A main reason why a majority of Hall of Fame voters will never even consider voting for steroid era players is frankly because the players knowledgeably cheated. Cheating is a more than valid reason for not voting a player into the prestigious Hall of Fame; however, there are already cheaters in the Hall of Fame. Yes, there is already players who cheated knowledgeably in the Hall of Fame. According to baseball author, Billy Deane (2014), in his recent Society for American Baseball Research blog post:
In 2010, when Ken Burns’s THE TENTH INNING first came out, I wrote here about something Washington, DC sportswriter Thomas Boswell said in it. I just watched it again and, through the magic of DVR, can now give the exact quote. Boswell was referring
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This legendary player did not use steroids; however, he was notorious for cheating in every way possible. Cheating is cheating and even if Cobb did not use steroids the principle is still the same-cheaters should not be in the Hall of Fame according to the patterns current Hall of Fame voters have presented. As evident by his stats, Ty Cobb was one of the best 20th century baseball players but he did, “...sharpen his cleats for the sole purpose of cutting the infielder’s leg when he slid into second,” (McHugh, 2014). Additionally, “There is even strong evidence to suggest that he gambled on his own games,” (McHugh, 2014) which goes to show that this man was just an overall cheater, but he could sure play the game of baseball better than anyone. Since there are clearly cheaters already enshrined in the Hall of Fame, the Hall of Fame voters should simply look at the stats to see who played the game of baseball the …show more content…
That is a complete and utter fact; however, that does not stop Hall of Fame voters from making their own judgment on whether or not they think a particular player used steroids or not. Two names come to mind when thinking of this predicament: Mike Piazza and Jeff Bagwell. These two players have never been accused of using steroids in the famous Mitchell Report (report where US Senator George J. Mitchell did a 20 month investigation on players he highly suspected of using steroids), never been accused by anyone else of using steroids but neither one of them are in the Hall of Fame. This is because most Hall of Fame voters think they used steroids even though they have absolutely no proof that they did. I am not saying that they absolutely did not use steroids, but there is not a drop of proof showing they did take steroids. For as far as we know, these players never did cheated in any form during their incredible careers. Additionally, both of their stats clearly indicate they should be in the Hall of Fame as evident by the Hall of Stats. “Yet Piazza only got 62.2 percent of the votes and Bagwell had just 54.3 percent,” (McHugh, 2014). The voters basically are making a hasty generalization when it comes to these players. They assume since that both of them played during the steroid era and that both players were bigger than the everyday player then that must mean the players took steroids. Without proper proof,
If players did things that are worthy of being in the HOF then they should be recognized for them. There needs to be a wing added for the “The Steroid Era” because players during that era maybe would not have used PEDs if they had played back in another era. These players did cheat the game, but they just did what was happening during their era. Baseball cannot hide from its past, and should not keep trying to cover it up because it will just keep leading to more argument. The MLB and MLB HOF need to accept the dark history of baseball, and compare these players to the players of their own era, and give them the recognition they deserve.
When asked to name great hitters, fans would probably mention the likes of Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, and Ted Williams. It would not come as a surprise if they forgot to include the Georgia Peach, Ty Cobb, on their list. The reason for their forgetfulness stems from the era in which Cobb played. Beginning his career in 1905, Cobb played baseball through the period dubbed “the dead ball era.” During this era (1900-1919), players hit marginally fewer homeruns than players from other eras. The reason for this homerun shortage resulted from the baseball used at the time. Indeed, the ball had no life. Loosely wound, one baseball often served throughout an entire game. Moreover, larger ball fields also kept the homerun totals down (“1900-1919”). Legal pitches also included the spitball, a terrib...
Babe Ruth. Hank Aaron. Nolan Ryan. Cal Ripken Jr. These outstanding Major League Baseball players deservedly earned their spot in baseball’s Hall of Fame. Hank Aaron held the league’s home run record with 755 for 33 years, until it was broken by Barry Bonds at the height of the steroid era (Andy). Aaron has never been accused of steroid use; however, Bonds has. Nolan Ryan can be found at the top of the all-time strikeout list, but Roger Clemens is not far behind. Once again, the former has never been proven to have been on steroids, while the latter was found guilty. It is not fair to the players who achieved their greatness on their own merit to be surpassed, or even grouped alongside, those who cheated the game. The Hall of Fame needs to
Baseball?s pride and joy the Hall of Fame is constantly the conversation of self-morals and integrity. The Hall of Fame has asked its voters to consider the players integrity and personality as a whole. The Hall of Fame committee asks that the voters wait until they see truthfulness, integrity, and contrition. Cooperstown is unique compared to the NFL?s Hall of Fame in that Cooperstown actually has a morals clause. This clause states what Cooperstown has been asking the public to consider in the overall integrity of the player. The bottom line is the public believes steroids are illegal and that in any case shall athletes use steroids to get an edge on the game (Cote).
