Like it or not, this is one of the saddest eras in baseball history. It’s not the Black Sox scandal of a hundred years ago. It’s not the more recent steroids era. It’s not Pete Rose and gambling. But it’s major league baseball players, the best players in the land, cheating by concocting a scheme to steal pitchers’ signs illegally, using electronic means.
I mean these players, these professional players, these major league players, learned when they were in high school or college how to distinguish a fastball from a curveball. But now that they are professionals they need electronic assistance?
What would Barry Bonds have done with this system? No ballpark in America would have been safe from his assault.
The Bonds era, however, was sad and depressing enough without linking it to another shady era of cheating.
What, you don’t think Bonds cheated because he was never caught? He was caught, all right; he just lied his way out of it. Yes, Bonds was a double duty skunk. He lied and he cheated. He used steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs and claimed he was using flaxseed oil.
With his lying and cheating, though, Bonds has moved into position to be elected to the Hall of Fame. That stunning development could occur this year, this week in fact.
With three years of ballot eligibility remaining, Bonds last year received 59.1 percent of the writers vote, his best percentage in seven years of his candidacy.
According to Ryan Thibodaux’s Hall of Fame tracker, as of Saturday, Bonds had 73.9 percent and Roger Clemens 72.7 percent. It’s virtually certain if they don’t make it this year, they will be in next year.
Some writers who have changed their minds attributed the increase in vote totals for Bonds and Roger Clemens to the election of former Commissioner Bud Selig to the Hall of Fame two years ago. Selig hates hearing that reason, but I believe it’s valid. At least some voting writers feel that if Selig could be in the Hall despite his delay in dealing with steroids, players like Bonds and Clemens should also be welcomed in Cooperstown.
I don’t see it that way, but I understand the thinking.
Rose, on the other hand, has no excuses and no justification for anything he has suffered. He violated the gambling rule, which is posted in every clubhouse in which he changed from street clothes into baseball uniform.
Thou shall not bet on baseball, the rule says in effect, but Rose believed it was meant for everyone else, not the great Pete Rose.
I clearly remember the arrogance with which he responded to my question about his alleged gambling. To bet on baseball or anything else, he said, he would have to go to Nevada because that was the only place where gambling was legal.
Rose was suspended for life, and no commissioner has found reason to lift that suspension. Even his most ardent supporters gave up and abandoned him when it was learned he was having sex with underage girls.
As commissioner, Rob Manfred has not had the opportunity to reject Rose’s request for reinstatement. Had Rose requested it, though, it’s safe to sat Manfred would have rejected it, if not simply have ignored it.
Manfred conducted an excellent investigation into the Houston Astros alleged illegal sign-stealing scheme and wrote an outstanding report. Both the investigation and the report, though, omitted one question: what happened to the players?
Manfred omits them as if they hadn’t executed the nefarious scheme, but without the players there would have been no scheme.
Manfred suspended General Manager Jeff Luhnow and Manager A.J. Hinch for a year each – I think two years would have been more appropriate – but it’s a sufficiently stiff penalty to deter others from trying it.
Manfred has yet to complete his investigation into the Red Sox, who like the Astros have been accused of illegally stealing signs, using electronic devices but the Red Sox didn’t wait for the commissioner. They fired Alex Cora as their World Series-winning manager.
Cora was the Astros’ bench coach before he came to the Red Sox, and it didn’t take the Red Sox long to connect the dots.
Because he has not completed his Red Sox investigation, Manfred has not mentioned Dave Dombrowski, whom the Red Sox fired in September as president of baseball operations. At the time, there was no hint of the dismissal being for anything more than spending a lot money and not winning. I would guess when Manfred writes his Red Sox report he will exonerate Dombrowski as having nothing to do with sign stealing.
Then there is Carlos Beltran. He may wind up worse than anyone in this ugly mess.
A former Mets’ outfielder, Beltran wanted the Mets’ manager’s job, and he let everyone know it. The Mets rewarded his passion and his desire by giving it to him. He resigned last week.
As developments showed, Beltran had been a central figure – maybe the key figure – in the Houston sign-stealing scheme. He relinquished the job he coveted, and now the Mets are looking for another manager.
That brought to three the number of managers brought down by the sign-stealing scandal, and for someone who cares about minority hiring, I find it most unfortunate.
ANOTHER HONOR FOR THE METS’ PIZZA MAN
The Mets apparently can’t honor their favorite steroids user. enough. While their baseball world was crumbling around them last week, they issued this news release:
“The New York Mets, the City of Port St. Lucie and St. Lucie County honored Hall of Famer Mike Piazza by renaming the street formerly known as NW Stadium Dr. to Piazza Drive and changing the official address of the Mets Spring Training facility to 31 Piazza Drive. Mets COO Jeff Wilpon along with Piazza announced the change in a ceremony in front of Clover Park.
“We are thrilled to celebrate Mike and his contributions to the organization with this honor,” said Mets COO Jeff Wilpon. “Mike is an integral part of our franchise’s history and he will forever be enshrined in our home away from home in Port St. Lucie. We would like to thank the City of Port St. Lucie and St. Lucie County for their help in making this happen.”
“I am extremely excited that the Mets Spring Training home address and street name will be renamed in my honor,” Piazza said. “Port St Lucie will always hold a special place in my career as the place where I prepared for some of my most memorable seasons, with teammates, staff and of course fans. Florida has been my home for the past thirty years so it’s great tribute for my family and for future generations. I am truly touched and blessed. My sincere thanks to the Mets, Fred and Jeff Wilpon, St. Lucie County and Mets fans everywhere!”
The Mets previously honored Piazza by retiring his uniform number, 31, in 2016 and inducting him into the team’s Hall of Fame in 2013. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016. His 396 home runs as a catcher remains a major league record.
Piazza spent eight years with the Mets from 1998-2005 and ranks first in team history in slugging percentage (.542), third in homers (220) and OPS (.915) and third in RBI (655). His iconic home run in the first game back from the 9/11 attacks helped lift the spirts of New York City. Piazza represented the Mets at the All-Star Game seven times. Overall, the Hall of Famer hit .308 with 427 home runs and 1,335 RBI during his 16-year player career. He was selected to the All-Star team 12 times in his career, was twice the runner up in the National League MVP voting and earned NL Rookie of the Year honors in 1993.
Piazza has always denied using steroids, but his teammates and his back betrayed him. His back was always covered with acne, which doctors say is a sure sign or steroids use. However, when baseball began testing for steroids, Piazza’s back immediately cleared up.
In addition, Michael Bamberger, a highly reputable author who planned to write about Piazza, returned a sizeable advance to the publisher, when Piazza refused to say he would be completely forthcoming in the book. In the book, which was written by a different author, the former catcher denied having used steroids, even though it was a popular topic in the clubhouse.
Finally, when I brought up the subject to Piazza’s agent, he refused to talk about it. The replacement author was uncomfortable answering questions about it.
But Piazza is in the Hall of Fame and now will have a street named for him. Better living through steroids.