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July 29, 2010

Our Opinion: Steroids to take center stage

—  Perhaps it was fitting that dark clouds hung menacingly over most of Induction Weekend.

While baseball fans celebrated the 2010 Induction class of Andre Dawson, Whitey Herzog and Doug Harvey on Sunday, there is a sense of foreboding for future elections, when Steroid Era players such as Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmeiro and Roger Clemens will be become eligible for election to the Hall.

The theme of Andre Dawson’s speech on Sunday was ``Love the game, and it will love you back.’’ Conversely, his speech implied, disrespect the game and it will disrespect you back.

Dawson made clear his feelings on players who have cheated the game. ``Individuals have chosen the wrong road and they’re choosing that as their legacy,’’ Dawson said. ``It’s a stain on the game.’’

And it threatens to be a stain on future Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies.

Next year, Rafael Palmeiro, a member of the 3,000-hit club who also smashed 569 home runs, becomes eligible. Palmeiro is also famous for wagging his finger at Congress in 2005 and adamantly denying steroid use. Later that year, he was the first of the big name players to test positive. Slugger Mark McGwire has already felt the writers’ wrath, failing to gain 25 percent of the vote in any of the three years he has been on the ballot, despite close to 600 career home runs and a then-record 70 in 1998.

Clemens, a 350-game winner, and home run king and 7-time MVP Barry Bonds will be next, will both becoming eligible for election in 2013.

Will the writers vote for any of the players suspected of using steroids, and if they do elect Bonds or Clemens, will anyone care?

The stain of steroids can still be seen in today’s game, as Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez, an admitted steroid user,  chases his 600th home run. Instead of the focus being on themilestone, much of the media is talking about how much steroids may have helped A-Rod join the exclusive club. An air of suspicion is bound to follow Rodriguez as he chases the all-time record of 762 home runs set by Bonds. In the meantime, dark clouds will continue to hover over the induction ceremony for years to come.

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