Bob Lobel: Fixing the Baseball Hall of Fame and Honoring Stuart Scott

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

There is a section of the instructions to the Baseball Writers of America that was added a few years after the writers established the Hall and the honor it carries. 

It’s the rule five clause that specifically deals with character issues. That’s why there is no Pete Rose, nor will there be a Clemens, Bonds, Palmeiro, or A-Rod.  

I think they should make the process better by adding a sixth rule. Simply, it should say, “ignore rule five.” 

Then the best players of all time will get into the place designed to honor the best players of all time.  

This is just one person's opinion. No controversy, no sanctimonious and  hypocritical positions… Just put the best with the best. The writers created this messy dilemma they find themselves in, and they are the ones to fix it. 

How? Leadership! A rare commodity and risky position these day. I think I remember when leadership was applauded as a redeemable quality. So just do it. 

Now onto Stuart Scott. I never met him, but I can simply explain why so many people are stepping up to praise the man. He was himself in a business where doing so can also be a risky position. 

It's a very laudable quality to be yourself in front of a camera when thousands, if not millions of strangers are watching. He was not the story. He just told the story. 

There should be more like him. 

Finally, a comment on last weekend's controversial penalty called against the Lions that likely cost them the Wild Card game in Dallas. Not judging the right or wrong of it, but simply trying to imagine that call going against the Patriots as it did Detroit.

I'll put it this way, Patriot fans still aren't over the Ben Dreith call on Ray Hamilton in 1976. So, no matter that the tuck rule went their way, there would be more fuss and angst around here than we usually get. 

Think about it. Yikes!