...n out of the ball park. Cobb batted a career .367, he hit 117 homeruns, he had 4191 hits and he stole 892 bags. Cobb is second in career hits and second in runs scored with 2245. Ty Cobb only batted less than .320 in his career once! Cobb holds five Major League records that still stand today and they’ll probably never be beat. Cobb holds the record of highest career batting average, most steals home in a single season, most career steals home, most batting title including 9 in a row from 1907 to 1915. Cobb also batted over .400 three times in his career.
Even though many people agree with famous baseball athletes using steroids being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, other people disagree for many reasons because steroids are an illegal drug and the use of this drug should not be rewarded with such an honor as being inducted into the Hall of Fame. There are very many people who vote for players to go in the Hall of Fame, but many people may have the same opinion as Tom Verducci who stated. When I vote for a player, I am upholding him for the highest individual honor possible. My vote is an endorsement of a career, not part of it, and how it was achieved. Voting for a known steroid user endorses steroid use.
The issue of performance-enhancing substances in baseball has been mostly present over the past ten years. The reason for players taking steroids is simple, by taking steroids, hitters like Barry Bonds gained more strength to hit better averages and more home runs, while pitchers like Roger Clemens gained better stamina and powerful arms.... ... middle of paper ... ... Steroids are not fair to the players who worked hard everyday to achieve Hall of Fame status, without performance enhancements.
Although often overshadowed in baseball history by Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb is considered by many sports enthusiasts to be the greatest player to ever play the game of baseball. Tyrus Raymond Cobb, was born December 18, 1886 in Banks County in Narrows, Georgia. He quickly gained much notoriety for his great skill in baseball and eventually earned a position with the Detroit Tigers at the age of nineteen, after playing for several semi-pro and Sally league teams. Cobb compiled twelve batting titles, a .367 career average, and totaled 4191 hits (second all-time) in a career that spanned twenty-two years (1905-1928). With these and other superb achievements, Ty was inducted as the first member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936, receiving more votes the Babe Ruth and Honus Wagner. As Cobb aged, his physical condition worsened and he developed terminal cancer. He eventually died July 17, 1961 in Atlanta, Georgia at the age of seventy-four.
Steroids need to be allowed in baseball because it will bring more excitement back into the game. “Steroids will cause baseball players to build more muscle which means that they will most likely increase their offensive stats. The stat that it will mostly increase is the homerun” (Vass). People that watch baseball unless they are die-hard baseball fans do not want to watch baseball to see a team play a good defensive game. They do not want to see a low scoring game. They watch the game of baseball hoping a player will hit the ball four hundred and fifty feet out of the ballpark. They want to see a player come up clutch and hit a walk off homerun to win the game for their team and their ...
“We have to make some radical move to get the attention of everyone. Cheaters can 't win and steroids has put us in the position that it 's OK to cheat” (“Steroids Quotes”). Unfortunately, baseball has been plagued with the assistance of performance enhancing drugs to lengthen players careers, to boost statistics, and create an extraordinary ballplayer out of an average player. Contrary to the steroid abusers’ beliefs, steroids are not positively influencing any aspect of their game or personal life. The credibility and dignity of baseball has decreased due to performance enhancing drugs, which is not only cheating, but it also leads into a even
people being aware of it, is the incentives given in a player’s contract. Getting rid of the six figure bonuses commonly given for a certain amount of home runs, hits, strikeouts, innings pitched, etc, will help reduce the apparent need to use steroids as a source of instant reward and income. While doing this there will still most certainly be players drawn to steroids as a means to get ahead of the competition for personal glory or other reasons, the fact is eliminating bonuses has the potential to significantly reduce the amount of users in the league. It is then, and only then that we can be prepared to fully eliminate the steroid problem as we know it today, remove the cloud of doubt over everyone’s heads, and return the game of baseball to the past glorification that it once knew, as the true American pastime.
No author / author / author. July 2013. Baseball as a game of America. USA Today. Retrieved November 14, 2014, from http://usatoday.com.
Nemee, David. “100 Years of Major League Baseball.” Lincolnwood, Illinois: Publications Infernational, Ltd, 200. Print.
This game of a stick and ball has captivated the United States during good and bad times. In either time most of us today can remember stories of players from the late 1800’s to early 1900’s. These are legendary figures in the sport of baseball that have are celebrated as hero’s and in scandal, i...
Tygiel, Jules. 2001; 2000. Past time: Baseball as history. Oxford England; New York: Oxford University Press.