![\"Bud](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dougsbriefcase.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/credit-cbs-sports.jpg\")
<\/a>Bud Selig will retire as base\u00adball com\u00admis\u00adsion\u00ader lat\u00ader this month, but not before doing the game irrepara\u00adble harm. [Cred\u00adit: CBS<\/span> Sports]<\/p><\/div>Bud Selig is sched\u00aduled to step down<\/a> as base\u00adball com\u00admis\u00adsion\u00ader lat\u00ader this month, but the efflu\u00adence of his 23 years of mis\u00adrule con\u00adtin\u00adues to pol\u00adlute. On Tues\u00adday, his sludge will flow into Coop\u00ader\u00adstown, when the results of this year\u2019s Hall of Fame bal\u00adlot\u00ading are announced.\n Those results will attract the usu\u00adal con\u00adtro\u00adver\u00adsy. Coop\u00ader\u00adstown is the Ivy League of Halls of Fame, set\u00adting stan\u00addards far high\u00ader than those that obtain in oth\u00ader major Amer\u00adi\u00adcan sports. Even very good play\u00aders don\u2019t always make it in. This year\u2019s list of the jilt\u00aded is like\u00adly to include Don Mat\u00adting\u00adly, who is in his 15th<\/sup> and last year on the bal\u00adlot, Alan Tram\u00admell (14th<\/sup> year) and Lee Smith (13th<\/sup> year). To make the Hall, a play\u00ader must be named on 75 per\u00adcent<\/a> of bal\u00adlots sub\u00admit\u00adted by base\u00adball writ\u00aders, a hide\u00adbound and crotch\u00adety lot. Mat\u00adting\u00adly, Tram\u00admell and Smith all polled less than 30 per\u00adcent<\/a> last year.<\/p>\n Craig Big\u00adgio was luck\u00adi\u00ader. Sort of. He was named on 74.8 per\u00adcent<\/a> of last year\u2019s bal\u00adlots, just 2 votes short<\/a> of the 429 he need\u00aded to win induc\u00adtion. This time around, he may get over the hump.<\/p>\n Fred McGriff prob\u00ada\u00adbly won\u2019t. McGriff is a mar\u00adgin\u00adal can\u00addi\u00addate \u2013 plen\u00adty good, but about aver\u00adage or below for a Hall of Famer, accord\u00ading to the met\u00adrics<\/a> favored by baseball\u2019s cognoscen\u00adti<\/em>,<\/span> known as saber\u00adme\u00adtri\u00adcians. McGriff hit 493 career homers, tying him with Lou Gehrig. Had his career end\u00aded a decade soon\u00ader, those homers would have been a gold-plat\u00aded cre\u00adden\u00adtial, vir\u00adtu\u00adal\u00adly assur\u00ading him induc\u00adtion into the Hall. But his career reached full flower dur\u00ading the 1990s and extend\u00aded into the ear\u00adly 2000s, when steroid use became pandemic.<\/p>\n In 1998, when Mark McG\u00adwire and Sam\u00admy Sosa engaged in their juiced-up com\u00adpe\u00adti\u00adtion that shat\u00adtered Roger Maris\u2019s sin\u00adgle sea\u00adson home run record, only 15 play\u00aders<\/a> in the game\u2019s his\u00adto\u00adry had hit 500 home runs. By 2009, when McGriff first appeared on the Hall of Fame bal\u00adlot, an addi\u00adtion\u00adal 10 play\u00aders had crossed that thresh\u00adold. The eleventh (Albert Pujols) hit his 500th<\/sup> homer last year.<\/p>\n Some of those play\u00aders, like Ken Grif\u00adfey and Jim Thome, would like\u00adly have hit 500 even dur\u00ading eras when home runs were less com\u00admon. Oth\u00aders, like the afore\u00admen\u00adtioned McG\u00adwire and Sosa, are con\u00adsid\u00adered frauds. The use of per\u00adfor\u00admance-enhanc\u00ading drugs (PEDs) was exten\u00adsive enough to dis\u00adad\u00advan\u00adtage a play\u00ader like McGriff. His 493 career homers today seem like weak tea, rank\u00ading him in a tie for 27th<\/sup> place and behind sev\u00ader\u00adal play\u00aders who are clear\u00adly unqual\u00adi\u00adfied for Cooperstown.<\/p>\n Bud Selig cheered on<\/a> the offen\u00adsive binge that pro\u00adduced this defor\u00adma\u00adtion. The binge wasn\u2019t worth the hang\u00adover. Selig\u2019s defend\u00aders say that he nev\u00ader sus\u00adpect\u00aded that PED<\/span> use was so com\u00admon, even though much of it was occur\u00adring in the lock\u00ader rooms that belong to the own\u00aders and that are part of his domain. If true, then he is incom\u00adpe\u00adtent and na\u00efve. If not \u2013 if he knew that the exploits the game was cel\u00ade\u00adbrat\u00ading and he was pro\u00admot\u00ading weren\u2019t hon\u00adest\u00adly pro\u00adduced \u2013 then he is cyn\u00adi\u00adcal and cor\u00adrupt. Either way, he should have stepped down as com\u00admis\u00adsion\u00ader once the extent of cheat\u00ading was exposed.