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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2009
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7

Baseball Hall Voters Reject Plan to Weigh Steroid Use

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(Newser) – The Baseball Writers’ Association of America—which decides the annual Hall of Fame class—has voted down an attempt to make new guidelines for players implicated in steroid use, the AP reports. Chicago Sun-Times columnist Rick Telander had suggested a committee be formed to create new rules that acknowledged the effect of recent doping scandals; the motion was voted down, 30-25.

Current guidelines require voters to consider a player’s “record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played” when deciding the inductees. A player must get 75% of the vote to join the Hall of Fame. Mark McGwire, the first big-name steroids suspect eligible for the Hall, got 118 votes this year—21.9%—down from 128 in his first 2 attempts.

Chicago Cubs' Sammy Sosa, right, and St. Louis Cardinals' Mark McGwire (25) chat at first base in 1999.
Chicago Cubs' Sammy Sosa, right, and St. Louis Cardinals' Mark McGwire (25) chat at first base in 1999.   (AP Photo)
Former New York Yankees baseball pitcher Roger Clemens.
Former New York Yankees baseball pitcher Roger Clemens.   (AP Photo)
Baseball fans gather outside the National Baseball Hall of Fame Cooperstown, N.Y.
Baseball fans gather outside the National Baseball Hall of Fame Cooperstown, N.Y.   (AP Photo)
Tony Gwynn, a 2007 inductee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, looks at Hall of Fame plaques during a visit to Cooperstown, N.Y.
Tony Gwynn, a 2007 inductee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, looks at Hall of Fame plaques during a visit to Cooperstown, N.Y.   (AP Photo)
Visitors look at the Legends of Baseball plaques at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.
Visitors look at the Legends of Baseball plaques at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.   (Getty Images)
A 1998 file photo shows St. Louis Cardinals' Mark McGwire.
A 1998 file photo shows St. Louis Cardinals' Mark McGwire.   (AP Photo)
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7 comments
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gabo
Jul 14, 09 4:01 PM CDT
I would like to believe that the writers know what's going on and will vote accordingly. Mark McGuire, while in awe of himself, lost traction with the writers when they had more info and insight into just how out of contol baseball became. I hope the writers will be more decisive than the Commissioner has been. Reply
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Bambi
Jul 14, 09 5:22 PM CDT
Makes rather clear that despite the pledge of allegiance and other proud lip service to noble ideals that takes place in and around the sport of baseball, it's really cult of celebrity, mindless adoration of 'winners' (at any cost), and the almighty dollar that reign as priorities with this fame-concerned institution. All popular Halls-of-Fame are for-profit enterprises (as are the motives of the Baseball Writers Association of America), and their voting, not unlike the Academy Awards, are political popularity contests, lacking value as critical appraisals of merit. This latest decision of the Baseball Writers Association sounds much like a self-preservation exercise to me. The veil is lifted. This isn't about the team spirit, love of America, comeraderie or 'good clean fun'. - It's all about money. Reply
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IN RESPONSE:
Abdulsamadabdul
Jul 15, 09 12:59 AM CDT
Why can't it be JUST BE ABOUT HOW WELL A PLAYER PLAYED BASEBALL ? All the rest are bullshit exercises in one value system versus someone else's value system. Since baseball players are paid to play baseball let that be the criteria; how well they played baseball.
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Reader71485694
Jul 14, 09 5:51 PM CDT
Barry Bonds is/was one of the great hitters of all time. Strength is not all that vital, or a huge man named Howard who played for the Senators would have hit 600. McGwire never hid his use of andro and it was legal. He was injury-prone, and maybe didn't make that big a mark on the game. Reply
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IN RESPONSE:
RobN
Jul 14, 09 8:24 PM CDT
Strength is not that vital? If strength were not that vital then Bonds, Sosa, McGwire, et al would not have been using. If you're interested, check the Bond's season where he broke the homerun record and see how many of those homers should have been routine outs to the outfield but carried over the fence. Check the ones where contact was barely a check swing that still carried over the fence. It's available on youtube and it's a lot.
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