“some of them” would. He cited Jim Rice’s rocky road to the Hall as an example of sportswriters allowing a solid candidate to twist in the wind not because of debatable statistics, but because of an objectionable personality. “If you’re a lifetime .340 hitter but you’re a jerk,” he said about players in general, “it may keep you out [of the Hall of Fame] for a few years.” Rice made it in his 15th and final year of eligibility, just dribbling over the required 75 percent of the vote with 76.4. And according to Spander, Bonds could be on a similar path as a result of his well-known contempt for sports journalists. As for Clemens, Spander pointed out how off-putting Clemens’ “he lied, he didn’t lie” drama has been. To some HOF voters, slick lawyers, scripted half-truths and vague, unfinished sentences before congres-
sional committees may have dulled The Rocket’s red glare. “They’re either great, or they’re not great,” Spander said of players he considers for enshrinement, and reminded me that Bonds and Clemens were Hall of Fame caliber players even before the specter of performance-enhancing drugs. So he, like many others, supports their bid. Baseball writer Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe also voted for Bonds and Clemens. Initially rejecting players suspected of using performance-enhancing drugs, he has since had a change of heart, now believing the Hall of Fame should reflect particular e ras—even ones saturated with steroids. How hypocritical is it, he wonders, to have ignored the prevalence of players using PEDs in 2002 only to
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punish those same players in 2012? I asked him if he thought some sportswriters might have claimed they excluded Bonds and Clemens because of PEDs, but actually find their personalities objectionable. “I personally would not consider doing that,” he said. “But I can imagine some older guys could feel that way.” He emphasized that nobody would likely admit to doing so, but “it would be easy enough to not vote for a guy like that and just say it was for PEDs.” Whether or not Barry and Roger make it to the Hall of Fame, it’s clear their path won’t be as cushy as some of their red carpet ride peers. And though I suspect one day both men will be enshrined—albeit with the shadow of PEDs darkening their busts—it will be impossible to measure just how much personality complicated each of their journeys.
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