Baseball Hall of Shame

The nominees for the Baseball Hall of Fame are out. On the list, Jose "I watched everybody take steriods" Consaeco and Mark "I don't want to talk about the past" McGuire. The fact that they are on the list overshadows Carl Ripkin, Jr. and Tony Gwynne. A dilema for the members of the sportswriters selection committee.

Apparently, drug use in baseball was the worst kept secret on the planet. McGuire and Consaeco were lustly annoited the "Bash Brothers" by sportswriters. Fans love the long ball. There is a sexiness to watching the ball flying out of the stadium. Everyone gets warm all over.

Baseball purists know it is the short game, bunts, singles and doubles are what win games. It is inexplicable to me why every flippin' pitcher in the National League cannot lay down a bunt. Rarely does a pitcher stays in the batter's box beyond five pitches. The networks struggle not to go to commercial when they come up to bat. I digress.

Ripkin showing up to work everyday appealled to the workin' class stiff in all of us. This combined with the chase for the single season homerun record is credited with saving baseball after a long strike.

Sammy "corkbat" Sosa and Mark McQuire were everywhere. Everyone was caught up in the excitement. The teams and the networks made a ton of money. It was fun for sportswriters to prepare their essays.

Conseaco, McQuire and Sosa are representative of players who cheated. They all had excuses as to why but it is still cheating.

The naysayers say you still need bat speed and good eye coordiation to even hit the ball. I am not an expert on the drugs they may have taken but it just isn't right.

All parties were complicite, in this fraud that was perpertrated on the buying public.

Next year, if he doesn't get hurt, Barry Bonds will break Hank Aaron's record. Like the Bash brothers there is questions surrounding his sudden muscle development. Another dilema facing this institution.

What will baseball, the networks and the sportswriters do?

I really do not hear a drumbeat from the masses to vote McQuire or Conseaco into the Hall of Fame.

They are not the only members of this club whose reputation that has been tarnished by the worst kept secret on the planet.