Cooperstown Confidential (22 page)

* In 2009, President Obama sent Mitchell back to the Middle East for a second try as U.S. special envoy.

* The statement, issued December 13, 2007, read as follows: “The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum preserves and exhibits baseball history through the collection of artifacts and documents, and, it also honors the game’s greatest players, managers, umpires and executives, through election.

“The Mitchell Report is an important historical document that researchers and historians will study for generations. Our role as a history museum and educational research center is to make this document available to researchers and fans, and, over time, exhibit the impact of the findings in a manner appropriate to its place in the game’s history.”

*In 2002, Ken Caminiti revealed to
Sports Illustrated
that he used perfor mance enhancers and estimated that half the players in the majors did likewise. The following year, federal agents raided BALCO, a Burlingame, California, drug lab whose clients included Barry Bonds. Suddenly sportswriters began noticing—in print—that Bonds was a lot bigger than he used to be. It took another four years for them to make the same observation about Clemens, a difference that was not lost on Bonds himself or other black and Latino players.

* I am sympathetic to Will’s longing for historical continuity. When I first started learning Hebrew, I was motivated by the conceit that, theoretically, I could carry on a conversation with King David. Once I actually
learned
modern Hebrew, though, I realized that the king and I might know the same words but we wouldn’t have spoken the same language (and, anyway, I doubt we would have had much to say to one another).

* In 1921, George “Specs” Toporcer, a Cardinals infielder, became the Jackie Robinson of eyeglasses. The first Hall of Famers to wear them were Mel Ott, Chick Hafey, and Paul Waner. In 1971, the Braves Darrell Evans became the first major-leaguer to use contact lenses. By the end of the seventies, 20 percent of major-leaguers were artificially enhancing their vision. In 1974, even umpires won the contractual right to wear glasses to work.

† Bats are now given multiple coats of shellac. This is legal and, some experts believe, it makes today’s bats more potent than the corked bats of yesteryear.

* Decadron is an anti-inflammatory so strong that it is sometimes used in cancer treatment. It is commonly given to treat arthritis, and is classified as a “glucocor-ticosteroid.” It enables players to perform better than their “natural” physical state—i.e., injuries or infirmities—would otherwise permit.

* Kennedy blew the summit anyway, as he later ruefully admitted. PEDs are usually about as good as the guy who is using them.

ELEVEN . . .
A Few Closing Thoughts

T
he great sportswriter Red Smith once suggested blowing up the Hall of Fame and starting over. Smith didn’t normally advocate the violent overthrow of sports museums, but the Hall is special. If the Pro Football Hall of Fame disappeared tomorrow, nobody except the Canton city council would notice. Sure, Coopers-town is a baseball museum. But it is also an ideal, the shrine of the American pastime and standard-bearer for a historical narrative and set of values that influence succeeding generations.

Guys like Red Smith and Bill James and other critics of Coopers-town usually focus on the baseball side of the Hall, especially the arbitrary nature of the selection process and the very uneven results. Many ask, how can Babe Ruth and Bill Mazeroski both be HoFers? This problem is inherent in institutionally conferred immortality. There were greater and lesser gods on Mount Olympus, too.

Some critics have suggested establishing an inner sanctum of the fifty greatest of the greats. I thought this would be a good corrective until I realized that it could very well exclude Hank Greenberg. If there is a heaven, I don’t want to explain someday to Uncle Pinchus why I advocated giving Hammering Hank the heave-ho. I imagine other fans feel the same about their heroes. Better to let sleeping plaques hang. Let’s concentrate on the future.

The Hall of Fame is theoretically indepen dent of MLB, but it has surrendered a lot of autonomy over the years. The worst example is the Pete Rose Rule: “Any person designated by the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball as ineligible shall not be an eligible candidate.” That’s like saying that the Pope can confer sainthood subject to the approval of the directors of the Vatican Bank.

