If issues surrounding Major League Baseball world were
ranked, the Hall of Fame voting process would easily surpass even a hit by the
iconic Mickey Mantle.
HOF voting for baseball generates controversy every year not
always because who got in, but more importantly, who did not get in. And why
they did not get in. A large part of the issues lies within the performance
enhancing drug era players. ‘The steroid era’ has certainly generated some of
the best players with the greatest numbers, yet some vote holders refuse to
vote for players that may have been involved in steroid usage. The issue with
this argument is that there is not always solid evidence against these players,
and to add, there is no time frame for when the steroid usage began or ended.
Great players like Sosa, Clemens, and McGuire potentially
will never be entered into the HOF because of performance enhancing drug usage.
While these players cheated, they still are outstanding figures in the game of
baseball. Enter them on the ballot, but under the terms that
performance-enhancing drugs were being used at some point in their careers.
These players have outstanding numbers next to their name and until solid
evidence is generated that they used throughout their entire career, it is a
disgrace that their talents receive no acknowledgement.
In most recent news, Dan LeBatard selling his vote to
Deadspin has sent the criticism meter over the fence. First, the world must
recognize his actions for what they truly are: voting fraud. While a “flawed”
process or the “sanctimony of the hall of fame gatekeepers” are reasons he gave
for selling a vote he no longer believed to hold value, he still made an
extremely egotistical decision. Issues exist, but the HOF voting system gives
one man one vote. There are not many more democratic processes existing in this
world.
The biggest concern surrounding LeBatard’s narcissistic move
is the fact that the only way to change the system is to advocate. Do not
simply toss the vote in a trashcan, but utilize available outlets to object to
the areas that require change. LeBatard has written for Deadspin, he has a
national radio show, and a national television show. For him to not lobby for
the changes he would like to see in the system was, simply put, a cop out and a
disgrace to his character.
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