For Ripken & Gwynn, it's a darn shame

For Ripken & Gwynn, it's a darn shame, By: Roger Rubin Spotlight stolen by McGwire's saga January 9, 2007 It’s a day that should belong to Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr., but it’s not going to be. Unfortunate, and true. The results of the Hall of Fame balloting are in and the non-selection of alleged steroid cheat Mark McGwire is the story that rules the day. The election of a pair of squeaky-clean and deserving superstars is likely going to wither in the shadows and only get appropriate attention come the induction ceremonies. McGwire was named on 23.5 percent of the ballots, less than one third of the required 75 percent. It speaks volumes about what the authorities on the sport think about his conduct during a career when he amassed more home runs than all but six big leaguers. Dozens upon dozens of opinions have been voiced by writers about whether they would mark him down for election. Some have been published, others I have solicited. I’m not sure any affirmative argument is logical and those include: • that steroids weren’t specifically illegal in baseball; • that there’s no conclusive evidence he took them; • that he should be inducted if baseball continues to recognize his 583 home runs or; • that he is owed a pass for helping resurrect the sport after the strike season with his part in the great home run chase of 1998. One thing that you keep hearing is that some people feel they need more information before they are willing to cast a McGwire vote. Another is that in a couple of years, people might change their minds. I don't see where more information, short of 10 years of clean blood-test results, should change anything. And the notion that not voting for him is a writer's way of punishing him is nothing short of self-important naval-gazing. If Mark McGwire doesn't belong in the Hall of Fame today, he never belongs in it. Unless there's evidence to vindicate him (which we'd have seen by now) what is going to change? McGwire probably thought he was sparing his legacy with his now-infamous refusal to divulge anything about his steroid experience, skirting it, at the Congressional hearings on that subject. Instead, it looked like an admission of guilt that only could be trumped by a positive result on a urine test. Everyone wants an explanation, but again, what would it change? He could say he never used, but how does that look given he wouldn't say that under oath to Congress? Or he could say he used, tainting the 583 career home runs that are the sole reason to induct him. Cheating is cheating. It shouldn't be rewarded. Even if there's precedent. Gaylord Perry is a member of the Hall of Fame. He had the credentials when he retired -- 314 wins, a 3.11 career ERA, five 20-win seasons and two Cy Young Awards. He also conceded that he doctored baseballs throughout his 22 seasons. It's not that different. Some voters say that more information about baseball's "steroid era" -- approximately 1991-2004 -- are necessary to judge McGwire fairly. Jose Canseco, who outed his bash brother in the book "Juiced," insisted that far more than half of big leaguers (including pitchers) were employing performance enhancers. Even if he is right, a culture of cheating doesn’t lessen the severity of McGwire's transgressions. Has "but everyone’s doing it" ever been a good defense? Baseball has created this mess by choosing not to examine the conduct of its players in the same way that the NFL or the Olympics does. Now, the mess has been dumped in the laps of those who cast ballots for the Hall of Fame. It’s not right nor fair, but there's no going back. And the idea that one day some of the records set by players who took steroids might be set off with some sort of an asterisk is fantasy. Their accomplishments aren't coming out of the record books. There is no way to ascertain who did what and under the influence of which substances. If there is one thing that truly is unfair to McGwire, it’s that we're never going to be able to distinguish between those who did wrong and those who didn't. It will be two years before I have a Hall of Fame vote and I already know that at some point in time I am going to end up casting in favor of someone who cheated at some point in his career. Without knowing exactly who did what, it's going to be impossible to avoid it. And this is what we are going to live with for the better part of the next decade. That this is going to dominate the baseball news today and probably for the next several years is a shame. Today, two of the greatest living players were elected to the Hall. Ripken did much more than shatter Lou Gehrig's seemingly unbreakable record for consecutive games played. He was the prototype for the power-hitting shortstop that has become so commonplace in today’s game and he was a tremendous ambassador for the game. Gwynn hit over .300 for 18 consecutive seasons and many believe he is the best pure hitter to come along since Ted Williams. And he too represented all the best things about the sport. They were about so much of what was good in baseball. Unfortunately, there is more bad news on the way. The steroids scandal isn't going away and McGwire is not coming off the ballot. One year from now (or two or three) it may be another great player’s day in the sun. Surely when McGwire is again not elected that year, it will cast a shadow over that, too.

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For Ripken & Gwynn, it's a darn shame