Let ’em all in Hall
TIME to give up the ghosts. Like the games themselves, Halls of Fame have changed. Standards are diminished, disappearing.
They’re less Halls of Fame than Houses of Cards.
Baseball’s — The beginning of its end as a “shrine” came in 1998, with George Steinbrenner’s appointment to the Hall’s board of directors. His qualifications included two convictions — one a felony for trying to fix the 1972 Presidential election on behalf of Richard Nixon, the other for trying to fix the investigation on behalf of George Steinbrenner.
He was twice suspended from baseball, the first for violating federal election laws, the second for writing a big check to a conspicuously deluded and mentally diseased Howard Spira to deliver dirt on Dave Winfield. Steinbrenner tried to portray Spira, a fantasydriven pathetic soul, as a mobster, a shakedown artist.
Commissioner Fay Vincent didn’t buy it. I still believe Vincent’s wisdom in the matter — taking a team owner down — hastened his departure in favor of Bud Selig.
The end of the end arrived last year, when Selig, blinded and gagged by money to sell out both The Game and its clean players to allow the steroid era to grow, flourish, and then finally explode — leaving MLB in total disrepute — became a first-shot Hall of Fame selection.
The captain of the ship, who acted as if the day of reckoning would never arrive and resided in MLB’s counting house, allowing steroids to rule The Game and shatter hallowed records, made the Hall in an instant. Yet, we now must consider whether the steroid sluggers Selig fully enabled are worthy?
It’s over, folks. Let ’em all in, gambling Pete Rose, shrunken-headed Barry Bonds, chronic liar Alex Rod- riguez. If Steinbrenner was a Board member and Selig was an immediate inductee, well, you tell me who doesn’t belong.
Football — A trio of selected inductees, last week, demands unconditional surrender of the good senses.
Ray Lewis was suspended from the NFL for an entire season after he pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in the investigation of a double homicide.
After that, the murders remain unsolved, he reached a financial settlement with the families of the victims.
After that, he returned to his specialty — illegally and remorselessly knocking opponents cold with brutal blows to their heads, followed by his ritual blood dance. How many concussions did he deliver? How many of his victims now suffer neurological impairment?
He paid the fines, then went back to breaking heads.
The father of six from four women, he can now be found on TV, telling us what’s wrong with the world.
Terrell Owens and Randy Moss, both enormously talented wide receivers, had careers larded with character issues, including abject selfishness that made their presence divisive and counterproductive.
Moss’s talent couldn’t prevent his expendability. Small wonder that from 2004 to 2012 he played for seven different teams.
From 2004 to 2010 Owens played for five different teams, his me-first and me-only disruptive conduct inevitably becoming insufferable.
Basketball — The day approaches when a college coach not considered for this Hall will be the greater honor.
Since 2002, eight college coaches whose programs have been scandalized on their watch, some more than once, have been inducted.
Halls of Fame? Sure, whatever. Don’t forget to visit the gift shop.