Major League Baseball proudly proclaims itself as America's pastime, yet Hall of Fame voters cling to the past like a child and their teddy bear.
An exclusive club, the Hall of Fame should be for the greatest players from era-including the steroid era. Voters already have a tough task deciding which players deserve the prestigious honor, but the outright disrespect given to 90's era players is ludicrous.
It is irrefutable to claim that the '90s saved baseball from a boring strike filled decade. Indisputable evidence proves steroids and the reignited interest in the baseball go hand in hand.
So why is the BBWAA (Baseball Writers Association of America), the group voting on Hall of Fame ballot, unwilling to adjust the outdated mindset hindering the game?
Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds have been ostracized for their part in the steroid era despite carrying the sport for over a decade. Using these players to return the game to a prestigious level, Major League Baseball has turned its back on its dirty past rather than accepting its heroes.
Out of the four, Sosa was the only player to test positive and McGwire the sole individual to admit using HGH (human growth hormone) and steroids, added they never improved his performance.
Sosa and McGwire cheated the game and leaving them out of the Hall of Fame has its merit, but what about Bonds and Clemens?
Neither tested positive for a foreign substance nor admitted to taking any. Clemens was found not guilty following the Mitchel Report that defaced the career of MVP Jason Giambi, Garry Sheffield and the aforementioned Bonds.
Allegations against Bonds started in 1997 and carried throughout the last decade of his career, torturing MLB's home run king. According to ESPN, not one witness could prove Bond's used performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) and multiple conflicting reports allowed the should be Hall of Fame outfielder to escape with his criminal case dropped.
A grand jury decided in Bonds and Clemens' favor yet hall of fame voters continue to their pretentious assault on two of the greatest to play the game.
Clemens is no angel and deserves criticism for his on the field actions. Throwing a bat at Mike Piazza is inexcusable and rather idiotic. However, his career stats, whether steroid free or not, are beyond honorable enough to be inducted in the hall.
An 11-time All-Star, Clemens dominated opposing hitters for 24 years while pitching in both leagues for four different teams in three separate decades. Firing a blazing fastball earning the nickname "The Rocket," Clemens' 354 career wins ranks ninth all-time and 4,672 strikeouts third in the record books.
Prior to Justin Verlander winning the MVP, Clemens was the last starting pitcher to accomplish the triumph while a member of the Boston Red Sox in 1986. His domination continues with seven Cy Young awards, the most all-time and not to mention his two World Series and Triple Crown titles.
Bonds’ rookie campaign took place two years after Clemens’, but his impact, to some, stretches further.
The face of baseball through the '90s and early 2000s, Bonds struck fear into the opposition. His most illustrious years coming in a Giants uniform, Bonds totaled 7 MVP awards-four more than any other player in baseball history.
His most famous, to some infamous, feat of the MLB home run record tops out at 762 following his final season in 2007. New York Daily News writer Billy Madden went as far as to say, "Voting for Barry Bonds is a slap in the face to Hank Aaron, who went through hell breaking Babe Ruth's HR record."
A third all-time record, Bonds hold the single-season home run record with 73. Number 25 was simply a machine. A left-handed powerhouse, unlike no other, Bonds controlled every at-bat from beginning to end.
SB Nations’ Jon Bois poised the question, “What if Barry Bonds played baseball without a bat?” The results, staggering, show Bonds would have similar success even without the necessary tool for hitting.
Voters still not convinced of Bonds and Clemens greatness?
According to ESPN, Bonds became jealous of McGwire and Sammy Sosa’s home run chase in 1998 as it overshadowed his underrated season. The report states Bonds decided to take “some heavy stuffy” in order to match their fame.
For the sake of appeasing the hall of fame voters, let’s erase Bonds career after 1998 leaving 12 years to determine his Hall of Fame worthiness.
Starting in 1987 and ending in 1998, Bonds would still have a batting average of .313, 411 home runs, 1,216 RBI’s, and 445 stolen bases. Knocking 10 years off of Bonds career would be a detriment that limits him to three MVP’s, eight All-Star game appearances, eight gold gloves, and seven silver sluggers. The change would also take Bonds out of the 500-500 club, to which he is the sole member.
If statistics, although the numerical value all players is rated are going to be ignored maybe players from the era being criticized can sway voters.
Alex Rodriguez, who admitted his use of steroids publicly, weighed in on the Clemens and Bonds debate.
"Of course I want them to get in because that would mean that I have an opportunity to get in one day," Rodriguez told ESPN's First Take on Wednesday.
2018 Hall of Fame inductee Chipper Jones chimed in and gave a rather telling response when questioned about the duo's spotty reputation.
"Obviously, I have no problem, and I've said it publicly often. Barry Bonds is the best baseball player I've ever seen put on a uniform," said Jones. "It's unfortunate that some of the best players of this era have a cloud of suspicion because you're talking about some all-timers, guys that would be considered the greatest player of all-time, the greatest pitcher of all-time."
Jones Continued, "That being said, I'm not going to tell anybody how to vote for them. I think both would have been Hall of Famers, regardless, whether they had a cloud of suspicion or not. So I'm just going to leave it at that for now, until the time actually comes."
The words of past and hopeful Hall of Fame players have fallen on deaf ears. Clemens (59.5%) and Bonds (59.1%) were rejected by the BBWAA again in 2019. Both 16 percent shy of the 75 needed, only have three years remaining on the ballot.
With time running out for Bonds and Clemens, the BBWAA needs to ask themselves, are they willing to ignore blatant evidence to clasp onto a narrative with little indication of proof?
Are the '90s and early 2000s to be erased from history?
Should players like Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Jason Giambi, Derek Jeter, Cliff Lee, and Tori Hunter receive the same scrutiny for simply playing in the same era?
Those found guilty of steroids might deserve an asterisk by their name but should that take away all they were able to accomplish on the field?
The indictment on Clemens and Bonds has made the BBWAA and, more importantly, Hall of Fame looks foolish for their unwillingness to include two of the greatest to ever play the games. Peers, fans, and even 59 percent of the voters can see past the unwarranted persecution.
2022 is the last year voters can right their wrong and include Clemens and Bond to celebrate the remarkable careers of two men responsible for saving baseball.
*preview photo credited to SportingNews.com
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