<\/p>\n Instead, the cas\u00adcad\u00ading effects of the Selig Steroid Era roll on, with play\u00aders being denied the game\u2019s high\u00adest hon\u00ador because their accom\u00adplish\u00adments seem small\u00ader in the con\u00adtext of inflat\u00aded sta\u00adtis\u00adtics or because of evi\u00addence \u2014 and some\u00adtimes mere whis\u00adpers \u2014 of steroid abuse. Some who are being exclud\u00aded are mere\u00adly good or great; oth\u00aders are among the great\u00adest ever to step onto a diamond.<\/p>\n Bar\u00adry Bonds is such a play\u00ader. Even if we were to write off his sin\u00adgle sea\u00adson (73) and career (762) home run records as taint\u00aded, Bonds ranks along\u00adside the best. He excelled in all areas of the game. He won 7 MVPs and fin\u00adished in the top 5 of bal\u00adlot\u00ading in 12 of the 15 sea\u00adsons between 1990 and 2004, was an All-Star 14 times, a 9\u2011time Gold Glover, and led left field\u00aders in assists six times.<\/p>\n He also walked 2,558<\/a> times, more than any play\u00ader in his\u00adto\u00adry. That includes a record 688 inten\u00adtion\u00adal pass\u00ades. In 1998, he became the fifth play\u00ader<\/a> in base\u00adball his\u00adto\u00adry \u2013 and the first in over half a cen\u00adtu\u00adry \u2013 to be inten\u00adtion\u00adal\u00adly walked with the bases loaded. It has since hap\u00adpened just once.<\/p>\n Bonds stole 514 bases, which would rank him 14th<\/sup> among Hall of Famers. Most who are ahead of him either played dur\u00ading the Dead Ball Era or are in the Hall pri\u00admar\u00adi\u00adly because of their base-steal\u00ading skills. None hit more than 297 homers. Bonds sur\u00adpassed<\/a> that total in April of his tenth full season.<\/p>\n Bonds came hon\u00adest\u00adly by that rare com\u00adbi\u00adna\u00adtion of pow\u00ader and speed. In 1969, his father Bob\u00adby became the first Nation\u00adal League play\u00ader in his\u00adto\u00adry to hit at least 30 home runs and steal at least 30 bases, a feat he would achieve a record five times. He now shares that record with his son Bar\u00adry, who had his fifth 30\/30 sea\u00adson in 1997. But that rep\u00adre\u00adsent\u00aded a decline in the younger Bonds\u2019 per\u00adfor\u00admance. The pre\u00advi\u00adous year, he\u2019d hit 42 home runs and stolen 40 bases, becom\u00ading only the third play\u00ader<\/a> in his\u00adto\u00adry to achieve the 40\/40 milestone.<\/p>\n The two who pre\u00adced\u00aded him, iron\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly, also have been asso\u00adci\u00adat\u00aded with steroid use: Alex Rodriguez and Jose Canseco, whose tell-all book<\/a> exposed the preva\u00adlence of PEDs that Selig had either hushed up or mere\u00adly man\u00adaged not to notice.<\/p>\n Canseco\u2019s alle\u00adga\u00adtions, large\u00adly dis\u00admissed at the time, proved accu\u00adrate. Wide\u00adspread PED<\/span> use led to an infla\u00adtion of offen\u00adsive sta\u00adtis\u00adtics. But the sta\u00adtis\u00adtics Bonds amassed were infi\u00adnite\u00adly supe\u00adri\u00ador to those com\u00adpiled by the many steroid-using hit\u00adters (and pitch\u00aders) against whom he competed.<\/p>\n One such index pre\u00adferred by saber\u00adme\u00adtri\u00adcians is known as Wins Above Replace\u00adment (WAR<\/span>). It seeks to express rel\u00ada\u00adtive over\u00adall per\u00adfor\u00admance \u2013 hit\u00adting, field\u00ading, baserun\u00adning and pitch\u00ading \u2013 in a sin\u00adgle num\u00adber. Bonds led Nation\u00adal League posi\u00adtion play\u00aders in WAR<\/span> 11 times and nev\u00ader fin\u00adished low\u00ader than fourth from 1989\u20132004. His career WAR<\/span> is 162.4<\/a>. Only Babe Ruth com\u00adpiled a high\u00ader one.