The Hall itself should get out of the moral-judgment game by repealing the Character Clause. Nothing drains an institution’s integrity like fake claims of integrity. Honesty clears the way for judging players solely on their professional excellence, meaning that Bonds, Clemens, and the other “ste roid boys”—and there will be more—go in. Keeping them out is the surest way to transform Cooperstown from a vital and relevant institution into a joke.

Most of the great scandals in Hall of Fame history have come about because of the Veterans Committee, which, in various permutations, has been either too generous or too stingy.

The stars of the pre-video age have all been discovered. Today’s players are highly visible, and fifteen years of postretirement evaluation should be more than enough. I think they should convene the Veterans Committee one more time, induct the top ten veteran vote-getters (my ballot is marked for Rose, Dick Allen, Ron Santo, Curt Flood, Steve Garvey, Mickey Lolich, Harvey Kuenn, Minnie Minoso, Luis Tiant, and Joe Jackson), and then shut the committee down permanently.

The electoral college has to change, too. “Baseball writer for a daily newspaper” is an occupational category as antiquated as “telex operator” or Western Union delivery boy. And the membership of the BBWAA is about as diverse and culturally attuned as the Pontiac Elks Club bowling league, circa 1959. The writers should still have a vote, but not a monopoly. How about giving a vote to every living major-and minor-league player or manager, members of SABR, radio and TV sportscasters, proprietors of the most-visited baseball Web sites, and any regular fan who can pass a baseball SAT exam devised and administered by the monks of Cooperstown? (Test-takers would be encouraged to chemically enhance their perfor mance).

The Hall of Fame was born looking backward into the mists of American history. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were still alive when Abner Doubleday, whose supposed creation the Hall commemorated, was born. Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis and Stephen Clark were creatures of the Victorian, Protestant, small-town America of the nineteenth century. All five of the first inductees were born before the year 1900; Ty Cobb, in Sam Crawford’s recollection, reached Detroit still fighting the Civil War. When Cooperstown opened its doors, the country was less than two years from World War II.

Today’s Hall of Fame is almost as distant in time from 1939 as 1939 was from the presidency of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln couldn’t have imagined what the country would become in seven decades after his death; or how baseball, a game he loved, would change. What would Honest Abe have made of Babe Ruth? Or fielders with mitts? Or night games broadcast on the radio?

America and baseball have changed at least that much since 1939. The men who gathered at Cooperstown would be astonished to see a black man in a major-league dugout, much less the White House. .235 hitters with million-dollar contracts? Games from Japan broadcast by satellite? Baseball players endorsing Viagra and posing for underwear ads?

Time moves on, even in Cooperstown. America is a better place than it was in 1839, or 1939. Baseball is a better game, too; fairer to its players, more accessible to its fans, and, nostalgia aside, played at a higher level of excellence. Does anyone really believe that the 1927 Yankees would win a World Series today? Sure, and the 1939 Chicago Bears would win the Super Bowl. And so what? The stars of the future will be even bigger, stronger, smarter, faster, and better coached. That is what’s called progress, and nothing—certainly not a sport that wants to hold the imagination of fans—can flourish without it.

The one thing that is not likely to change much is human nature. The guys on the plaques in Cooperstown are a mixed bag, heroes and scoundrels just like the rest of humanity. The players who arrive in the future won’t be any different. The Hall of Fame doesn’t enshrine saints, and it never has. It enshrines baseball greatness. And for millions of people who love the game, that’s more than enough.

Acknowledgments

Many people helped me with this book. I am especially grateful to Bill James, who was inexplicably generous with his time; Marvin Miller, Robert Lipsyte, Daniel Okrent, George Cantor, Marty Appel, Tim Gay, Gene Orza, Joe Dimino, and Danny Sheridan.

Richard Lapchick, Richard Ben Cramer, John T. Bird, Leigh Montville, Dave Parker, Steve Garvey, Mickey Lolich, George Brett, Maury Brown, Gary Gillette, Goose Gossage, Andrew Levy, Dr. Linn Goldberg and Dr. Gary Wadler, and Dan Rosenheck.

