Dave Parker did not get into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday night—again. There seemed to be much more buzz about the possibility of his election this year, but it didn’t happen, just as it didn’t happen while he was eligible under the regular rules. Of course, now there’s the argument “well, if Harold Baines can get in, (name) should be there too.”
Baseball, however, has always had a romantic, neo-Puritan air about it. It doesn’t like players to be too loud or too cocky or to have any vices or believe in his own worth. I have actually encountered baseball fans who have protested when their favorite player jumps to another team in a big contract that he should have stayed and played “for the love of the game.