As the world series gets ready to start (I’ll be cheering for Dave Roberts and the Dodgers) I think it’s a good time to revisit an issue hanging over baseball.
I’m not a fan of the steroids era in baseball, I think it put players in a position where they had a choice of a chance to make millions or not and, in my opinion risked their health in making the wrong choice. I also think that baseball took too long to clean itself up and put in rules to change things.
Nevertheless I think it’s time to put Barry Bonds in the Baseball Hall of Fame and have seven good reasons for doing so.
First of all let’s remember that before he got on the juice it must be remembered and acknowledged that he had already put up Hall of fame stats. He was one of the most exciting players in the game, in the field, at the plate and on the basepads. He had won 3 MVP’s If he had retired before the start of the 20th century there is no question that he would have been a first ballot hall of famer.
Second of all his post 2000 stats didn’t take place in a vacuum. Bonds was hardly the only player juicing I don’t doubt that there were plenty of people on the mound who he faced that were juiced, plenty of people in the field defending against him who were juiced, yet he not only put up monster stats, he put up monster stats beyond all of those other players who were juicing just as much as he was.
Third of all it hits me that a lot of the backlash against Bonds is that frankly he seems a bit of an arrogant ass. As true as that might be his job as a baseball player was to produce runs and boy did he do so.
Fourth of all in the end Baseball never suspended him for breaking the rules, nor has he been convicted of any crime. All of the games he played in were legal games that counted in the standings and unless you want to alter the record of every single game ever played no about of outrage will strip him of a single hit, run, homer or walk.
Fifth of all I think he’s already been punished. By every rational standard Barry Bonds should have been signed after the 2007 season yet he remained unsigned despite leading the league in walks and onbase percentage. His breaking of the all time HR record is the least celebrated performance (and holding of the all time walks both intentional and unintentional) are consigned to the dustbin of history. He is likely the least celebrated great player in the history of the game
Sixth of all I can’t get over the stats on walks. In the 21st century Barry Bonds came to the plate 3465 time and of those 3465 times pitchers walked him either intentionally or unintentionally 1379 times. If those had been hits that would come out to a batting avg of .397 without taking a single swing. That’s over a freaking seven year period (one of which was shortened by injury) and it’s without flexing a single steroid enhanced muscle.
Seventh of all I think the game can’t get the steroids era behind it until we vote Bonds in, acknowledge of all the juicers he was the greatest beyond compare and be done with it. I think the best way to do so would be to do it sooner rather than later. it’s the best thing for the game in the short and long run.
I think these seven reasons good reasons should be enough to carry the day.
Now here is the one bad reason why I think the sportswriters, still outraged by Bonds will eventually vote him into the Hall:
Voting Bonds into the Hall of Fame would be the final and most effective way for those who hate him in the game to humiliate him one more time.
It has been said that the reason why Bonds started juicing was because he felt upstaged in both financial and fan recognition by players like McGuire and Sosa who had produced power by steroids. This grievance drove him right up until his last at bat. I might be wrong but in my opinion said mentality is now comfortable to him. He can point to his stats, his success and the game’s unwillingness to acknowledge him as one of the greatest ever to play as proof that Baseball was out to get him and humiliate him.
He has now been on the ballot 5 times and in 2017 drew 53.8% of the vote. Next year it’s likely that Clipper Jones, Trevor Hoffman and Vlad Guerrero (and hopefully Omar Visquel) will make it in while he slowly inches up toward 60% in his 6th year on the ballot. By the time Ichrio makes in on the first ballot Bonds will likely be in his 13th year of eligibility and might have finally broken the 70%.
Can you imagine how he will feel if he finally makes it in say his 14th year squeaking by with 75.1% of the vote? Can you picture him getting on the stage at Cooperstown and having to thank all those who kept him off the ballot for so many years for acknowledging what he had already done and grudgingly let him in the door?
I think that is their last chance to put the knife in, it’s a cruel and dishonorable reason to do it, which is why I suspect it will be the reason why it will be done.
Disagree…it’s the hall of fame and what Bonds did was shameful no matter the reason. If we are going to start making exceptions where does one draw the line?
Taking some of your points head on…
1)Should Pete Rose be in the hall? He had hall of fame numbers before becoming a manager and betting on baseball.
2)So because some people were also juicing in the 2000’s then it’s ok? What about the guy who didn’t juice but put up good numbers but not great for the era, does he get in too? Ok, he put up monster stats but we’ll never know how many of those home runs he hit off of guys who were clean. Plus, all those walks, juicing makes it a lot easier to not only have power but reaction speed and well as eye sight. Would he have walked so much without those increase abilities?
3)Backlash…again see Pete Rose.
