Hall of Fame Comments

The Hall of Fame, especially baseball’s, was supposed to be a truly special place. However, as with the rest of our society, the standards have been lowered causing major erosion in its glory.

So many “compilers” (Phil Niekro, Don Sutton and Dave Winfield as examples) have made the “Hall,” while others worth true consideration because of their impact (Kirk Gibson, Keith Hernandez, Tommy Davis and Minnie Menoso) have not.

Nobody made the “Hall” this year. That was rare good news. The utter disgrace that is the denial of entry to Pete Rose gets less and less attention. Want to cite his gambling? Put it on his plaque, but to deny this great player, who epitomized one of the few instances when the “American dream,” peppered with hard work, can manifest, is beyond injustice.

That decision is presided over by a chain smoking former car salesman who intones baseball’s current glory equating it with money. That “decision maker,” baseball czar “Bud” Selig, did more to destroy baseball’s integrity by putting in wild card teams and catering to TV networks, than any gambling on one’s own team, however sick (that is the operative word as compulsive gambling is a sickness) could possibly have caused.

Why Craig Biggio? Any titles on his resume? Could one write the history of his era without including his name. I think so. Believe it or not, a so called “traditionalist” like me, has no problem with Edgar Martinez making the “Hall.” If he does not, I would not lose sleep but the designated hitter has been around (better or worse) for 40 seasons. He was a great hitter and on his plaque, if he ever gets in, should flash pictures of Rico Carty. When the subject is just hitting, Martinez and Carty are two of the best I have seen.