Hall of Lame

With the announcement of the 2013 Baseball Hall of Fame vote being announced today, I planned on crafting a lengthy dissertation on how annoying the Baseball Writers Association of America members are. But then I ready two posts, one from my friend Jon (http://www.eksaxis.com/cheaters) and the other from Steven Goldman from SB Nation (http://mlb.sbnation.com/2013/1/9/3854546/baseball-hall-of-fame-theyre-all-scum). I think they echo my sentiments pretty well. 

Ah, hell. Here's what I'm thinking anyways. . .

The National Baseball Hall of Fame is responsible for recording the history of the game, good and bad. It is to recognize the greatest of the greats (Charlie Hustle, for Christ sake!). The BBWAA is full of pompous, self-righteous jerks who feel it is their responsibility to keep the game pure and clean. Except baseball is not pure and clean, nor has it ever been. Baseball has an unprecedented inequality in the financials between the haves and have-nots. Baseball has drug testing that is years behind the drug users. Baseball has blown calls, dirty slides, high and tight fastballs, stolen signs. Baseball's imperfections add to why it is the greatest sport out there. Despite the fact that these imperfections have existed, currently exist, and will exist in the future, the BBWAA attempts to smooth out the wrinkles. Baseball has wrinkles. If you cannot see that, you do not watch baseball. And if you do not watch baseball, you should not be voting for its Hall of Fame. 

I despise Barry Bonds. I booed him every time he appeared at Coors Field. I hated how he crowded the plate so aggressively that any pitch over the dish was an inside pitch that he was able to pull to right field. I hated his 30 pounds of body armor that he wore in order to set his toes on the black of the plate. I hated his jerky and unnecessary bat twitch as he awaited each pitch. I hated his cocky, smug, and reprehensible attitude toward everyone and everything outside of himself. Barry was good for Barry and the Giants, no one else. He was also the greatest hitter of his time. Period. Before you shed tears for those poor pitchers who were sacrificed every night on the mound, please remember that Barry Bonds was not the only baseball player who may or may not have been using steroids. And juicers were not just the big headed sluggers. Pitchers juiced too, right Roger? Who was juicing? Who was not? We will never know the facts about any of this. We cannot just ignore years and years of baseball history just because a cloud hangs over that particular time frame. Because of that, the Hall needs to operate per normal: the best players get in. Barry Bonds was the best hitter of his time. If he is not deserving of the Hall, who from his years of playing is? 

Until the next post,

Mikey