Barry Bonds has some of the most impressive baseball numbers of all time. He is the all-time leader in career home runs and career walks. Barry also owns the single-season home run record and averaged 41 homers per year. Bonds was a 14-time All-Star and won seven National League MVP awards, the most in MLB history. He won 12 Silver Slugger Awards for his offensive work and also earned eight Gold Gloves for his elite defensive play. Bonds was also one of the game’s greatest baserunners, finishing with 514 steals. To sum it up, he was the complete player. Perhaps the best of all time.
Barry clearly has all the necessary numbers to make it into the Baseball Hall of Fame. However, last week he finished short of the 75% votes needed from baseball writers to get voted in. This was Barry’s 10th and final year to receive enough votes to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. This means that his window has closed. By rule, there will not be an 11th year. He will not be allowed in this exclusive club.
Joe’s Perspective: Why, you might ask, was Barry not voted into the Hall of Fame? Simple. He cheated. He used performance enhancing drugs to bulk up to increase his strength and speed. He was the poster child for steroid use during the steroids era. Barry cheated the game and all of those players who came before him. I believe that if someone deliberately cheated to enhance their performance, this should disqualify him from entering the Hall of Fame. To me, it’s about integrity. Maybe they can’t take away your records, but they do have a say in your legacy and how you are remembered. Keeping Barry out of the Hall of Fame sends a clear message to all the young baseball players that you have to play by the rules. If they had voted Barry in, the alternative message would have been unspeakable. If I had a vote, I would have have voted to keep Barry out of the Hall of Fame.
Your Turn: What say you? If you were on the panel and had a vote, how would you have voted? Explain your answer.
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
I would’ve voted to leave him out. He cheated. And thats not a model that should be honored. It would send the wrong message to young athletes. You shouldn’t promote this kind of cheating to anyone. Instead, he should be held accountable and left out of the hall of Fame.
If I was a voter and knew 100% that he cheated and used steroids, I would have left him out as well because everyone whose set records did it all by themselves.
If I was a voter and knew 100% that he cheated and used steroids, I would have left him out as well because everyone whose set records did it all by themselves.
I believe that leaving Barry out of the hof is the right move. Cheating is not tolerated.
Dear Joe,
I have mixed feelings about it. There is no question that his abilities are off the charts and I am saddened that he won’t be remembered for what he accomplished. As a former professional Umpire and baseball coach, his feats are amazing, because baseball is a very difficult game to master. But the likes of Cal Ripken, Jr., Ken Griffey Jr., and Tony Gwynn, who played in the same era and were voted in there is a respect and responsibility factor that neither Clemens, Sosa, McGuire, Rodriguez, or Bonds viewed as distinguishing their outcomes based on PED’s. Others who may have benefited from PED’s could have enhanced their chances as well: Todd Helton to name one.
I loved watching the likes of the aforementioned and the great Pete Rose, who clearly demonstrated a disregard for the ethics and intent of MLB( they aren’t the first to cheat, but are punished nevertheless). Using PED’s or other drugs and stimulants to
Enhance performance is a clear indicator that Character and conduct are not a high priority. Thinking that you are above reproach or approach is a blatant slap in the face of not only the MLB, HOF, but every fan who cheered you in and paid your salary.
Leave him out. Although he was good before steroids and his talent was really impressive. He cheated and therefore he defeats the purpose of class. So no, but everyone makes mistakes.
I would say leave him out. He used roids and he got big and better not by himself
I would have voted to leave him out because he used steroids and the hall of fame should be for players that earned the honor through hard work and putting him in the hall of fame would dishonor the athletes that came before him and earned the honor themselves.
I would have voted to leave him out of the Hall of Fame because not only is he not showing integrity but it shows how is cheating himself and other baseball players that work hard without the use of steroids. This does not promote life skills and how athletes should respond to being the best, therefore younger kids should not look to him, and if he were to be voted in kids may look up to him.
I would have voted to leave him out. I think if there is a playing field, every one should be level. There should be no one already inherently better just because they took drugs. Height and characteristics are a different thing because you cannot choose those.
If I had to make a decision I would chose to leave him out because he cheated his way to being the best and I believe that if you want to be the best you work your way there and to not cheat your way there