I‘ve had the good fortune over the years to experience some remarkable moments. I’ve had a front seat to greatness — Cal Ripken breaking Lou Gehrig’s record and George Foreman knocking out Michael Moorer to win the heavyweight title among them.
But in conversations with people, the one thing that impresses them — and creates more discussion than anything else — is the fact that I am a voter for the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
If you have been an active member of the Baseball Writers Association of America for 10 years, you qualify to be a Hall of Fame voter. You would think I am picking the next Supreme Court justice, given the passionate debates that come with that vote.
My 2011 ballot arrived not long ago, and there is one name on there for the first time that should be of interest to Washington Nationals fans — Carlos Baerga.
Baerga is the first player who wore a Nationals uniform to be on the Hall of Fame ballot. A player has to be retired from the game for five years. Baerga played one year for the Nationals — that glorious inaugural 2005 season.
Baerga was well past his prime and didn’t contribute much on the field during that one season — his 14th and last in the major leagues. But he was fun to have around. Teammate Jamey Carroll designed T-shirts from sayings Baerga would use to loosen up the clubhouse and called them “Carlito’s Ways.” Those sayings included “I See Blood” and “Let’s Make Them Cry!”
He is not a Hall of Famer — 134 home runs, 774 RBI and a .291 lifetime average. But there was a stretch of his career in the early 1990s — especially in 1993, when he hit 21 home runs, drove in 114 runs and batted .321 — when he was a three-time All-Star with the Cleveland Indians and seemingly on his way to Cooperstown.
No one is going to likely be debating the merits of whether or not Baerga should be in the Hall of Fame. But what will be debated is the growing class of candidates eligible who have been tied to the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
The steroid debate has ramped up the spotlight on baseball Hall of Fame voting and its voters. And with each passing year, more names show up on the ballot who have been identified as cheaters. Among the names this year are pitcher Kevin Brown and his former Texas teammates Juan Gonzalez and Rafael Palmeiro. And of course, Mark McGwire remains on the ballot.
The nuclear ballot comes in 2013 when both Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens — both currently awaiting trial for lying in connection to the use of performance-enhancing substances — are eligible for the first time.
It’s a difficult spot for voters to be in, because the Hall of Fame is not just about numbers. There are six criteria for election to Cooperstown and three of them — integrity, character and contributions to the game — have nothing to do with statistics.
For those who argue that there are Hall of Famers who failed to meet those standards, it’s a moot point. Voters are not bound by the actions of past elections.
Based on those three criteria, none of the cheaters — ones named in a baseball or legal report — will get my vote.
Examiner columnist Thom Loverro is the co-host of “The Sports Fix” from noon to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday on ESPN 980 and espn980.com. Contact him at [email protected].
