Baseball and the Hall of Fame is in a time of great turmoil. Some say it may be destined to die. The owners have been locking out the players since December 1st. Spring Training and the start of the regular season are in jeopardy despite progress in negotiations. The game seems unable to market their incredible stars such as Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout, and Fernando Tatis, Jr., to name a few. The youth of the world are not loving the game as the average fan age is 57 years old. To pile on even more, we have the 2022 Hall of Fame voting.
The Baseball Writers of America (BBWAA) could be seen as heroes if it was the year 2006. Protecting the sanctity of the game by not voting in Bonds or Clemens. The toxicity and anger towards any player that took performance enhancing drugs during that time was palpable. Fans then would agreed Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens should be doomed to live outside the Hall of Fame for eternity as cheaters of the sacred game and, for lack of a better phrase, being major jerks.
As time has marched on over the last 15 or so years, this stance has softened. Despite the steroid use, many fans and proponents of baseball have come to understand the incredible talents of a Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens. Barry Bonds may very well be the greatest player in the history of baseball. Many would agree Bonds was a lock for the Hall of Fame even before his alleged steroid use. The same is said for Roger Clemens who is one of the most dominant pitchers in history. The stats truly speak for themselves and will leave you in awe of their sustained dominance.
The BBWAA Members best demonstrate Baseball’s problem of appearing old and out of touch. A group of writers who are using their Hall of Fame vote to settle scores and vote in a popularity contest as if it is an election for 8th grade President. Personal feelings and grudges have no place in this voting process. Baseball has a vast history. That history has plenty of good. America’s past time has been here through Great Depressions, Wars, and times of prosperity. Some of the most popular athletes of all time have been baseball players and have made our collective jaws drop for decades.
However, that history also has plenty of bad. Baseball did not integrate until Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947. To this day racism comes from fans across America in some of the most hallowed grounds such as Fenway Park. Labor strife between millionaires and billionaires has caused has led to cancelled games and fans losing patience. Not to mention, amphetamines, alcohol, and gambling have a prominent history in the game of baseball.
All of these stitches weave together the fabric that is the history of Major League Baseball. The Hall of Fame is full of people that fit in the good and bad of baseball’s past. It all comes together to make baseball great and has created a love in the hearts of people around the world. It is time to stop picking in choosing where we decide to draw our moral line in the sand. As Jeff Passan said, the Hall of Fame is a museum where we tell the history of baseball. Any museum of baseball with any credibility requires Barry Bonds inside. A baseball museum without Barry Bonds is like a basketball museum without Michael Jordan.
Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens should be in the Hall of Fame not simply because they were terrific players. They should be in the Hall of Fame because they tell a critical story of baseball. And that is what the Hall of Fame is about, telling the story of baseball. The good and the bad.
