|
You can't keep these players out of the Hall based on allegations. It's not their fault that MLB turned a blind eye to the steroid era and allowed people who were cheating to get away with it.
This whole presumption of guilt mentality that has consumed the baseball world is ridiculous. Once a guy has been labeled a cheater he can't do anything to prove his innocence. He can't prove that he wasn't taking PEDs. Allegations are not a suitable alternative to actual proof and unless evidence exists that states otherwise, we must presume their innocence despite the "evidence" we think we see like changing body types and jumps in statistics.
And yes I realize that the proof to convict some of these guys probably did exist at one time, but is gone now. Well that sucks, but tough shit. That's MLB's fault for allowing this era to take place. Don't rob a legitimately clean guy of his right to enshrinement because the higher ups were too busy sticking their thumbs up their asses and looking the other way. It's better to let 100 guilty men go free than to punish 1 innocent man.
As for the people who did get caught, I'm not entirely sure what to do. On one hand, I say fuck em, they did this to themselves. On the other hand, who really knows what effect it had on their game ultimately. I say let them in the Hall and give them the scarlet letter treatment. Put a sign next to their plaque that says so and so was caught using PEDs. Personally I think guys like John McGraw, Gaylord Perry, and Whitey Ford should get that same deal. Tell people that these guys were great players, but also let people know the whole story.
|