by Rob Rowen

Created on: June 10, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

H We must begin by asking ourselves what the Hall of Fame represents. In my opinion it is a reward for players who have distinguished themselves, not only by the way they played the game, but also by how they played the game. The "how", being just as important as the "way". Baseball, like every other professional sport, is a game steeped in history and tradition. An American pastime, born in an era where integrity and honor, still held true in the fabric of our culture. The hall of fame was established, with the explicit intent, to be a shrine of immortality, where the honorable and great players of all generations both past, present, and future would live forever, for all, to cherish their accomplishments.

We have a duty not only to ourselves, but to the future generations, to say, "we will not immortalize the accomplishments of players who achieved their feats, by creating a playing field that was tilted in their favor." We must remember that the hall was established to acknowledge what is, and was best, in both the players, and their accomplishments. We must also recognize the precedent set by prior rulings from the office of the commisioner of baseball, and recognize the fact: players who "cheat" have been banned from the hall for "life", in many instances.
The fans have the right to view a game, and judge the ability of its players, based on premise, that the game is not being manipulated by anything other than ability and chance. Otherwise, we then must consider voting on the best "chemist" in baseball, the best "Pusher", and the "user who benefited the most" during any given year. Least we forget, the impact the use of steroids has had on a generation of young athletes, who judge themselves against the accomplishments, of the very people we are discussing. Like it or not, these players are role models, and they should be held to the highest standard.
In summation, it comes down to a simple premise. Do we as a society want to forever imortalize, a group of people, who's true accomplishment, was to sell their soul for a chance to be remembered, and to make a "bigger" buck, without any thought to honor, integrity, or the law itself. A group of athletes that put the quest for riches, above right and wrong, without regard to thier individual health, and without any thought or concern of legal ramification. These very behaviors, are reminiscent of behaviors exemplified by the common criminal. The last time I checked, we didn't induct criminals into the "Hall of fame", but rather placed them behind "the wall of shame".

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