Thanks to the Hall of Fame staff, led by the always helpful Jeff Idelson, curator Ted Spencer, Brad Horn, Jim Gates, Gabriel Schechter, Freddy Berowski, and Tim Wiles. Special thanks to Dale Petrosky.

I am indebted to Skip McAfee, a member of the SABR Bibliography Committee, for a fine-tooth-combing of the manuscript, and for preparing the index as part of the SABR Bibliography Committee’s tasks to provide indexes for baseball books; and to Luca Mar-zorati, one of SABR’s youn gest members, for his sharp fact-checking and comments. Naturally I alone am responsible for any errors in fact or interpretation.

I am indebted to Steve Verkman, founder of Clean Sweep Auctions, for educating me about the memorabilia business, and for letting us photograph some of his trea sures to illustrate this book.

Thanks, as always, to my agent, Flip Brophy. She’s the best.

Finally, I want to thank my editor, Nick Trautwein. This book is a tribute to his enthusiasm, his energy, his unerring editorial judgment, his willingness to roll up his sleeves—and his friendship. My name is on the cover, but he has been my partner and collaborator all the way.

Appendix 1: Rules for Election

1. Authorization:
By authorization of the Board of Directors of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc., the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) is authorized to hold an election every year for the purpose of electing members to the National Baseball Hall of Fame from the ranks of retired baseball players.

2. Electors:
Only active and honorary members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, who have been active baseball writers for at least ten (10) years, shall be eligible to vote. They must have been active as baseball writers and members of the Association for a period beginning at least ten (10) years prior to the date of election in which they are voting.

3. Eligible Candidates—Candidates to be eligible must meet the following requirements:

A. A baseball player must have been active as a player in the Major Leagues at some time during a period beginning twenty (20) years before and ending five (5) years prior to election.

B. Player must have played in each of ten (10) Major League championship seasons, some part of which must have been within the period described in 3 (A).

C. Player shall have ceased to be an active player in the Major Leagues at least five (5) calendar years preceding the election but may be otherwise connected with baseball.

D. In case of the death of an active player or a player who has been retired for less than five (5) full years, a candidate who is otherwise eligible shall be eligible in the next regular election held at least six (6) months after the date of death or after the end of the five (5) year period, whichever occurs first.

E. Any player on Baseball’s ineligible list shall not be an eligible candidate.

4. Method of Election:

A. BBWAA Screening Committee—A Screening Committee consisting of baseball writers will be appointed by the BBWAA. This Screening Committee shall consist of six members, with two members to be elected at each Annual Meeting for a three-year term. The duty of the Screening Committee shall be to prepare a ballot listing in alphabetical order eligible candidates who (1) received a vote on a minimum of five percent (5%) of the ballots cast in the preceding election or (2) are eligible for the first time and are nominated by any two of the six members of the BBWAA Screening Committee.

B. Electors may vote for as few as zero (0) and as many as ten (10) eligible candidates deemed worthy of election. Write-in votes are not permitted.

C. Any candidate receiving votes on seventy-five percent (75%) of the ballots cast shall be elected to membership in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

5. Voting:
Voting shall be based upon the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.

6. Automatic Elections:
No automatic elections based on per formances such as a batting average of .400 or more for one (1) year, pitching a perfect game or similar outstanding achievement shall be permitted.

7. Time of Election:
The duly authorized representatives of the BBWAA shall prepare, date and mail ballots to each elector no later than the 15th day of January in each year in which an election is held. The elector shall sign and return the completed ballot within twenty (20) days. The vote shall then be tabulated by the duly authorized representatives of the BBWAA.

8. Certification of Election Results:
The results of the election shall be certified by a representative of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and an officer of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. The results shall be transmitted to the Commissioner of Baseball. The BBWAA and National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. shall jointly release the results for publication.

9. Amendments:
The Board of Directors of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. reserves the right to revoke, alter or amend these rules at any time.