James is wrong, abjectly and unequivocally. True, the rule-breaking may have been ashamedly unenforced. But that does not allow players the right to cross the line every time a head is turned. Even if 80 percent of the players were doing it, even if every member of your team was juicing, even if you knew you would never get caught: In no way does this fail to lower the ethical standard to which every player should be held.
James’s final stab dovetails from his fifth point, in that the Commissioner’s edicts were never writ in law. Thus, without law, there can be no punitive damage. These primeval PED peddlers will go without suspension, never to be found guilty in the court of the Commissioner. But that does not remove the line, lapidary and clear, which separates the clean from the crook.
The Commissioner cannot punish those who used before 2004. But the Hall can.
James knows that humans are inherently forgiving creatures, that the aggrieved, through time and penance, will find a way to pardon the offenders. The blows of the crimes are lessened; with time, grievances take on a lighter tone.
Alas, those who used steroids will not have the luxury of selective forgetfulness. Why? Because the scope of their crimes are not up for judgment. One needs look no further than baseball’s history books, at the numbers that emote anger and questions, at the staggering emptiness of 70 and 362. Numbers imbue baseball with a certain sanctity. They are the game’s bedrock. But steroids jackhammered baseball’s history, bleeding it dry and burying the game’s honor in a landfill of syringes and lies.
Maybe there will be an asterisk, maybe not. And someday, I’m sure, sympathy will begin to curdle for these frauds. But they brought the lifeblood of America to its knees. They nearly ruined this country’s greatest institution, and jaded an entire generation of Americans.
In illuminating his thoughts on steroids, James was patient, measured, and lucid, a formula that has worked wonders for his reputation. Because he’s slow, he’s often right.
This time, though, I pray he’s wrong.
Article comments
1 - pronk
There was no rule!
2 - Michael
This is really well-written. Unfortunately it boils down to the same argument all the sports-talk radio hosts use every day: "cheater, cheater, that's all I need to know."
For one, the whole premise argued (by you and James) - that steroids have a consistent, controllable effect - is far from accurate. Quite the opposite. No one - NO ONE - can say how much, or even IF, steroids affected any player's results.
Second, there's the "level playing field" effect. If we are in fact in a "Steroid Era," and both the Bondses and Clemenses were juicing, it was a zero-sum game. And contrary to your school metaphor, steroids were NOT officially considered "cheating." There are rules in your school that say cheating is not allowed, and have for many, many years. There was no such rule in MLB until a few years ago.
Last I checked, Gaylord Perry was still in the Hall of Fame. And to a man, the very sportswriters who voted him in will tell you he threw a spitball. A spitball was forbidden by MLB rules for Perry's entire career - yet those sportswriters had no problem electing him.
Your beef with James misses the point: sportswriters are human, and they elect players to the hall for a variety of reasons. They never liked Bonds or Clemens, which is why those players are unlikely to be first balloteers.
But when the players they LIKE are nominated, their enshrinement will no doubt be rationalized.
Bottom line, the vast majority of fans aren't jaded and bitter (have you BEEN to a baseball game lately?). Sportswriters will give up their bitterness (or retire and give way to less bitter new writers) and start opening the Hall to those deserving.
3 - Rick Bumpus
It was against the law. The rules say anything against the law is against the rules.
4 - Brian J.
Once-clean game? Sorry but baseball has been the dirtiest sport in the history of competitive events. From spit balls to spiking to amphetamines to nail files to sandpaper to vasoline to gambling... it's been crooked forever. Let's stop kidding ourselves now that baseball was ever or will ever be "clean".
5 - Dave P.
So many problems with this post. Baseball has never been a clean game and offensive numbers had a greater drop off after amphetemines were banned than after steroids. Plus, its entirely naive to think steroids havent been around baseball as long as they've been around all other major sports. Sure the quantities jumped, but athletes always look for an edge.
To get an idea of the general fan response to steroids, look no further than Manny Ramirez. Fans of other teams really didnt care. Fans of the Dodgers welcomed him back with open arms. People are finally treating baseball users just like football users - no moral outrage, just disappointment that the team will be short a player.
And to think the people that grew up watching baseball in the '90s and '00s is going to look back with disdain seems far fetched. I grew up with the coked up '80s Mets, and I look back at that time with rose colored glasses. I somehow doubt a look back at the 98 HR chase will be viewed with the vitriol you seem to have.
6 - watercott
“But, sir, you left the classroom, and since there was no way you could see if I had snuck notes for the test or not, well, it’s not really cheating, is it?”
This analogy is dangerously close to a straw man argument. A more fitting analogy would be, "Sir, you are paying all of the students based on their test scores, and even though you surely know 80% of us are cheating, you gleefully hire those that live up to the standard set by those cheaters and, without remorse, fire those that have chosen not to cheat and cannot keep up. The people writing the questions are also cheating, the dean knows we're cheating, the trustees know we're cheating, and you all do everything you can to keep that knowledge from our parents."
7 - Frank
It seems those most interested in discussing the topic are the apologists for the cheaters. Unfortunately for them, the silent majority will never be swayed by acrobatic feats of logic to accept that steroid abusing cheats deserve the fruits of their crimes. They may be forgiven, but that doesn't mean they get rewarded. If you're not ready to accept that, that's fine, but the future is not going to go your way. Bonds will never be inducted to the Hall of Fame.