8:16 PM Mon, Jan 08, 2007 | Permalink
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Once again there will be a debate this year on who should be allowed into Baseball's hallowed Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. The issue is steroids, and several writers have decided to return blank ballots because of "conscience." Please, that's the same sort of thinking that keeps the public away from the ballot box on election day, and that 's not right either. Once upon a time, the writers covered the game exclusively, but those days are long gone. Today. on any given night during the season, baseball fans have access to usually more than one game a night, and with all the cable and satellite dishes, can see highlights and interviews from games played coast to coast. So these writers say they don't know who was doing steroids and who wasn't, and because of this, they cannot vote. Excuse me, Pete Rose is not being kept out of the Hall because the writers don't want him in, no it's because Pete agreed to terms set by the Commissioner's office after an investigation into his gambling problem. O.K. so another investigation is being conducted by the Commissioner's office over the steroid issue, so shouldn't the "Lord's of Baseball" make the decision rather than writers? If the writer doesn't think Mark McGwire is worthy of a vote, than he or she shouldn't list him on the ballot, but not to vote at all is shirking on responsiblity. Besides, as far as I know, athletes like Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken have never been linked to steroids, yet by returning a blank ballot in essence the writer is making a connection, because by withholding the vote, Gwynn and Ripken chances are lessened. It's time to change the way the Hall is chosen, the era of "major dailies" is ending. If a writer wants to return a blank ballot let's give it to someone else. Better yet, let's be more inclusive of who is voting the players into the Hall, add other media members and include the fans, after all they're buying the tickets.
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