Nightengale's Notebook: Why Fred McGriff belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame

The Hall of Fame announcement is over, but we’re still arguing, bickering and ripping into one another, already getting ourselves psyched up for the next Hall of Fame vote in December.

It’s the 16-member Today’s Game Committee that will decide whether any players were snubbed on the Baseball Writers Association of America ballot, while voting on managers, executives and umpires.

Naturally, the debate on Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens will be at the forefront. The committee will decide whether they belong in the Hall of Fame when they couldn’t get in after 10 years on the writers’ ballot, or perhaps push it off until 2024, or even decades from now.

We will hear the steroid arguments ad nauseam, asking whether it’s fair that the two greatest players of the steroid era are being unfairly punished? And ask why David Ortiz – who allegedly flunked an anonymous drug test – will be inducted into Cooperstown in July?

Well, I’ve got a perfect solution for the committee.

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Why don’t we reward the player who was punished the most by the steroid era?

Let’s elect the slugger who consistently hit 30 home runs and drove in 100 runs nearly year after year, led his team to a World Series championship, produced sensational numbers in the postseason, was a revered teammate, and oh, yes, played the game clean.

Fred McGriff must be elected into the Hall of Fame where he belongs.

If he had cheated, and used performance-enhancing drugs, McGriff would have been a slam-dunk Hall of Famer with bloated statistics, hitting 40 and 50 homers year after year.

If it weren't for the work stoppage  in 1994-1995, McGriff would have easily been in the 500-home run club and not wound up with 493.

We’re talking about a guy who hit more homers and drove in more runs than fellow first baseman Jeff Bagwell, who was elected to the Hall of Fame, but whose candidacy was clouded by steroid suspicions.

This is a guy who hit 124 more homers and drove in 144 more runs than Hall of Fame candidate Todd Helton, without having the benefit of playing his entire home career at Coors Field.

McGriff finished with 2,490 hits, 493 home runs, 1,550 RBI and 1,305 walks. There were only 16 players with those numbers until 2000, and all are in the Hall of Fame.

McGriff was the model of consistency, hitting 30 or more home runs 10 times – including seven years in a row from 1988-1994. He had 12 seasons of 90 or more RBI. And six times he finished among the top 10 in the MVP races.

Why, for 15 seasons he hit .288 and averaged 31 home runs and 97 RBI The only players who had more homers, RBI and extra-base hits from 1988-2002 were Bonds and Rafael Palmeiro, who tested positive for PEDs in 2005. He hit .303 with 10 homers and 37 RBI in 50 postseason games.

“His numbers are his numbers without any doubt at all surrounding Fred McGriff,’’ Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz said this week. “I think consistency, character and the way he went about his game just spills into the category of Hall of Famer. For whatever reason, the criteria doesn’t get adjusted for him as we try to adjust for others in the rumor mill or the speculation category.

“I still maintain he’s a Hall of Fame first baseman. When you compete against a guy like that and get a chance to play with him, it verifies your notion. There’s no doubt. There will always be debates when a candidate gets in or doesn’t get in, but I will say this: The process has a place for everyone to do their job, and hopefully they look into Fred McGriff even closer to see what he did and how he did it. He represents, no doubt, a Hall of Fame caliber career.’’

There wouldn’t even be a conversation on McGriff’s merits if he simply had cheated like the thousands of others during his career, and used performance-enhancing drugs.

Instead of hitting 30 homers a year, he’d be hitting 50 homers a year. Instead of driving in 100 runs, it would be inflated to 130 a year. Instead of winding up with 493 homers, he might be in the 600-home run club.

It has been 18 years since McGriff last played, three years since he was last on the BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot, and never, ever, has he reflected on his career and wishes he used PEDs, knowing it would have gotten him into Cooperstown.

“No, not at all,’’ McGriff told USA TODAY Sports. “I can wake up every morning and know you played the game right every day and was proud to compete day in and day out with the best players of the game.

“I trusted my natural ability.’’

McGriff, just like everyone else, was fascinated by the results. Bonds and Clemens are out, but Ortiz, who tested positive in 2003 during the anonymous drug testing, is in.

“None of those guys have actually been proven guilty,’’ McGriff says, “but I feel like there’s some guys in the Hall of  Fame that perhaps did steroids. There’s a lot of speculation.

“But what I will say to this day that even when there was no testing, taking steroids was still wrong. Everyone knew that. If it wasn’t wrong, guys would have taken steroids in the open. It’s not like they were advertising it.

“It’s like if someone is doing drugs at work, you may have suspicions, but you really don’t know unless they come out and tell you.’’

Let the debate simmer on Bonds and Clemens, who are permanently off the writers’ ballot.

Let’s face it, they may have a tougher time getting elected by Today’s Game committee, which includes four Hall of Famers and four executives. Those committees typically take a staunch view towards performance-enhancing drugs. Players like Rafael Palmeiro, whose Hall of Fame candidacy was torpedoed by his positive drug test, have never even appeared on a committee ballot.

There will be plenty of time to dissect Bonds and Clemens, and maybe Sammy Sosa, too, with the Today’s Game committee meeting twice every five years.

But this is their chance to make a powerful statement, by letting everyone know there were players who were severely punished the wild, wild west of the steroid era.

