I have no stance on this. I though it might be interesting to hear what you all think on the subject:
Bryant Gumble's final words on "Real Sports" HBO 7/22/14
"Finally tonight, a few words about fame and shame and how they are both being blurred in Cooperstown. Cooperstown is, of course, the New York home of Baseball's Hall of Fame and where this year's inductees on this coming Saturday will include Tony LaRussa.
"LaRussa is being honored for guiding teams he managed to 2728 wins, a total that ranks third in baseball history. But here's the rub: about 43% of all of those wins were recorded when LaRussa was managing Mark McGwire, and winning because of his prodigious power. That's the same Mark McGwire who has been denied inclusion in the Hall because voters believe that prodigious power owed a great deal to steroids. Which to me begs a question: by what logic can the guardians of the Hall vilify McGwire for his pharmaceutically assisted feats yet glorify LaRussa who benefited most from those same feats? ...and who, by the way, conveniently played dumb while his slugger morphed into the Incredible Hulk.
"Look, I've nothing against Tony LaRussa, nor [do I have] great admiration for Mark McGwire, but its hard to understand how the Hall can shame one and fame the other when their achievements are so interdependent. I mean, if LaRussa truly deserves induction into the Hall, how do you not make room for the guy who got him there?"
Bryant Gumble's final words on "Real Sports" HBO 7/22/14
"Finally tonight, a few words about fame and shame and how they are both being blurred in Cooperstown. Cooperstown is, of course, the New York home of Baseball's Hall of Fame and where this year's inductees on this coming Saturday will include Tony LaRussa.
"LaRussa is being honored for guiding teams he managed to 2728 wins, a total that ranks third in baseball history. But here's the rub: about 43% of all of those wins were recorded when LaRussa was managing Mark McGwire, and winning because of his prodigious power. That's the same Mark McGwire who has been denied inclusion in the Hall because voters believe that prodigious power owed a great deal to steroids. Which to me begs a question: by what logic can the guardians of the Hall vilify McGwire for his pharmaceutically assisted feats yet glorify LaRussa who benefited most from those same feats? ...and who, by the way, conveniently played dumb while his slugger morphed into the Incredible Hulk.
"Look, I've nothing against Tony LaRussa, nor [do I have] great admiration for Mark McGwire, but its hard to understand how the Hall can shame one and fame the other when their achievements are so interdependent. I mean, if LaRussa truly deserves induction into the Hall, how do you not make room for the guy who got him there?"