Perry: Hall of Fame Cheater
An Illegal Pitch Paved Gaylord's Path to Cooperstown.
Gaylord Perry admitted that he cheated. He is in the Hall of Fame, but the Hall of Fame does not acknowledge that he broke any rules.
Gaylord Perry threw the spitball, an illegal pitch that was outlawed in 1920. It was common knowledge that Perry threw the spitball, a pitch that he learned early in his career from Bob Shaw in 1964. Throughout his career, there were many attempts to catch Perry in the act, but while some caused great controversy, none ever resulted in positive proof. He relished the attempts to catch him using the illegal pitch and said that the thought of the pitch being thrown was as helpful as throwing it. During the 1971 playoffs, a television reporter asked Perry’s five-year-old daughter Allison if her father threw the grease ball. "It’s a hard slider," she responded.
Perry Admits He Was An "Outlaw."
In 1991, Gaylord Perry, who won 314 games, was elected to the Hall of Fame. His plaque makes no mention of the spitball accusations or of his admission in Me and the Spitter, An Autobiographical Confession, written with Bob Sudyk, that the spitball and grease ball were not unknown to him. Perry wrote "I became an outlaw in the strictest sense of the word – a man who lives outside the law, in this case the law of baseball."
Cheating in Baseball
Cheating is pervasive in baseball, ranging from "gamesmanship" to violence. Groundskeepers cut the infield grass short or allow it grow, depending on which would help the home team, players such as Sammy Sosa, who is the only player in history to have hit over 60 home runs in three seasons, and 1961 American League batting champion Norm Cash, cork their bats. Pitchers scuff up the baseball, throw at batters’ heads, and deceive base runners.
You Must Cheat to Win
Rogers Hornsby, the greatest second baseman of all time, wrote an article "You’ve Got to Cheat to Win," in which he claims that he has cheated and has seen cheating in almost every game in which he played. "When I played second base, I used to trip, kick, elbow, or spike anyone I could." He is not alone.
McGwire and 4-Androstenedione
It has never been proven that Mark McGwire ever took any ILLEGAL performance enhancing substance. He admitted using 4-androstenedione, which is a testosterone precursor produced by the adrenal glands and testes, when it was legal and could be purchased over the counter. In 2005, McGwire was subpoenaed to testify at a congressional hearing on steroids. Jose Canseco claimed that McGwire had been using performance-enhancing substances since the 1980s.
Innocent Until Proven Otherwise?
McGwire’s testimony did not please the hearing committee or the public. He said that his lawyers advised him that answering the committee’s questions would jeopardize his friends, family, and himself. McGwire then reminded everyone that he thought that in the United States, "…a man, any man, should be regarded as innocent unless proven guilty." How naïve of McGwire.
No Hall of Fame for McGwire
Gaylord Perry admitted that he cheated. He is in the Hall of Fame, but the Hall of Fame does not acknowledge that he broke any rules. Mark McGwire refused to admit anything. He exercised his rights by refusing to incriminate himself and has little chance of ever getting elected into the Hall of Fame. In the court of public opinion, McGwire is guilty because if he didn’t have anything to hide, he would not exercise his rights, which is ridiculous.
Degrees of Cheating?
One either cheats or does not. Degrees of cheating exist, which means different penalties for cheating are necessary, but an illegal pitch paved Gaylord Perry’s path to the Hall of Fame. Rules for election state that The Committee shall consider all eligible candidates and voting shall be based upon the individual's record, ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character and contribution to the game." The committee members who voted for Gaylord Perry must have had a problem with the meaning of integrity, sportsmanship, and character. We all know what Perry contributed to the game.
References:
Berkow, Ira. "The Spitter Versus the Hustler." New York Times. 28 July 1991, p. S7.
