Major League Baseball commissioner Paul Manfred has revoked the permanent ineligibility of banned baseball players upon death, meaning that these deceased players are now potentially eligible to enter Cooperstown in the Hall of Fame.
Many were average players who would never have been voted into the Hall of Fame, including those on the infamous game-rigging Black Sox.
But two were good enough to be elected into the Hall of Fame, absent their transgressions:
- Pete Rose — banned for betting on baseball
- Shoeless Joe Jackson of the White Sox — accused of throwing the 1919 World Series on behalf of gambling interests.
Will they be voted into the Hall of Fame?
It’s unlikely.
Joe Jackson maintained his innocence for his entire life, but he last played baseball in 1920. He’s not exactly top of mind for the Eras Committee, who consider candidates beyond their period of eligibility.
Peter Rose admitted to betting on baseball, which, for most people associated with baseball, is enough to keep him out of the Hall of Fame.
Gambling nearly destroyed baseball a century ago, and the rules against gambling are respected and honored by players today.
I don’t have a strong opinion about either player being inducted into the Hall of Fame. I can see arguments on both sides.
But here is my beef:
I can’t stand posthumous awards. I despise the thought that someone might die never knowing that they have been recognized for greatness or had their name enshrined in some memorial.
Posthumous awards are like serving dessert after you’ve left the party.
Posthumous awards are like a standing applause long after the band has finished playing and gone home.
Posthumous awards are like being crowned prom king at your funeral.
They suck.
If you want to honor, award, or enshrine a person, get to it. People get hit by buses and eaten by bears and stick their fingers in electrical sockets all the time. Delaying risks someone never knowing in this one life we all have that they were appreciated, admired, or, in the case of the Hall of Fame, recognized forever as one of the best.
