Changing the HOF – No One Left Behind

The 2013 Hall of Fame class has been released and for only the 8^th time since its inception, no one was elected.  This has caused much controversy among the blog-o-sphere that the HOF has become a joke, either because the “clean” players of Edgar Martinez, Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio have been undeservingly punished or because some of the statistically best players of all time in Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens should be included, despite the steroid controversy.  There were no winners this year; the “steroid era” has caused everyone to lose.

This has caused many people to create their own ideal HOF that includes only the players that fit in their ideal world.  One of the biggest complaints is that the HOF is a museum and shouldn’t ignore an entire era.  Cheating to gain a competitive advantage has always been a part of the game and steroid users shouldn’t be ignored, even if it’s the worst kind of cheating one can do.

Redoing the HOF has been questioned by ESPN and done by FanGraphs (as well as many other places).  The conclusion is always the same: what we currently have right now isn’t working.  My solution is to include everyone.  No, not literally everyone, the player would still have to do something special in order to gain entry.  However, it wouldn’t take much to get in.  All the prominent players would be in – and then some.

The Elites:

These are the ones we typically think of when we hear of Hall of Fame players.  These are the statistically best players of all-time.  As such, the stats will determine who gets in this wing.  Whether it’s by sabermetically by using a stat like WAR or traditionally by using wins and RBI (or some combination of the two), there is no voting process.  The stats will speak for themselves.

The Special Accomplishments:

All the player has to do is something rare and extraordinaire and he’s in.  Every pitcher that has a no-hitter and perfect game is in, including Philip Humber.  Every hitter who has hit 4 HR in one game is in, including Shawn Green. Every player to have an unassisted triple play will be in, including Eric Bruntlett.  Bert Campaneris, Cesar Tovar and Shane Halter are the only players who have played all nine positions in one game, so they are in.  Jack Morris will get in for being the most winningest pitcher of the ‘80s and Roger Maris will be in for beating a then home run record.

In fact, all players that have a record will be in, including Placido Polanco, who has a record of playing the most consecutive games at 2B without committing an error.

The Historically Bad:

Baseball has been filled with historically great players…and also historically bad players.  Every die-hard baseball fan is aware of how historically bad Bill Bergen was at hitting a baseball.  Now it’s time to make it official.

The Tarnish:

This is where we’ll recognize the steroid users.  Jose Canseco can get a special recognition for helping expose steroid users for his book, Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant ‘Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big.  Hank Aaron might have to be in this wing for admitting to use amphetamines as well as Gaylord Perry for using an illegal spitball.  

This is also where Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson will get recognized for being historically great players, but are banned from baseball for gambling-related incidents.          

It’ll no longer be a place to celebrate the best baseball players.  It’ll be a place to recognize baseball history, the good, the bad and the ugly.

Thoughts on Performance Enhancers and the Hall of Fame

Next month baseball writers will be voting on players for the Hall of Fame.  Over the last couple of years, the ballots have gotten pretty big mainly due to the fact that they’ve refused to elect anyone with any link to performance enhancing drugs.  Unlike Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson, who are permanently banned due to gambling and the Black Sox Scandal and therefore ineligible for the Hall of Fame, players need to be caught 3 times using performance enhancers to get a lifetime banned and put on the ineligible list.  Therefore, players caught 1-2 times are still eligible for enshrinement, even though the voters are hesitant to let them in.  However, their actions aren’t completely unjustifiable; rule 5 taken directly from the Baseball Hall of Fame website states:

5. Voting: Voting shall be based upon the player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.

Voters are simply implementing the integrity clause to keep out otherwise statistically deserving players. 

There are several factors that can lead voters to change their minds.  This website shows that steroids don’t really give players a competitive advantage.  A common conspiracy theory is that MLB juiced the ball during the 1990s to increase the offense to get fans interested in baseball again after the 1994 strike and that commissioner Bud Selig not only turned a blind eye toward steroid users but actually encouraged them.   Keeping the players out of the Hall of Fame could be viewed as unfair if this is true, especially considering the vagueness of the steroid policies and the fact there was no formal testing until 2005.

A common misconception is that steroids have not been banned until 2005, but that’s not entirely true.  Steroids have been banned in MLB since 1991 when then Commissioner Fay Vincent issued a memo stating, “The possession, sale or use of any illegal drug or controlled substance by Major League players or personnel is strictly prohibited.... This prohibition applies to all illegal drugs ... including steroids or prescription drugs for which the individual in possession of the drug does not have a prescription."  If players were made aware of the banning and ignored it, then maybe keeping them out of the Hall of Fame is the right thing to do.

Personally, I have to side with the voters in keeping them out.  The Steroid Era is a black eye in baseball and rewarding the players by putting them in the Hall of Fame seems to just ignore that.  Some people like to compare this time to the 60s and 70s when it was a well-known fact that players were taking amphetamines and maybe in time voters will view it as such and elect them in.  But we’re in a time with the internet and technology that can tell us a lot more information than the 60s and 70s, although the media might be making a bigger deal out of this then it actually is, which adds to the negative impact of this time. 

It is however a Hall of “Fame” not a Hall of “Stats” or a Hall of Merit .  These players should be held to a higher standard other than just having just the stats.  Why have the “integrity, sportsmanship, character” clause in the voting rules, if voters are just going to ignore it?  Why ban steroids during the 90s if there’s no punishment or drug testing?

 Notable players linked to PEDs on the 2013 ballot:

           ·         Barry Bonds – During the BALCO investigation, admitted to using a clear substance
and cream but thought they were nutritional supplement flaxseed oil and rubbing balm.       

           ·         Mark McGwire – Admitted to using steroids in 2010 during the 1998 season when he broke the HR record. 

           ·         Rafael Palmiero – Was Banned in 2005 for violating MLB’s performance-enhancing drug policy.  

           ·         Roger Clemens – Named in the Mitchell Report.   

           ·         Sammy Sosa – Lawyers claimed that he had a positive drug test during the 2003 season.  

Therefore, my hypothetical ballot for the 2013 Hall of Fame is:

            1.    Jeff Bagwell

            2.    Mike Piazza

            3.    Edgar Martinez

            4.    Alan Trammell

            5.    Curt Schilling

            6.    Craig Biggio

            7.    Larry Walker

            8.    Tim Raines

Voters can vote up to 10 players.