Pudge, Bagwell and Tim Raines are all in the MLB Hall of Fame. Home run king Barry Bonds and strikeout phenomenon Roger Clemens are not, but are making a push to get there. The stain of steroids has blocked two of the game's greatest from being enshrined in Cooperstown, but what has the MLB hall of fame become? Do these two players, riddle in controversy, deserve to be in? Have some of the players that have been voted in, snuck in because of biased voters? Does the Hall of Fame have the same meaning as it did in the past?
If you're not familiar, the panel for judgement on who gets a bust and eternal glory (in the baseball world) is decided by the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA). These reporters, many who have never played the game, vote every year on who they consider worthy to enter the Hall of Fame. To gain entrance a player has to receive 75 percent of the total votes. After 10 years on the ballot if a player hasn't been voted in the scales of justice swing to eternal damnation or never gaining admittance to Cooperstown.
Over the last several years the games greatest names have found their way into Cooperstown. Ken Griffey Jr, Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux and Frank Thomas were all first ballot Hall of Famers while others like Mike Piazza had to wait a couple years. The question becomes, what changes year to year that suddenly makes a player more worthy than the previous vote? Are these voters just casting their opinion on their favorites players and when they don't have any preferred option they are letting the stragglers in?
Look at Tim Raines, one of the most recent inductees. He was elected in his final year of eligibility, but what changed over the last 9 years? He's retired so his HR, RBI and batting averages didn't change. What is going on? The answer is that the voters are simply biased.
Take a look at the Bonds and Clemens argument. Are the cheaters? There aren't many who doubt that, but they should be in the Hall of Fame. Many of the voters despise them for being a part of the steroid era. News flash everyone was on the juice during that time. What makes their actions worse than any other player that stuffed chemicals into their veins because "chicks dig the long ball." I'm not saying that I condone their actions and honestly they both had Hall of Fame talent without the help, but their steroid use wasn't any different than most of the players during that time.
The thing that honestly bugs me is the fact that the writers were completely against Bonds and Clemens during their first year of eligibility, neither received much of the vote. However, each year the voters get a little softer and this last vote both player received over 50 percent. Frank Thomas, the former Chicago White Sox slugger and World Series Champion shares my frustration. Recently he argued that if they are going to let players connected to steroids in, why not allow the best of the best in.
Baseball can't hide from the steroids that contaminated the game during the days of long balls and power pitchers. It will always be a stain on America's pastime, but they shouldn't block the stars that brought notoriety, excitement and not to mention a lot of money to the game. They cheated. They were great. Let them in the Hall of Fame and get over your biased attempts to honor the game.
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