Say this for Baseball Hall of Fame voting – it’s never boring.
Earlier this month, a veterans committee voted to enshrine Bud Selig, the former commissioner whose tenure gave us expanded playoffs, a controversial twist to the All-Star Game, video replay and revenue sharing. Any one of those would be considered revolutionary in a game as steeped in tradition as baseball.
Selig also was boss when the use of performance-enhancing drugs ran rampant in the game. This is not to say it was his doing. He presided over an era during which team owners, management and players either supported PED use or turned a blind eye to what was happening – and the media was too slow to recognize it or hold baseball accountable.
That’s not news. But this might be:
Selig’s invitation to Cooperstown has caused many hall of fame voters – the Baseball Writers Association of America – to throw in the towel and vote for Barry Bonds and Rogers Clemens.
Their logic: It’s hypocritical to ban suspected PED users when their commissioner is now a Hall of Famer, so throw open the doors and let ’em all in.
Earlier this month, a veterans committee voted to enshrine Bud Selig, the former commissioner whose tenure gave us expanded playoffs, a controversial twist to the All-Star Game, video replay and revenue sharing. Any one of those would be considered revolutionary in a game as steeped in tradition as baseball.
Selig also was boss when the use of performance-enhancing drugs ran rampant in the game. This is not to say it was his doing. He presided over an era during which team owners, management and players either supported PED use or turned a blind eye to what was happening – and the media was too slow to recognize it or hold baseball accountable.
That’s not news. But this might be:
Selig’s invitation to Cooperstown has caused many hall of fame voters – the Baseball Writers Association of America – to throw in the towel and vote for Barry Bonds and Rogers Clemens.
Their logic: It’s hypocritical to ban suspected PED users when their commissioner is now a Hall of Famer, so throw open the doors and let ’em all in.
