Re: Not that we need to revisit the whole Manny mess....
Welcome to the slippery slope.
Keep in mind, it's the sportwriters, not some arcane body at the Hall of Fame, that makes these determinations.
The sportwriters crafted fawning tributes to these players for years. Go back and read pieces on Bonds circa 2001-2002 as sportswriters tripped over themselves to see who could lavish the most praise.
Compare those writings with the current line on Bonds et al, and you begin to appreciate this is more about the embarrassment and 'betrayal' of the sportswriters than anything else.
I applaude ESPN for having the courage to run this piece -- one of the first and only rational discussions I have seen on this issue.
If we're going to exclude players from the Hall of Fame because their 'unfair edge' somehow muddies the record books, then let's remove any player with numbers prior to 1947, shall we?
How different would the 'official' record books look if Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, Satchel Paige in his prime, etc. etc. had been allowed to compete on equal terms?
Rick
rickjlucas@gmail.com
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Re: Not that we need to revisit the whole Manny mess....
I guess this makes me "monocrhomatic"...but I couldn't disagree more.
In the past, I'll admit to having had mixed feelings on the subject, but this article, if anything, only serves to push me into the other camp.
"Players reflect their times"? Oh, so I guess that makes this the era when nobody really cares what you do as long as you play well and make money for yourself and your team? Nobody kicked at KKK memberships and monkey testosterone, so let's just forget about having any standards whatsoever?
Officer, why did you stop me?...everybody's speeding on this road.
Comparing a juicing player with an elementary school student taking Ritalin? Suggesting that the HOF voters might be replaced with (among others) "fantasy leaguers and serious baseball bloggers"?
This column could be a parody of PED defenders. If this is all they've got - and it seems pretty comprehensive, with its veritable laundry list of excuses and weaseling (my apologies to weasels, which are actually very cool little animals) - I'm not impressed in the slightest.Leave a comment:
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Guest repliedRe: Not that we need to revisit the whole Manny mess....
I agree 100%. To start keeping players out now, after inducting many of the characters that are in the HOF, would be a double standard. Not to mention it would be ridiculous.Leave a comment:
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Not that we need to revisit the whole Manny mess....
But I strongly agree with this stance and wanted to share...
Thoughts?
Leave a comment: