Ignorance is Bliss

Just let them in!

Everyone involved with MLB is responsible for what occurred during the Steroid Era. Everyone turned a blind eye as the home run totals piled up and the catchers mitts popped louder than ever. As long as the money was rolling in at the astronomical rate that it was, and as long as everyone forgot about the near catastrophic strike of 1994, MLB didn't care what players were doing to their bodies (as matter of fact, MLB didn't adopt a performance enhancing drug policy until the Spring of 2006).

And now, the Baseball Writers Association of America, one of the biggest jokes in all of sports, wants to throw a gate up around Cooperstown to protect the "sanctity of the game".

Where were these writers during the home run chase of 1998? Where were they when MLB enjoyed a renaissance in the late 90's and early 2000's that saved the sport?

They were right there with the rest of us, cheering on Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire as they chased down Roger Maris' single season home run record, cheering as Barry Bonds launched home run after home run into McCovey Cove, enjoying what would be baseballs most popular and profitable era.

If it wasn't for players like Sosa, McGwire, and Bonds (who took home run chases to another level), MLB would be more dormant than it is today. Let's face facts, in terms of popularity amongst American professional sports, it ranks 3/4. The NFL and NBA have gotten so far away from MLB that MLB couldn't see them with a NASA telescope. The only reason the NHL hasn't gone ahead is due to an inept group of owners and the worst commissioner in the history of the sport. (Now that there's labor peace and the tantalizing possibility of a hockey World Cup, don't be surprised if the NHL leaps ahead of MLB by 2020.)

These players shouldn't be vilified and barred from entering a place that is meant to celebrate the history of the game. The Steroid Era is what my generation grew up on. When I take my kids to Cooperstown, I want to be able to show and tell them about the athletes that performed during the era that made me a fan of the sport.