Sunday, March 2, 2008

Drugs Are Bad, Gambling is Worse


I'm getting pretty sick and tired of the very few Bonds, McGwire and Clemens supporters out there who say that they all deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. The arguments run from "he never actually tested positive" to "Everyone was doing it, so no one should be kept out of the hall" both of which are stupid.

If Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson are left on the doorstep in Cooperstown, then so to should these three be. In so much as everyone worries that Rose and Jackson's gambling could have led to them altering the outcome of games, even championships, they are deemed to be eternally guilty. Moreover, they are accused of eroding the very credibility of the game, calling it's legitimacy into question and making little boys say "say it isn't so..." Bullshit.

They should both be in the hall, the other three yutzes should be forced to wait for induction, at the very least, until after they are dead. Then the honor isn't for them, it's about them. There are records in the game of baseball that have become sullied due to the actions of these men, and many others like them, and for that they must pay. Sure, there were a lot of other players on roid, but the blame in this situation is kind of like being a Quarterback. When you win it's because of you, even if it really wasn't, and when you lose it's because of you, even if it really wasn't. When these guys were getting stroked for being great they didn't stop to say "yeah but there are other guys who are also great." So, now they don't get to say "everyone else was doing it too."

Hey Roger, Mark and Barry: I hope it was worth it. Because no matter how many millions of dollars your drug use garnered you, that money can never buy the respect of baseball fans.

No comments: