The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced a new rule Tuesday that could have major ramifications on baseball history going forward.
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Under former rules, once a writer earned a Hall of Fame vote, they were allowed to keep it for life. Now, only those actively covering the game — in other words, an incoming wave of millennials (plus a bunch already there) — will be the people deciding who enters the Hall of Fame. As baseball progressively (finally) moves into the 21st century, so too will the people voting for Hall of Famers.
So, how what exactly will this do for baseball? Well, for starters, it means less voters will care about steroids. It’s a slippery slope but one that’s able to be safely navigated. We’ll lay it out simply for those who can’t wrap their heads around it: Millenials, as a whole, don’t care about steroids.
Many don’t consider it cheating or violating baseball’s sacredness. Many more think if it is cheating, then the positives of using those drugs were negated by the incredible number of opposing players also using those drugs, and we all realize that every generation has its own version of enhancement and flaws. And, for what it’s worth, it takes a lot more than steroids to hit a 95-mph fastball — or throw one.
Were steroids a dark mark on baseball history? Sure. But they also saved the game. It makes no sense to ridicule the very players who brought the “Fame” back to baseball.
Barry Bonds is the home run king. Roger Clemens is one of the 10 best pitchers — and you probably could shorten that list — ever. Alex Rodriguez should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer five years after he retires. The Steroid Era shouldn’t prevent that.
Records are made to be broken. Admitting Bonds is the best home run hitter we’ve ever seen takes absolutely nothing away from the incredible accomplishments of Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth or Willie Mays.
Now, Cooperstown has a better chance to reflect that.
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@SN_Baseball