4)While he was never suspended for breaking the rules, we all know he did and only got away with it as he had a group doing everything the could to mask and prevent him from being caught. If you really believe he wasn’t doing it you won’t be making some of your arguments as to “everyone else was doing it”.
5)He’s already been punished? So hey, let’s now reward him? I guess two wrongs do make a right.
6)See point 2…seeing a pitch and being able to react to it much later in the process gives you a hugh advantage at what to swing at and what not too.
7)Your opinion of what the game can and can’t do is just your opinion, mine is putting him in would show that if you really what the money etc. you can get away with it which will lead others to try again. This won’t put the era behind us but make for new era’s as there are those that will try to do this and know that if they are not caught by “baseball” then they too can be in the hall of fame.
Bonds choose to do what he did on his own. While he may have been upset with what was happening in baseball, it was his ego that led him astray. It was his choice and his alone. Many others didn’t make the wrong choice and because of that they may not have had the career they might have had if everyone had been clean. So what do those players think. His and others juicing may have cost them a chance at the hall or at the very least more money or a longer career. Doesn’t the hurt done to the game and those
who were clean mean anything?
On Rose every single day when he entered the park he saw a sign saying “betting on baseball will get you banned.” (still one of the 1st players I’d want on my team btw nobody played harder)
“We all know” is not the basis for a decision. If the organization of baseball did not see fit to actually charge him or others then it’s not the proper basis for a decision.
Again on the “rewarding” business I think at this point the hall isn’t rewarding him, I think it’s acknowledging the reality that he was the most feared player of his time at the bat (the fact that his team won world series once he was gone speaks volumes about his “value” but I disgress.
Your points on steroids and Bonds’ choices are well made but I don’t think we get past this until this is dealt with and again I think a Bonds let in after 10th or 12th year on ballot is a huge contrast to a Ken Griffey or a Frank Thomas who made it in 1st ballot (and deservedly so)
I think Bonds going in under these terms us and baseball much more than it honors Bonds but again your points are worthwhile and should be considered
I agree Rose shouldn’t be in the hall of fame and pointing out that there was a sign on the wall stating betting on baseball will get you banned and he did, so no problem there. But don’t you think all those drug test, the MLB rules on PED’s that are give to players each year, the list of banded medical substances etc. that Bonds should have known that doing PED’s was illegal? Or do you think he’s that stupid.
Also, the government would stated that they had proof that he test positive for PED’s as they said they have those tests results, that were discovered after Bonds got out of the game. If fact they had a trail to 2011 where this information came out.
The trainer Greg Anderson stated he administered the designer steroids known as the “cream” and the “clear” to Bonds. Isn’t that proof enough? I mean we can take an old book and look it and say Rose betted on baseball (long before he came clean about it) and hold that as proof, should we take the word of the guy applying the PED to Bond’s body? Note that much of the evidence against Bonds came out after 2007 when he was out of baseball. I’m fine if baseball wants to go back and on the word of the trainer charge him with using PED’s and ban him. That’ll put this issue to rest. But saying baseball took no action doesn’t make him guilt free.
While I understand your arguments they also have to be placed in the context of what he was doing. He was the most feared hitter in baseball after he started working the BALCO which did nothing but make designer PED’s, of which Bonds was using. Rose set the all time hit record before betting on baseball, while your wanting to put some in who’s numbers have been inflated using PED’s while he was playing. That’s a big difference to me and yet I’m fine with baseball keeping Rose out of the hall.
Also does it really matter when you get in? I didn’t see a anything next to the names while I was there that said “Voted in on the 13th try”. What people see is that the names there are the best and were selected to be there. Can you tell me which ballot any of these guys go in on without looking? They all got in on less that 80% of the vote.
Fergie Jenkins
Ralph Kiner
Bob Lemon
Eddie Mathews
Jim Rice
Gabby Hartnett
What you do know about those guys is that other generations know them as Hall of Famers.
I think context to what Bonds did and how it affected the game should also be considered. He certainly didn’t help it and his numbers tarnish those that set the records before him without cheating.
Aren’t you the guy who posted “If you have to think if a candidate for a Hall of Fame belongs in said Hall of Fame, said candidate doesn’t.”
Enh. Pete Rose belongs in baseball’s Hall of Fame before Barry Bonds does. He earned all his hits without chemical help.
I think the statement about putting “players in a position where they had a choice of a chance to make millions or not” sums up the greater problem facing not just baseball, but the entirety of our entire social order. This has become the overriding goal of Joe Sixpack today; to win the lottery and never have to work for a living again; to become filthy rich. This is why kids rack up six digit college loans. They have expectations that doing so will make them wealthy doctors or lawyers, driving the Mercedes and living in the 18,000 sqft mansion eating caviar.
All of the outrage about “economic inequality” has nothing to do with justice and everything to do with envy.