AJC > Sports > Columnists > Archives > 2008 > January > 13
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Dale Murphy comes clean
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Schultz
That Dale Murphy has not been hosting any Hall of Fame voting viewing parties says something about both his chances for induction and his humility. In summation: “I realize I’m not knocking on the door, and it’s just not my nature to campaign for it.”
Enshrinement doesn’t drive Murphy’s emotions, unless the subject is another player. If you wonder whether Murphy can still swing, bring up any suspect from baseball’s steroid era. Bring up Barry Bonds.
Bring up Roger Clemens.
“I’m not a lawyer or anything, but I think he’s getting kind of weird advice,” Murphy said by phone from Utah. “These press conferences he’s doing, the taped phone conversations his responses to some of the questions — it’s all been pretty strange. It hasn’t changed my opinion of anything.”
In playing days, he would’ve stopped right here. In retirement, he has become outspoken, particularly about the use of performance-enhancing drugs. Last year, he publicly admonished Bonds during the home-run chase. Now he watches as Clemens scrambles to protect his legacy with choreographed fits on “60 Minutes.” He finds it all rather disgusting.
“If you’re asking me if I think Clemens took steroids or something — yes, I think he took them,” Murphy said. “I don’t have any proof. I’m just giving you my opinion, and that’s my opinion. I’m like everybody else. This isn’t a court of law. I don’t see all the evidence. Why would Brian McNamee just throw [Andy] Pettitte and Clemens out there? What does he have to benefit from it?
“The advice some of these guys are getting, to not admit anything, I don’t get it. Why don’t you say you made a mistake and then move on? Guys like Clemens can help us solve the problem. Is the punishment strong enough? Is the testing too weak? Guys like Clemens understand the temptations athletes have and why they make mistakes. It doesn’t minimize that it was the wrong thing to do. But if [Mark] McGwire came out and said, ‘I got caught up in everything. I did something I shouldn’t have done,’ it would help a lot. To me, not talking is just counterproductive to trying to maintaining your stature.”
Is it too late to add this guy to the November ballot?
Murphy started the “I Won’t Cheat Foundation,” which preaches ethics in youth athletics and against the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Maybe this will be his legacy.
He won consecutive MVP awards (1982-83) with the Braves. He hit 398 home runs. But in 10 years on the ballot, he has never come close to being elected to the Hall of Fame. Candidates require at least 75 percent of the vote. Murphy has never garnered more than 23. Interestingly, his 75 votes this year (13.8 percent) were his most since 2001. So maybe he’s talking his way back into the spotlight.
At the least, he’s no worse off than McGwire, who drew 23 percent of the votes for the second straight year despite 583 homers. But McGwire’s career has been tainted by suspicions of steroid use, and when he pushed the mute button before Congress.
There are counter-arguments to not enshrining players suspected of steroid use, the most common being that “everybody” was doing drugs. Murphy doesn’t buy it. Estimates have varied from five to 30 percent.
“It wasn’t everybody,” he said. “It was the players who made the wrong decision. They can argue technicalities. ‘Well, they weren’t testing for it at the time.’ But guys would’ve done it out in the open instead of on the sly if it were OK. There are legitimate reasons for these controlled substances, but hitting home runs is not one of them.”
McNamee, Clemens’ former trainer, says he injected the pitcher with steroids and/or HGH in 1998, 2000 and 2001. Now a House oversight committee on performance enhancing drugs wants Clemens to testify. Clemens initially said he would answer all questions. But now his attorney is balking, and Murphy isn’t surprised.
“I hear he’s not getting immunity, and he’s involved in a lawsuit [against McNamee], so now he’ll just say he can’t speak because of the lawsuit,” Murphy said.
Like McGwire and Bonds, Clemens and actual proof of drug use may never intersect. But Hall voters will help determine the pitcher’s legacy. They are determining McGwire’s. Maybe of a few of those votes should spill over to a certain retiree in Utah.
Permalink | Comments (125) | Categories: Braves / MLB, Jeff Schultz