<\/p>\n He also led the league in OPS<\/span> \u2013 the sum of on-base and slug\u00adging per\u00adcent\u00adages \u2014 nine times and nev\u00ader fin\u00adished low\u00ader than third between 1989 and 2004. A vari\u00ada\u00adtion of that sta\u00adtis\u00adtic known as OPS<\/span>+ puts offen\u00adsive out\u00adput into con\u00adtext by com\u00adpar\u00ading a play\u00ader to his peers and adjust\u00ading for the fact that some ball\u00adparks are more con\u00adducive to offense than oth\u00aders. An aver\u00adage play\u00ader in an aver\u00adage ball\u00adpark in any sea\u00adson has an OPS<\/span>+ of 100. Bonds\u2019 career OPS<\/span>+ is 182, which means that his offen\u00adsive out\u00adput was 82 per\u00adcent high\u00ader than the aver\u00adage major lea\u00adguers he played with and against. Only Babe Ruth and Ted Williams were bet\u00adter when mea\u00adsured<\/a> against their cohorts. Bonds sus\u00adtained a lev\u00adel of excel\u00adlence through 22 sea\u00adsons. He nev\u00ader had an OPS<\/span>+ less than 114 after his rook\u00adie year and his OPS<\/span>+ in 1992 and 1993, long before his sus\u00adpect\u00aded steroid use began, was 200.<\/p>\n The exclu\u00adsion from the Hall of Fame of baseball\u2019s all-time home run leader is qual\u00adi\u00adta\u00adtive\u00adly dif\u00adfer\u00adent from the exclu\u00adsion of its all-time hits leader. Pete Rose who, like Bonds, did him\u00adself great rep\u00adu\u00adta\u00adtion\u00adal dam\u00adage, does not oth\u00ader\u00adwise rank with the all-time greats. His OPS<\/span>+ was a respectable 118 but his OPS<\/span> was just .784, far below the Hall of Fame aver\u00adage (.838<\/a>). He ranks with the Richie Ash\u00adburns and Carl\u00adton Fisks in that cat\u00ade\u00adgo\u00adry, not with the Babe Ruths and Ted Williams. And though he prid\u00aded him\u00adself on being a \u201csin\u00adgles hit\u00adter,\u201d his on-base per\u00adcent\u00adage (.375) is about aver\u00adage for a Hall of Famer. He was undis\u00adtin\u00adguished as a field\u00ader and base steal\u00ader (198 career steals, 149 caught steal\u00ading) and won only one MVP<\/span>. He was by no means the best play\u00ader of his era. Rose\u2019s WAR<\/span> ranks behind 14<\/a> Hall of Famers whose careers over\u00adlapped his. That\u2019s not to say that his cre\u00adden\u00adtials are defi\u00adcient, only that he does not rank with the best of the best. Bonds does.<\/p>\n So does Roger Clemens. Clemens\u2019 354 wins places him ninth all-time and third among play\u00aders who retired after 1930, behind only War\u00adren Spahn and Greg Mad\u00addux. Only Cy Young and Wal\u00adter John\u00adson com\u00adpiled a high\u00ader career WAR<\/span> among pitch\u00aders. He is sec\u00adond all-time behind Cy Young in adjust\u00aded pitch\u00ading wins<\/a>,<\/span> a sta\u00adtis\u00adtic that attempts to quan\u00adti\u00adfy a pitcher\u2019s con\u00adtri\u00adbu\u00adtion to his team\u2019s suc\u00adcess. And speak\u00ading of Cy Young, Clemens won sev\u00aden of them, in three dif\u00adfer\u00adent decades, and in 1986 became only the eighth pitch\u00ader to win an MVP<\/span><\/a> (three have done it since). He led the league in ERA<\/span> sev\u00aden times and fin\u00adished sec\u00adond or third dur\u00ading three oth\u00ader sea\u00adsons. Nolan Ryan is the only Hall of Famer who struck out more bat\u00adters than Clemens (4,672), although Randy John\u00adson, who is on the bal\u00adlot for the first time this year, also fanned more (4,875).<\/p>\n John\u00adson is expect\u00aded to be elect\u00aded on Tues\u00adday. Pedro Mar\u00adtinez, anoth\u00ader pitch\u00ader appear\u00ading on the bal\u00adlot for the first time, has a very good shot. Clemens has none \u2013 not this year, and per\u00adhaps not ever.