Democracy by the Pen

Last night, the team that couldn't lose got killed by a team that couldn't possibly be a serious contender. At least according to sports journalists, most of whom where picked last to play most sports. The Bookies made a killing.

This afternoon, Mark McGuire will not be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Since he retired, he has done very little in the public eye because of the constant hounding he has endured from the very people who used him to sell newspapers and magazines. They all want him to admit what he did. He was on Andro. Everyone and their dog knew it then, and knows it now.

How fickle those baseball writers are, as this is the same man who "saved" baseball by cranking home runs and getting the fans involved right after the dark times. They knew he was on Andro then. They didn't care- he was saving baseball.

To be technical, Mark McGuire did not break a single rule that baseball had in place. Steroid use was not dealt with until after he retired. A fair comparison would be baseball managers who bet heavily on baseball in the 20s and 30s. Can't do that any more, right Mr. Rose?

There has been exactly one constant in the last 120 years of American History: Baseball - How did America fight terrorism? Yankees v. Red Sox on Sept. 13 at Yankee Stadium. I was crying when they sang America the Beautiful. It was a moving moment that I will never forget.

But, the game has changed. The mound is raised or lowered almost yearly. The bats are bigger. The balls are harder and jump off the bat faster. The athletes don't drink themselves to death, as much. You know what hasn't changed - the fans who love it.

I am not for one second suggesting that the fans should have anything to do with hall of fame inductions. But limiting the people with a say to the people who already have a say every day in their columns seems a little odd to me. Especially when they were so sure about Ohio State.

Mark McGuire changed the way the game was played. His numbers can be viewed in 100 different ways, but the roar of the crowd cannot. His substance use didn't affect the timing of his great hits, or his ability to win gold gloves. His cross is the fact that he is the first, of many, baseball heroes with phenomenal numbers to be eligible for the Hall of Fame after the beginning of the juiced era.

Will the writers deny Roger Clemens his entry too?