Slugger Chris Davis caused quite a stir when he said that “61 is the record…and I think most fans agree with me on that.” In
the midst of an incredible season where his 37 home runs tied an American
league record at the All-Star break, he dove head-first into the steroid
debate.
Very early on in my writing for Bases and Baskets, I discussed how the steroid era affects the
legacy of its players (and future ones)—specifically with regards to the era's biggest name and home run king*,
Barry Bonds. In my discussion of why Bonds should not be in the Hall of Fame,
one of the very first points that I brought up was the fact that his name is
strongly associated with two numbers: 73 and 762, the single-season and career
home run records of which he holds.
But can we ignore his record?
I have to agree with Jose Bautista and the majority of
All-Stars surveyed by Yahoo! Sports who said that 73 is the record. The truth of the matter is that you
cannot simply overlook a number that has not been invalidated. As Bautista said
in the Yahoo! article: “I see that 73 is in the record book, so that’s the
record.”
In order to reclaim the fact that Roger Maris’ 61 home runs in 1961
is the record, MLB commissioner Bud Selig needs to ax a good portion of baseball's statistical records—or at least put the infamous asterisk next to them. Players like Mark
McGwire (who cranked out 70 home runs in 1998) have publicly admitted their guilt in
using performance-enhancing drugs; if we are going to leave those records as is because “it
was part of the game,” then the roided-up records still hold. Whether Chris Davis likes
it or not, the record books have the No.1 slot filled by Bonds and 73.
Other games have taken honors away from disgraced players, so it's not an impossible task. Lance
Armstrong and Floyd Landis lost Tour de France titles, and Marion Jones lost
Olympic medals in track for their involvement with PEDs. Surely baseball has the ability to do the same.
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The home run ball is a thing of beauty...and also baseball's primary source of controversy. |
The thing that makes this more complicated than just
revoking records is to decide where the steroid era starts and where it ends. And
do you take away all players records during that time period including the sober records like Jeter’s
3000 hits and Griffey’s 600 home runs (an incredible feat muffled by Bonds' ascent through all home run records)? It’s a matter that is much more complicated
than just taking one record off the books.
As an avid American sports fan, baseball has translated my suspicion to other leagues when players
like Ray Lewis, Metta World Peace, & Co. return from debilitating injuries
in record time. Are the NBA and the NFL completely clean? Who knows, and their day may come where something surfaces but baseball needs to put the lingering steroid questions to bay. The culture that Bud Selig let Major League Baseball
establish for itself in the late 90s and early 00s will always come back to haunt him and the game until
it is officially settled and acknowledged. It's no small feat—that would take a truly thorough
investigation of its former players unless the league decides to blanket all
players in the era with asterisks. Truth is, we need someone with a comprehensive knowledge regarding the facts about drug abuse problems to investigate and assimilate the facts. Even more than the Mitchell Report.
In a game where numbers are
sacred, an official decision is a pivotal mark. Even if MLB decides that the records
should remain, there needs to be a formal something
that clears up the question of whether 61 or 73 is the record.
Until then, Chris Davis is chasing 73…and the whispers of “is
he taking steroids?” will follow him all the way there.
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