Hall o' Fame

I am generally not a big fan of Halls of Fame. I feel that most are not exclusive enough. In sports, I think you should be a transformative/transformational/transcendent figure of your era or have ridiculously great statistics to even be considered. It becomes like an annual bonus at work, once it becomes expected or inevitable it has lost its real value.

Take Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa… they are not going to make it into the Baseball Hall of Fame any time soon. You do steroids (or get caught) and voters will likely not vote you in. Every action has a consequence. Pete Rose was a transformative/transformational/transcendent figure, but he was a big liar. Finally confessing just to have a shot at getting into the Hall of Fame is terrible and shows his character. Don't get me wrong, I don't think the "Hall" would be less of a place if the questionable characters were inducted. I think a lot of people go to Cooperstown to get a sense of the history and the characters that shaped the game. These guys were a big part of the game, for better and worse. Gambling and performance enhancing drugs are a part of the game's history and to brush them under the rug would be wrong. When all the facts are made public, the "Hall" should make an entire exhibit about the dark side of the game (and leave room for expansion, since it’s sure to be an evolving display).

Back to "who gets in?"... If had a vote, I'd vote against Pete Rose, against Mark McGwire, against Sammy Sosa, but I'd vote for Steroids. They’re a first ballot lock for me. Like it or not, they are probably the most influential person/place/thing on the game of baseball in our lifetime. Probably to the detriment of the game, but if we learn from the controversy, America’s game can only benefit from embracing the issue and facing the problem.

Yep, the ol’ embrace and face.

This concludes my cursory look at steroids, the Hall of Fame and annual bonuses.