I shall begin with "integrity, sportsmanship, character." Ya see, back in 1999 whenst Pete Rose was widely and wildly applauded for being named part of the All-Century team, Morgan met with Bud Selig in an effort to lift Rose's life-time ban for gambling on baseball. Morgan too sent along video congratulations to his Big Red Machine co-hort whenst Charlie Hustle gained induction into the Reds HOF in 2016. The next year, he played a role in the ceremonial unveiling of a Pete Rose statue at the Great American Ballpark. With this evidence in mind, we can see that whilst named in the fakakta Mitchell Report is the greatest of all moral sin -- admitting to gambling on the game whilst being part of it, not-so much. Them's odd rules. Oh, and Pete Rose needs to be in the Hall of Fame.
Further-more, how about guys who took amphetamines during Joe's own playing days? I mean I've read Ball Four. Most of it. Some of it. Look, I tried. How about racists? Misogynists? (We'll get to a couple'a those in a tick.) How's 'bout players whom bolstered their careers whilst and by never having to face blacks? Again -- where's this line drawn? Who draws it? Joe tried but used a blunt pencil and lightly-so.
Too, this tardy communique is signed with the title "Vice Chairman." This title is true. Also true is that Morgan has been on the Hall’s board of directors since 1994. Why I point this out is because for many years now, voters have been seeking guidance from the Hall regarding just this topic. Ya see, as their heads ain't been buried in the sand, they've long been as ginger as Canelo in their electing of proved and alleged PED users. To the extent that even players who never tested positive nor were mentioned in the Mitchell Report -- think Mike Piazza and Jeff Bagwell -- one and a half shoo-ins, instead faced voted-upon delayings of their inductions. This begs the question of whom's head then, hath been to the sandy beach most and why did he finally fold up his chair, deflate his floaties, and head on home all this time later. Who knows? I'm sure there are reasons, even if it's just an old guy keeping kids off his lawn.
So too little too late, coming from a far from pristine source? This oughtta help loads! Helping even more than loads is "Now, I recognize there are players identified as users on the Mitchell Report who deny they were users. That’s why this is a tricky issue. Not everything is black and white -- there are shades of gray here." With that then, we are really just back to our murky square-one. Roused for no good reason. "Wake up, it's time to take your sleeping pill." Particularly when Morgan than leaves it all to the voters' discretions, trusting them to navigate the perils on their lonesome after pestering them with his finagling. Handling it, they are though. In recent years and according to their vote, they're coming around to even the most tightly-tied to 'roids ballotees. According to an article by Joel Sherman, "Barry Bonds was named on only 36.2% of ballots in 2013, his first year of eligibility, but received 53.8% support last year. Roger Clemens (37.6% support in 2013, 54.1% in 2017) has similarly improved his standing." For the record, 75% gets ya inducted.
There is this, though from Joe: "Players who failed drug tests, admitted using steroids, or were identified as users in Major League Baseball’s investigation into steroid abuse, known as the Mitchell Report, should not get in. Those are the three criteria that many of the players and I think are right." As that compass reads, Sammy Sosa is in like Flynn, gentlepersons. There goes his new-found Clorox'd white privilege again! My feeling is they'll all get in eventually. I'm more than OK with that, it's just the waiting is killing me.
But hey, Till then Craig Biggio is enshrined and whom wouldn't make a lengthy pilgrimage to garner looksie at that uni? Me. I wanna see, hear, touch, taste the fame. It's in the name. "If this is the house of pancakes, then how come I can't eat the walls?" - Homer Simpson as Max Power (The Simpsons, "Homer to the Max". Season 10 / Episode 13.) I wanna wide-eyed bear witness to the relics of said fame, gentlepersons. Not morality -- that hall wouldn't have Babe Ruth nor Ty Cobb exhibits. Taken thatta-way, with me on the opposite end of the spectrum -- one can see this letter from Morgan is just another bit of polarization in an already polarized whirled. So where to find the balance? There's no need to look for it if yer a voter. It ain't yer job. Your job is to simply vote in the greats. No need to choose CNN or Fox News. No need to pick yer protest. My word, though. The letter is even replete with thinly-veiled threats of protest. The mention that other Hall of Famers might take a knee and not attend the induction ceremonies of steroid users. Lettuce all calm verily-well down and be far-less heroic. Where do I sign-up to protest protests?
At the end of the day, this is all-about Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens and their aforementioned closing-in on inductions. Again I ask ya to conjure up images of a Ruth and Cobb free Hall. Or perchance that is next as people seem to love toppling historic statues these days. But that's mainly another topic, right? Soitenly. Of all this email, much of which can be dismissed a la a timely Thanksgiving table interjection of yer great uncle's loud thoughts on whatever -- as one-man's opining to no good-end as Morgan admits to not speaking for every member and offers no true guidance -- what sticks in my craw most is:
"P.S. Families come to Cooperstown because they know it’s special. To parents, it’s a place they can take their kids for an uplifting, feel-good visit. It’s a place where kids can see what true greatness is all about. It’s a place where youngsters can dream that one day they too might get in. This place is special. I hope it stays that way."
"Little Johnny, this is Craig Biggio's glove. You probably never heard'a him. He was nice, I s'pose"
Don't raise my kids, Joe. I got it covered. What do I tell Snack Tray? Well, since he's only seven now, I tell him that Mom and me are wrestling. Wait -- that's another-thing. I tell him that baseball's growth and saving-grace has always been the long-ball. First, the Babe yanking the sport from its Dead Ball era with newly-furnished live-ones, then some very big chemically-enhanced fellas rescuing it from a strike-shortened year sans Fall Classic. The powers-that-be were complicit in both. I wasn't around for them Ruthian antics, but do recall MLB hyping their brand with the use of cartoon comic-book renditions of their big-name bangers. Bulging muscles and veins and all. So larger than life and heroic and did I say chemically induced? But just men. One day you'll be a man, I tell Snack Tray. Would you rather be a TV hero or sell appliances at Sears? Same amount of practice, just a few seconds needle-in-tuchus difference. How important are others' rules in how you judge yer actions (I lost him there). Rambled on anyways. What if you were the boss? Would you glorify these your saviors, then precipitate and participate in throwing them that helped under the bus? Which is more disgusting? By the by, Bud Selig is in the Hall of Fame.
"Little Johnny, this is Craig Biggio's glove. You probably never heard'a him. He was nice, I s'pose"
Don't raise my kids, Joe. I got it covered. What do I tell Snack Tray? Well, since he's only seven now, I tell him that Mom and me are wrestling. Wait -- that's another-thing. I tell him that baseball's growth and saving-grace has always been the long-ball. First, the Babe yanking the sport from its Dead Ball era with newly-furnished live-ones, then some very big chemically-enhanced fellas rescuing it from a strike-shortened year sans Fall Classic. The powers-that-be were complicit in both. I wasn't around for them Ruthian antics, but do recall MLB hyping their brand with the use of cartoon comic-book renditions of their big-name bangers. Bulging muscles and veins and all. So larger than life and heroic and did I say chemically induced? But just men. One day you'll be a man, I tell Snack Tray. Would you rather be a TV hero or sell appliances at Sears? Same amount of practice, just a few seconds needle-in-tuchus difference. How important are others' rules in how you judge yer actions (I lost him there). Rambled on anyways. What if you were the boss? Would you glorify these your saviors, then precipitate and participate in throwing them that helped under the bus? Which is more disgusting? By the by, Bud Selig is in the Hall of Fame.
I can hear the gob-smacked kids now. "Daddy, daddy! It's Mr. Selig's office chair!"