Ban Them For Life

I have often pondered the question of weather or not Pete Rose should get in to the Hall Of Fame. Usually my response ends with “If Rose gets in then Shoeless Joe Jackson should also get in”. Yet now I finally realize why neither of them must ever get in.

The Baseball Hall Of Fame in Cooperstown, New York is where Babe Ruth is immortalized forever. Think about that for a minute. George Herman “Babe” Ruth. It is wholesome. It is All-American. It is pure. The Hall Of Fame is the Vatican and Babe Ruth is Jesus. He did not ever play there. He did not invent the game but he was its savior. Was he perfect? No. Let he who is without flaw cast the first stone. But this is not about Ruth or Jesus Christ for that matter.

No, this is about integrity. This is about why steroids IS a big deal. I know that people are sick of it and tired of hearing about it. People are blind and also numb to the whole steroid issue. And that is fine. I am too.

But let me present it to you this way: How many people have been banned for life by throwing a Worlds Series, Super Bowl, or even a Stanley Cup since “Shoeless” Joe Jackson was banned for life?

How many people have been banned from baseball for betting on games since Pete Rose was banned for life?

The answer to both is NONE! Yet I assure  you both Shoeless Joe and Pete Rose would gladly trade in their spots in the Hall Of Fame to come out “Not Guilty” You can not have your cake and eat it too. Simply put: If you wanna play you gotta pay. That is the precedent set forth all those years ago by Kennisaw Mountain Landis. It is the very reason why we even have a Commissioner in the first place; to preserve the integrity of the sport.

If Jose Canseco had been questioned and subsequently banned from baseball back in 1986 we would never have had a “steroid era” If Allan Huber Selig had done the right thing and demanded strict drug policy in 1994 without exception we would never have had to suffer through the pain of this era. Shame on you Mr. Selig. SHAME ON YOU!

If we continue to turn a blind eye and not care about this issue it is never going to go away and is only going to get worse. Allowing anyone from this era entrance to the Hall Of Fame after having been found “dirty” would be reprehensbile.

If you want to clean up the sport BAN THEM FOR LIFE! And let them know it now rather than leave it up to some bleeding heart sportswriter twenty years from now.

Ban Them For Life

I have often pondered the question of weather or not Pete Rose should get in to the Hall Of Fame. Usually my response ends with “If Rose gets in then Shoeless Joe Jackson should also get in”. Yet now I finally realize why neither of them must ever get in.

The Baseball Hall Of Fame in Cooperstown, New York is where Babe Ruth is immortalized forever. Think about that for a minute. George Herman “Babe” Ruth. It is wholesome. It is All-American. It is pure. The Hall Of Fame is the Vatican and Babe Ruth is Jesus. He did not ever play there. He did not invent the game but he was its savior. Was he perfect? No. Let he who is without flaw cast the first stone. But this is not about Ruth or Jesus Christ for that matter.

No, this is about integrity. This is about why steroids IS a big deal. I know that people are sick of it and tired of hearing about it. People are blind and also numb to the whole steroid issue. And that is fine. I am too.

But let me present it to you this way: How many people have been banned for life by throwing a Worlds Series, Super Bowl, or even a Stanley Cup since “Shoeless” Joe Jackson was banned for life?

How many people have been banned from baseball for betting on games since Pete Rose was banned for life?

The answer to both is NONE!

If Jose Canseco had been questioned and subsequently banned from baseball back in 1986 we would never have had a “steroid era” If Allan Huber Selig had done the right thing and demanded strict drug policy in 1994 without exception we would never have had to suffer through the pain of this era. If M Shame on you Mr. Selig. SHAME ON YOU!

If we continue to turn a blind eye and not care about this issue it is never going to go away and is only going to get worse.

If you want to clean up the sport BAN THEM FOR LIFE!

Greener Pastures For Jeter?

Derek Jeter has been the main man at SS ever since he arrived on the scene in New York. Yet, without a title to show for it in the past eight seasons Jeter is feeling the heat. He spent the first eight years of his carrer taking a beating from fans and media. The topic of conversation almost nightly on New York talk radio would always spawn the debate of who was the best shortstop in baseball. Through all the frenzy though give Jeter credit, he outlasted them all. Silencing most if not all of his critics. Looking back, any one of those guys would give it all back for Jeter’s resume.

Now, those who were silenced have a new focus which stirs their whispering. Jeter’s demise as a shortstop. In fact the whispering is turning into quite a low roar. It was hard to see at first but if you were baseball savvy you saw the writing on the wall. A revolving door on aging veteran outfielders trying to not so gingerly replace Bernie Williams. A huge albatross in Jason Giambi at first base which ulitmately cost Bernie Williams the chance to write his own ending to his Yankee legacy. Tension, angst and ego’s clashing between Jeter and A-Rod blanketed most of the problems. Compounded by the colossal loss in the 2004 ALCS to the Boston Red Sox.

Although I would not have expected Jeter to step aside at shortstop it would have been a tremendous gesture both as a teammate and as a Yankee. He would not be the first Yankees great to move from the infield to the outfield nor would he be the first Hall Of Fame shortstop to do so. Nevertheless it is a no brainer right now. Jeter plays shortstop like a free safety who is not afraid to tackle a fire hydrant. Perhaps not the most talented, he is clearly the most versatile athlete on the field. The Yankees have themselves a gift that could solve all their outfield problems. Robin Yount a true power hitting shortstop made the move because of a shoulder problem and still took in another MVP in center for the Brewers. Jeter does not have to win the MVP or hit home runs in center or left to prove he is a winner but surely he would play like one.

Make the move Derek! If you want to win another World Series you have to do it like you have done it in the past. Take it on your shoulders. Prove to be worthy of the “C”. Put your ego away and put this team on your back and take them and your career, home!

HOF: Mike Mussina?

Is Mike Mussina a Hall of Famer? Perhaps, but if I may, to paraphrase Mussina himself if what he did before this year was not enough to make him a HOFer why then should a 20 win season on an underachieving team with the highest payroll in baseball, make or break that decision?

As we enter the post steroid era the players that become eligible for the Hall of Fame will clearly be judged by a new standard although perhaps the same criteria. Many that were eligible before this era may be “automatic” in hindsight. Mike Mussina’s numbers are unique yet bare comparison to a few former players that have not yet made the HOF. The bench mark for which the comparison will be made is 300 career victories. However it will not be the only factor for which Mussina is judged by the voters.

Mussina’s consistency is perhaps his best asset. He has won at least 10 games in 17 seasons. Something only five other pitchers have ever done. Four of whom are HOFers and the fifth is Greg Maddux (all are 300 game winners). Only five other pitchers (all 300 game winners) have won as many or more games than Mussina and have a higher winning percentage including Roger Clemens and Randy Johnson.

There are 31 pitchers with more career starts than Mike Mussina. Ten of which are not Hall of Famers. That number drops to 6 if you consider Clemens, Glavine, Johnson and Maddux again all 300 game winners. Of the other six, four have more wins than Mussina. Including Bobby Mathews who in 15 seasons had 297 career wins. The other 3 Jim Kaat 283, Bert Blyleven 287 and Tommy John 288.

I will leave you with this. Three of the top ten pitchers with the most post season wins do not have 300 career victories, are not hall of famers and played in the same era roughly over the same time period. Is Mike Mussina clearly better than all of these men? John Smoltz, Andy Pettitte and Curt Schilling.  So much so that he deserves a spot in the Hall of Fame and they do not?