The players eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2013 will include some of the greatest players in the history of the game. The list will include, in alphabetical order:
Craig Biggio, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mike Piazza, Curt Schilling and Sammy Sosa.
Craig Biggio was not one of the all-time great players. He was unique, since few catchers become an outstanding second baseman, but Biggio was merely very good, not great.
Biggio played his entire career with the Houston Astros from 1988-2007. He batted .281/.361/.433, hitting 291 home runs, driving in 1,175 runs and stealing 414 bases.
The fact that he amassed 3,060 hits will be the pivotal factor that gets him into the Hall of Fame. Forget that he needed almost 11,000 at-bats to accomplish that feat, which indicates he should not be in the Hall of Fame.
Barry Bonds hit more home runs than anyone in baseball history. He has had a Hall of Fame career.
He will not be elected to the Hall of Fame, because we live in a disingenuous society that imposes rules on its members that are inconsistent and wrong and promote an agenda that favors those who rule, usually in order to keep the population under control.
At about the age of 30, the pituitary gland’s output of growth hormone starts to decrease. Exercise still stimulates its production, but exercise is not as effective as it had been.
Society has no problems with athletes exercising vigorously to produce growth hormone, but frowns upon using synthetically produced growth hormone. The end result is the same, but injecting it instead of exercising to produce it is “cheating.”
Many protein-rich foods contain the amino acids ornithine and arginine. Durk Pearson and Sandy Shaw, in their book Life Extension: A Practical Scientific Approach, recommended using ornithine and arginine to boost growth hormone production. Research indicates it is effective.
Ingest foods that contain ornithine and arginine, and there will be no problem. What if a player took the supplemental form of the amino acids? Uh-oh, when MLB gets around to testing for HGH—well, you know the story.
If a player maximizes his skills using methods those in power approve of, that is fine, but if the method is not sanctioned, the player will be ostracized, fined, suspended or banned.
Barry Bonds is a sure Hall of Famer. The only problem is that those who vote don’t think for themselves.
Roger Clemens is allegedly a liar. He had the temerity to stand up for his reputation despite being told by some selected Congress officials that he shouldn’t because, if he gave his version of the truth, he could get into trouble.
Forget the fact that Clemens ranks among the top three or four pitchers of all time. Forget the fact that Clemens won 354 games. Forget his seven Cy Young awards.
Those who voted for him each year he won it must have been using a substance that inebriates but that is sanctioned by society.
There is no way Roger Clemens will ever be elected to the Hall of Fame.
Mike Piazza is the greatest offensive catcher in baseball history. He was an adequate defender his first few seasons, and then became pretty poor defensively, but his great offensive ability easily overcame his later-career defensive shortcomings.
Some have snidely attempted to associate Piazza with using substances baseball and society frown upon. In this case, it will not be enough to keep him from being voted into the Hall of Fame.
Curt Schilling and Roger Clemens were good friends. No, that won’t be the reason Schilling doesn’t make the Hall of Fame. The reason will be that he won “only” 216 games.
Piling up large numbers in selected categories has become a ticket to the Hall of Fame. Excellence over an extended period is less important. It is also patently wrong.
Schilling has an ERA+ of 128. There are 74 pitchers in the Hall of Fame. Only 22, repeat that, only 22, have an ERA+ better than Schilling’s.
If Bert Blyleven, Jim Bunning, Catfish Hunter, Herb Pennock and Don Drysdale are Hall of Famers, voters will compound their errors and elect Schilling.
Sammy Sosa hit more than 60 home runs in a season three different times. That’s more than enough to be elected to the Hall of Fame.
He hit 609 career home runs and hit at least 50 home runs in a season four times, which is twice as many times as either Mickey Mantle or Willie Mays.
But Sammy has been linked to using substances not approved by those who decide. There is no way that he will be elected to the Hall of Fame.
Now, for Jerry Springer’s Final Thought
There are so many factors or variables that it is impossible to determine, medically or morally, the most effective and safest ways of maximizing athletic ability.
Sugar is a nutrient that is considered harmful. As glucose it can be detrimental, but in the form of complex carbohydrates, as in fruits and vegetables, it is a vital part of a healthy diet. Significantly, the ultimate source of cell energy is glucose.
In a free society, it is wrong to impose one group’s standards on another group. The fact that baseball is a private enterprise and can dictate standards doesn’t make it right.
Take care of yourself, and each other.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com