Piles upon piles of articles have come out questioning the candidacy of PED users on this year’s Hall of Fame ballot. The word “integrity” is coming up constantly, in the form of writers, fans and other former players stating that players who took Performance Enhancing Drugs lacked integrity (which is supposed to be a criteria to get into the Hall) and should not be granted entry.
As it stands now, the players referred to as “cheaters”, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Roger Clemens who have that label are not likely to get in this year; the vote tallies for Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro show us that!
However we ask this question when reading an article in the New York Times whereby the family of Dale Murphy is taking the other side of the argument. Dale’s son, Chad, makes a simple point; if a lack of integrity keeps some players out, should not a player with high morals have a better chance to get in?
Murphy is entering his 15th and final year on the ballot, but has yet to reach the 25 percent mark. It is unlikely that he will get in this year. The two time National League MVP was considered one of true “good guys” of the game. He was known for his charity work, and won the Roberto Clemente Award, Lou Gehrig Award and was the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year. Those accolades are certainly indicative of the high character that Dale Murphy had.
Now, does that translate into a few extra Hall of Fame votes? We would love to hear what you think!
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