The vote on baseball athletes like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens will take place on Sunday in private, but previous statements from committee members suggest a tough stance on players who have been accused of cheating.
Ryne Sandberg on baseball players who use substances
Ryne Sandberg concluded his Hall of Fame speech in 2005 by saying, “Thank you and go Cubs!” this is only fitting for a man who made his name at Wrigley Field. Prior to that, though, Sandberg made a purposeful choice of words to close his statement on a stage crowded with some of baseball’s most illustrious figures.”
“When we were all baseball players, respect for the game was expected of everyone, according to Sandberg. I sincerely hope that we will witness it once more in the future.”
The following day, Rafael Palmeiro, a former teammate of Sandberg’s, received a suspension after testing positive for the potent anabolic drug stanozolol.
In his final game, Palmeiro used earplugs because he was constantly being booed later that summer. He has more hits than Wade Boggs and more home runs than Reggie Jackson, yet he hasn’t received a plaque in Cooperstown, New York.
The Contemporary Baseball Era committee, which will convene in San Diego on Sunday for the winter meetings, has selected its 16 voters as of Monday, according to the Hall of Fame.
There are eight candidates up for consideration by the committee, including Palmeiro and the two more well-known statistical giants, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, whose histories are marred by connections to performance-enhancing substances.
Morris stated to The St. Paul Pioneer-Press in 2010 that McGwire’s “stats aren’t legit” following McGwire’s admission of using steroids.
The following year, Morris told the Holland (Mich.) Sentinel, “Anyone cheating should not be allowed in the game, because there is a huge definition of the Hall of Fame that all writers are supposed to consider when they elect a person,” adding that part of the definition was: “Did they uphold the integrity of the game? And cheating undermines the fairness of the game.”
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