In response to Joseph Bisaccia's Jan. 16 column, "Baseball HOF should induct juicers:"
I agree wholeheartedly with Joseph Bisaccia’s article “Baseball Hall of Fame should induct juicers.” It’s time for the Baseball Writers Association of America to face facts, gain a sense of pragmatism and reward a generation of avid fans of America’s pastime.
Even those players alleged to have taken steroids should be allowed into the Hall. If everyone cheated, then it’s OK because the cheating cancels itself out. If you’re a batter facing a generation of juiced-up pitchers, then it’s honorable to take your fair share of juice, too.
Let’s put this into perspective. Roger Clemens won seven Cy Young awards in his career; Cy Young himself won zero! It would be shameful that Clemens would share this honor with a player of such little comparative accomplishment. Also, why don’t we let Pete Rose in? He is baseball’s career leader in base hits, an astronomical 4256. Compare that to Hall-of-Famer Jackie Robinson, who somehow inexplicably got elected with only 1518 hits. Why is he so special and Rose is not?
Joseph’s solution to create a special wing for steroid users is another excellent idea. We should embellish the true greats — Sosa, McGwire, Bonds, Palmeiro — and place them in Cooperstown. On the other wing should be the “asterisks,” those who chose not to better themselves by using steroids. The asterisk wing would include the no-namers who never dazzled fans in home run races: the Wagners, Kalines, Musials, Campanellas and so forth. Most fans today don’t remember them. This is why baseball’s iconic role models should rightfully be Bonds and Clemens!
The Hall of Fame is more appropriately named the "Hall of Statistics." Steroids are part of the game now, which means if you want to enhance your performance as well as chances of being elected to the Hall, you should take steroids.
David Ludwick
Undergraduate
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