legally use it start getting into the hall, then what. I guess you open the gates to roid era guys and not worry about whether they knew they were going for an unfair advantage behind closed doors. Sad.