Should Gaylord Perry be in the Hall of Fame?

Question

Lots of people have suggested that Bonds, Sosa, McGwire et al. should not be elected to the Hall of Fame, despite the fact that there has been no proof of steroid use by any of them.

Sosa was caught with a corked bat, but he claimed it was an accident and the fans believed him. Bonds did test positive for amphetamines, but they were only banned this past year, so it's probable that some current HOFers used them.

Gaylord Perry, on the other hand, was an admitted doctorer of baseballs. He was suspended once for it, but has since admitted that he did it a lot more. Despite that, he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1991.

Is this a double standard? Or is there a difference in the situations? Should Perry be in the Hall?

Answer 1

With a name like Gaylord how can he not be a winner?

Answer 2

This is an awesome question and I have brought up the same concerns on previous questions about the subject.I believe there is a double standard created by the Baseball Writers and irresponsible reporters whom in the interest of a National Enquirer type of story have buried Big Mac, Barry, Rafy,and Sammy having their own blacklisting Kangaroo Court so these guys will not be voted into the Hall.These are the guys that saved baseball after the strike and this is their payback, Perry doctored balls and admitted it, The Babe and The Mick played better drunk than sober, Ty Cobb was the dirtiest nastiest SOB to ever grace a diamond. So why are they so righteous all of the sudden.Ballplayers have been corking bats ,sharpening spikes, scuffing balls and using everything from opium to steroids and amphetamines for many years and MLB has turned a blind eye all this time. I believe they should be elected solely by their accomplishments.

Answer 3

Gaylord Perry was hardly the only pitcher to doctor the ball. Nor was he the only pitcher in the HOF to doctor the ball. I'm not referring here to the old-timers, but to more recent inductees, including both Don Sutton and Nolan Ryan. (On April 23, 1989, Ryan went 8 1/3 no-hit innings in Toronto. I have the tape of that game, and in the Jay's dugout, everyone was collecting balls that had been fouled off by the Jays hitters - for evidence.)

However, doctoring the ball and stealing signs are the type of "wink, wink, nudge, nudge" things that have always been a part of baseball and will always be a part of baseball. Neither of them, however, causes any harm to the individual, whereas steroids and amphetamines can and will kill.

Please, don't mention Ray Chapman. Yes, he was killed by a pitched ball, from Carl Mays, a pitcher who was known to throw loaded balls, as was everyone else in that era. It was legal then. But Mays was also very much known as headhunter.

It's not a double standard, but a different situation.

Answer 4

Very good question. But I think there's a larger question here. Does Perry belong in the HOF based on his record. Although it's specifically stated in the rules for electing players to the HOF that certain season or lifetime marks do not guarantee you a plaque in the HOF, it seems like 300 wins makes you a dead solid lock to get elected. Case in point, Don Sutton. 324 wins, but only one 20-game winning season. Only led the league once in any category, in ERA in 1980, 0-4 in WS play, but he gets elected, on the first ballot. Perry falls in that category too. Hang around long enough, with good teams, and you'll win 300 games too, and you better start writing your HOF speech. At least Perry has a number of 20 game winning seasons and a couple of Cy Young awards to go along with his 300+ wins.

The business of spitballs or doctored balls was less of an issue when Perry was pitching. People were still around who had seen the era when pitchers were allowed to throw spitballs, so Perry was considered more of a throwback than a cheat. And besides, he used his reputation to get into the heads of hitters (and broadcasters) which made him that much more effective.

Does he belong in the HOF? Look at it this way - if Gary Carter is in the HOF, Gaylord Perry (and probably his brother also) belong in there too. When the standards are relaxed for one player, it's a slippery slope, and before you know it, Al Oliver will be in there too.

Answer 5

Yes, it is a double standard. Cheating is cheating whether you do it with a needle or if you put a substance on a baseball if you are a pitcher in this case a spitball. Spitballs are illegal. I think he used Vaseline as well. Perry shouldn't be in the Hall. Neither should Don Sutton since he used sandpaper. And what is also pathetic is that the Giants retired #36 for Perry and the Dodgers retired #20 for Sutton. Both should be taken out and banned as well as having their numbers unretired. I guess Bonds is only the second cheater in Giants history. Like steroids, if you use any substance or something like sandpaper, it is an unfair advantage and it is still cheating. And that is what I think.

Answer 6

The spitball was used before, just not illegally, Ed Walsh was probably the best pitcher who used the spitball. Yet nobody ever questions if he should be in. A lot of pitchers mess with the ball. They pick at the threads, and pull them up a bit, that helps the ball break more. Whitey Ford had a few different ways, one was he had a ring (not his wedding ring contrary to popular belief) that had a nick on it. He wore a band-aid over it so it would blend in and he used to cut the ring. He also used to spit on his hand, rub it on the ball, then "drop" the ball in the dirt. What I'm trying to get at is most pitchers have some way to mess with the ball, so yes he should be in, his stats are great too.

Answer 7

Great question! Perry is indeed an admitted cheat. Him being in the Hall must be galling to pitchers like Gossage and Blylevyn who can't get in. Perry must be popular with the writers, that helps you get into the Hall. and he was a colorful character. I don't remember a big uproar when he got in. No sense in comparing him with the steroid era gang, different time, different sentiment.

Answer 8

No. Gaylord Perry cheated to get ahead. He knowingly broke the rules, repeatedly, and taunted everybody about it. He even appeared in commercials endorsing Vaseline (one of the substances he was accused of using on baseballs).

Gaylord Perry should be unceremoniously booted from the Hall of Fame.

Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire may be arrogant jerks, but they did not break the rules. Their records, however one may sneer at them, are legitimate, and there is no reason why they should not be in the Hall of Fame eventually.

Answer 9

That was 1991 when it wasn't as big a deal as it is today. 15 years ago and it makes a big difference. We need to be more selective when deciding on those honors and yes it is a bit of a double standard. Gaylord Perry was a great ball player as are the others you mentioned.

Answer 10

Yes!! He is a great pitcher and should not be shunned because of one incident. If a player is caught using steroids, thats a different story as he was probably using it before. I doubt it would be a coincidence that the one time a baseball player uses steroids, he is tested and comes up positive.

Answer 11

THERE IS NO DOUBLE STANDARD. THER MAYBE NO PROOF OF STEROID USE, BUT ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS. BONDS IS AN ARROGANT JERK WHO IS ON THE JUICE & WON'T ADMIT IT. SOSA & McGWIRE WERE VERY LAME IN FRONT OF CONGRESS. SOSA HAD AN INTERPERTER WITH HIM SUDDENLY SOMEONE WHO CAN'T
STOP TALKING AL OF A SUDDEN DOESN'T UNDERSTAND
ENGLISH. GIVE ME A FU'KING BREAK. McGWIRE SOUNDED
FOOLISH & BECAME PERSONA NON GRATA WITH THE CARDS & A'S. SO DON'T COMPARE A PITCHER WHO USED GREASE OR VASELINE WITH A BUNCH OF JUNKIES.