Spitting incident could hurt Alomar in Baseball Hall voting

Six top wrestling seeds fall in SWBL tourney
3:22 a.m.
Preview: Wright State vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee
2/12/12
Special needs kids shine in Polar Bears basketball
2/12/12
Parker gets back in groove for Flyers
2/12/12
Johnson vaults Flyers to overtime win
2/12/12
> More sports headlines

By Sean McClelland, Staff Writer 1:15 AM Saturday, December 19, 2009

Since receiving this year’s Baseball Hall of Fame ballot a few days ago, I’ve been wrestling with whether or not to check the box for Roberto Alomar.

Sure, the numbers are stellar and there’s no doubt the second baseman belongs in Cooperstown on the basis of fielding wizardry and overall production. A first-ballot no-brainer, right?

Except he spit on an umpire, and it wasn’t an accident, so I’m wondering if that should exclude him or at least cast doubt on his chances.

Otherwise, it’s fairly cut and dried. Because I voted for them last year, I’ll be giving the nod to Andre Dawson, Bert Blyleven, Jack Morris and, yes, Mark McGwire, whose 583 home runs deserve recognition even if some of them did come out of a syringe.

First-timer Barry Larkin gets my vote, as does saves machine Lee Smith, who really should be in by now except that the electorate tends to shun relief pitchers with nearly the gusto that Pro Football Hall of Fame voters shun punters.

Why McGwire? Because that home run total is hard to ignore and every era has had its scoundrels. Ty Cobb was a racist who supposedly beat up a guy in a wheelchair. Gaylord Perry slathered Vaseline on the ball and boasted about it in a book. Last I checked, both of their plaques were on the wall.

Come to think of it, that may be the best argument for checking that Alomar box. Really, if we’re using history as a guide, there’s no reason to start letting character get in the way now.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2408 or smcclelland@DaytonDailyNews.com.

• •

Share this article