Piazza Couldn’t Catch a Break
by Mathews Thankachan and Shawn Abraham
The BBWA didn’t induct anyone into the baseball hall of fame this year. While this in itself is not unusual, a new controversy has risen because most of the Hall of Fame hopefuls were suspected of using Performance Enhancing Drugs.
It is no surprise that Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds failed to enter the Hall of Fame due to their prior involvement with PEDs. Although Clemens was acquitted of his charges in the court. In 2011, Bonds was convicted of obstruction of justice for lying to the grand jury about using PEDs. Sammy Sosa tested positive in 2003 for using PEDs as well.
What is more surprising is that Craig Biggio and Mike Piazza were not inducted into the Hall of Fame even though they were never convicted of using PEDs. Biggio, a seven time all-star and a four time gold glove winner, received the highest percentage of votes this year at 68.2%. Piazza was arguably the best hitting catcher of all time. He won ten silver slugger awards and had a .308 career batting average, making his exclusion from the Hall of Fame even more conspicuous.
Many people suspected that Piazza used PEDs even though his name was absent from the Mitchell report, which was the result of former U.S. Senator George J. Mitchell’s 21-month investigation into the use of anabolic steroids and human growth hormone in Major League Baseball. Even Bobby Valentine, Piazza’s manager from 1998-2002, said Piazza’s PED use “wasn’t an issue.” But, because of the influx of PEDs into baseball, the cloud of suspicion hanging over prospective inductees isn’t based on just numbers alone. In the case of Mike Piazza, it wasn’t proven PED usage, but it was the voters’ assumptions and lingering rumors. So is it fair that Mike Piazza is withheld entry into the Hall of Fame without any evidence against him? “It’s unfair. It wasn’t proven that he was on PEDs” said Michael Thornton, an avid Mets fan. In agreement “I’m a Yankees fan and from the outside looking in, I always saw something bad happening to the Mets like the infamous collapses of 2007 and 2008, and now misfortune has hit them again because one of their best players and Mike Piazza falls short of making the Hall of Fame which is just sad,” said senior Anoop Thomas.
It’s not just Mets fans that feel this way. “I think that it isn’t fair to him because he is one of the best hitting catchers in history, and just because he played in the ‘Steroid Era,’ there is doubt in the minds of the voters,” said Kyle Cajigas, a devoted Yankees fan.
In a nation where one is innocent until proven guilty, it is unacceptable that deserving players such as Piazza and Biggio are withheld entry to the Hall of Fame, not due to evidence of their crime, but the legacy of a polluted era.
The BBWA didn’t induct anyone into the baseball hall of fame this year. While this in itself is not unusual, a new controversy has risen because most of the Hall of Fame hopefuls were suspected of using Performance Enhancing Drugs.
It is no surprise that Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds failed to enter the Hall of Fame due to their prior involvement with PEDs. Although Clemens was acquitted of his charges in the court. In 2011, Bonds was convicted of obstruction of justice for lying to the grand jury about using PEDs. Sammy Sosa tested positive in 2003 for using PEDs as well.
What is more surprising is that Craig Biggio and Mike Piazza were not inducted into the Hall of Fame even though they were never convicted of using PEDs. Biggio, a seven time all-star and a four time gold glove winner, received the highest percentage of votes this year at 68.2%. Piazza was arguably the best hitting catcher of all time. He won ten silver slugger awards and had a .308 career batting average, making his exclusion from the Hall of Fame even more conspicuous.
Many people suspected that Piazza used PEDs even though his name was absent from the Mitchell report, which was the result of former U.S. Senator George J. Mitchell’s 21-month investigation into the use of anabolic steroids and human growth hormone in Major League Baseball. Even Bobby Valentine, Piazza’s manager from 1998-2002, said Piazza’s PED use “wasn’t an issue.” But, because of the influx of PEDs into baseball, the cloud of suspicion hanging over prospective inductees isn’t based on just numbers alone. In the case of Mike Piazza, it wasn’t proven PED usage, but it was the voters’ assumptions and lingering rumors. So is it fair that Mike Piazza is withheld entry into the Hall of Fame without any evidence against him? “It’s unfair. It wasn’t proven that he was on PEDs” said Michael Thornton, an avid Mets fan. In agreement “I’m a Yankees fan and from the outside looking in, I always saw something bad happening to the Mets like the infamous collapses of 2007 and 2008, and now misfortune has hit them again because one of their best players and Mike Piazza falls short of making the Hall of Fame which is just sad,” said senior Anoop Thomas.
It’s not just Mets fans that feel this way. “I think that it isn’t fair to him because he is one of the best hitting catchers in history, and just because he played in the ‘Steroid Era,’ there is doubt in the minds of the voters,” said Kyle Cajigas, a devoted Yankees fan.
In a nation where one is innocent until proven guilty, it is unacceptable that deserving players such as Piazza and Biggio are withheld entry to the Hall of Fame, not due to evidence of their crime, but the legacy of a polluted era.
