Joe DiMaggio

Should baseball Polygraph future Baseball Hall of Fame candidates to be eligible for induction?

With the growing confusion of how to approach inducting Hall of Fame candidates in the middle of dealing with the Steroid era should players, coaches etc be polygraphed about steroids and other performing enhancing drugs in order to gain induction? An unknown amount of managers knew players were using and did nothing, owners who either promoted or ignored their use by players to optimize team profit, players who knew crimes were happening in their locker room and did not report it and players used these substances to enhanced performance, earning larger salaries, taking jobs from other players, helping in the firing of opposing managers, and creating an environment where fans unknowingly promoted drug use when purchasing a ticket to a game! The Hall of fame is a privilege, not a right, and baseball has a right to define the rules of entry. If you want in, you have to take a polygraph, if not, that's fine, just your not getting into the Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame provides monetary gain to inducted members in appearance fees and hall of products baring their image, besides other things. In addition, they receive an achievement that society honors. If you want that then you need to be worthy and would be willing to take a polygraph.. Baseball and sports in general have a major impact on developing the norms,values and culture of our youth. Baseball and all sports in general, have a responsibility, whether chosen or forced upon them to promote a moral product and a positive public image, eliminating the bad eggs from the bunch. Just like in regular society law enforcement must pass a polygraph to become an officer, i think whats good for them is good for the players, and baseball's hall of fame, just like all hall of fames, can install a policy where future members must pass this test. If I had it my way, all players already inducted would have to pass this test too to stay inducted. For those who would be against. Every law enforment

Public Comments

1. Interesting. Although I'd be for it, it'd never fly - polygraphs are not allowed in courts and there are ways to get around them so we could still never be sure. But I'd love to see it "unofficially" done.
2. Inadmissible. And rightly so. Though polygraphs are accurate, they are not infallible. There just isn't much we can do about the steroid era, thanks to the higher-ups who mishandled the entire thing. It's worse than the decade or so of gambling that led up to the ban for gambling. Steroids should carry the same ban, but good luck getting that one by the Players Association or the billionaire owners. We'll have to suck it up and hope that the thousands of people who would have become fans during the era will have children who might become fans someday.
3. Absolutely not.
4. i think that they should not have an entry if they took those types of drugs. its just not fair for a player to be into the hall of fame when a player with similar talent just not as good not be in because the player that was better used the drugs and helped him. its like looking at two guys one has a total of 300+hr and the other has had only 200-250.