<\/p>\n Bonds and Clemens are respon\u00adsi\u00adble for their own integri\u00adty. They are pay\u00ading a steep price for their trans\u00adgres\u00adsions. Selig was respon\u00adsi\u00adble for the integri\u00adty of the game. He failed spec\u00adtac\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adly and has been spec\u00adtac\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adly reward\u00aded, col\u00adlect\u00ading a report\u00aded annu\u00adal salary of $18.4 mil\u00adlion<\/a>. Only Kene\u00adsaw Moun\u00adtain Lan\u00addis served longer<\/a> as base\u00adball com\u00admis\u00adsion\u00ader. Lan\u00addis rid the sport of its gam\u00adbling scan\u00addal; under Selig, the more dam\u00adag\u00ading scan\u00addal of steroid use was hatched and took flight.<\/p>\n His longevi\u00adty and com\u00adpen\u00adsa\u00adtion no doubt are tied to the fact that he deflect\u00aded respon\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty for the scan\u00addal from him\u00adself and base\u00adbal\u00adl\u2019s front offices. He and the own\u00aders who employ him nev\u00ader were inves\u00adti\u00adgat\u00aded for their poten\u00adtial com\u00adplic\u00adi\u00adty. Selig\u2019s emails were nev\u00ader exam\u00adined, his phone logs scru\u00adti\u00adnized or his sub\u00ador\u00addi\u00adnates ques\u00adtioned as to what he knew and when he knew it. Instead, he retained the law firm of for\u00admer Sen\u00adate Major\u00adi\u00adty Leader George Mitchell to pro\u00adduce a report that impli\u00adcat\u00aded scores of major league play\u00aders, includ\u00ading Clemens. The game\u2019s great\u00adest assets \u2013 its integri\u00adty and play\u00aders \u2013 were thrown to the wolves. Its great\u00adest lia\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty \u2013 Selig \u2013 was kept at a safe dis\u00adtance from the carnage.<\/p>\n It is impos\u00adsi\u00adble to inven\u00adto\u00adry all of the dam\u00adage Selig has done. It is not mere\u00adly that the game\u2019s most revered records \u2013 sin\u00adgle sea\u00adson and all-time home runs \u2013 have been tar\u00adnished or that the 500 home run thresh\u00adold has been deval\u00adued and debased; not mere\u00adly that a gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion of the game\u2019s stars has been placed under a cloud of sus\u00adpi\u00adcion; not mere\u00adly that two of the game\u2019s all-time greats will not make it to the Hall; not mere\u00adly that he can\u00adceled a World Series and sus\u00adpend\u00aded an All-Star game; not mere\u00adly that his com\u00adplic\u00adi\u00adty or incom\u00adpe\u00adtence (your choice) in the wide\u00adspread use of PEDs did the game irrepara\u00adble dam\u00adage; not mere\u00adly that its fan base has dwin\u00addled and is rapid\u00adly aging or that its TV<\/span> rat\u00adings have plum\u00admet\u00aded<\/a> so steeply that the World Series can scarce\u00adly com\u00adpete with reg\u00adu\u00adlar sea\u00adson foot\u00adball games; not mere\u00adly that base\u00adball is arguably the fifth most pop\u00adu\u00adlar sport behind the NFL<\/span>, NBA<\/span>, NASCAR<\/span> and col\u00adlege foot\u00adball; not mere\u00adly that the game attracts so few African-Amer\u00adi\u00adcan ath\u00adletes that they are out\u00adnum\u00adbered on major league ros\u00adters by Domini\u00adcans; not mere\u00adly that the depth, breadth and length of his malfea\u00adsance defies mea\u00adsure\u00adment and beg\u00adgars description.<\/p>\n The worst of Bud Selig\u2019s lega\u00adcy is this: his suc\u00adces\u00adsors will nev\u00ader repair the deep and far-reach\u00ading harm that the sport suf\u00adfered on his watch.<\/p>\n It is said that men don\u2019t pay pros\u00adti\u00adtutes for sex but to go away. Baseball\u2019s own\u00aders report\u00aded\u00adly will pay Selig $6 mil\u00adlion<\/a> annu\u00adal\u00adly dur\u00ading his retire\u00adment, a small price to make him go away.<\/p>\n Too bad they didn\u2019t do that before it was too late.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Bud Selig is sched\u00aduled to step down as base\u00adball com\u00admis\u00adsion\u00ader lat\u00ader this month, but the efflu\u00adence of his 23 years of mis\u00adrule con\u00adtin\u00adues to pol\u00adlute. On Tues\u00adday, his sludge will flow into Coop\u00ader\u00adstown, when the results of this year\u2019s Hall \u2026 Con\u00adtin\u00adue read\u00ading