You know, the guys who played the game clean.

Reward Fred McGriff with an election into Cooperstown.

Umpires making a difference

The game of life wasted no time dealing Anthony Ucciferri a rotten hand.

Ucciferri was 5 years old when his father, Bobby, was murdered in 2002. The 40-year-old construction worker, and the father of five kids, was found dead in his pickup truck after two gunshots to his head in their hometown of Sicklerville, N.J.

“I remember it was Easter Sunday, we were all sitting in the living room, and everybody’s breaking down and crying,’’ he said. “That completely changed the course of my life, and my family’s life, and sent my mom in different direction. It led to her downward spiral. She wasn’t in the mindset to take care of me or any of my siblings.’’

His mom, Joan, unable to cope with her husband’s death, turned to drugs and alcohol, Ucciferri says. He remembers selling his toys at a garage sale at the age of 8 to buy a used lawnmower and open up a neighborhood lemonade stand. There were weeks, even months at a time when the house had no electricity. The family car was inoperative half of the time with plastic garbage bags as back windows. His clothes consisted only of hand-me-downs from his older brothers.

Soon, he found himself shuffled in and out of foster homes, adopted by his uncle and aunt at 16, and having no idea where his life would lead after high school.

Today, Ucciferri, 24, is a proud graduate of Montclair State, a successful businessman for a legal technology company outside New York City, and one of the most heartwarming success stories behind Umps Care.

Major League Baseball umpires have had their charity since 2006, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars and providing thousands of hours of emotional support for families of need. It also provides college scholarships for children adopted that were adopted or left foster care at the age of 13 or older.

“There are so many kids who are adopted late in life who don’t have the resources,’’ umpire Dave Rackley says. “Often times, they don’t have an emotional system either. There are so many road blocks and struggles along the way. That’s why we’re here to help.

“When you see someone like Anthony that has gone through that in life, and see and hear that story, it’s so fulfilling to see him graduate and the man he has become.’’

Now, Ucciferri wanted to share this story as the guest speaker at the Umps Care charity golf tournament over the weekend in Tempe, Ariz., and personally thank them.

“I don’t know where I’d be without their help,’’ Ucciferri said. “They opened the door for me to let me know I can do this.’’

Ucciferri was unaware their scholarship program even existed, providing $10,000 annually, until his high school guidance counselor informed him. Ucciferri sat down and wrote an emotional letter to the scholarship board, telling them of his struggles growing up. He was working on a landscaping crew one afternoon when he was informed that he was the unanimous recipient of their All-Star College scholarship.

“You talk about a pivotal moment in your life that you won’t ever forget,’’ Uccifferi said. “I wouldn’t have had the means or even the guts to make that blind, and potentially idiotic move to go to college three hours away without a scholarship. I only had a couple of hundred bucks in my bank account.’’

Yet, with the help of Umps Care, he not only had the money to attend college, but was frequently receiving care packages and holiday gifts. Umpires and were constantly checking in.

“It was nice they were helping me financially, but to have that supportive system, to have someone checking in on you,’’ Ucciferri said, “meant everything. I’ll never ever forgot what they’ve done for me.’’

Says veteran umpire Fieldin Culbreth, who is retiring and plans to continue in his leadership role with Umps Care: “When you’re talking about something that truly has made a difference in a person’s life, and for the rest of their lives, it just grabs at you. This program is just so dear to my heart, and is unbelievably gratifying.’’

Around the basepaths

– Gene Clines, who took great pride in making baseball history as a member of the first all-minority starting lineup for the Pittsburgh Pirates and was on their 1971 World Series champions, died at the age of 75 this past week. He was a beloved figure who touched so many lives as a long-time coach.

There are now only three living players from that famous Sept. 1 game in which manager Danny Murtaugh started a lineup without a single white player: Dave Cash, Al Oliver and Manny Sanguillen.

– It was quite heartfelt and emotional for new Hall of Famer David Ortiz to acknowledge and thank the late, great Kirby Puckett during his time in Minnesota, saying he inspired him towards greatness.

“Kirby was a friend,’’ Ortiz said. “He was a father. He was a brother. As a matter of fact, he’s the one reason why, once I got to Boston, I started wearing No. 34.”

– Former World Series champion manager Jim Leyland, who could be on the Today’s Game committee ballot this winter, had plenty of Hall of Fame thoughts this past week with the Detroit Free Press, saying he was heartbroken for Bonds.

“Curt [Schilling] probably made a mistake when he told the writers not to vote for him," Leyland said. "I don't think that was the smartest thing to do. He's definitely a Hall of Famer.

“I don't really care what his political views are. That's his business. I don't think that should have anything to do with getting in the Hall of Fame or not.

“You got to be careful that this thing is not going to turn into a popularity contest. I think that's dangerous. I'm not saying it is, but I think that's dangerous. For instance, I don't understand why Gary Sheffield Jeff Kent aren't in the Hall of Fame. They don't get much love at all."

– The Marlins are making no secret that they are looking for an outfielder once the lockout ends. They have talked to the Diamondbacks about Ketel Marte, the Pirates about Bryan Reynolds among others.

– Hall of Fame candidate Billy Wagner shared a sentiment that is growing quite popular among players and executives, and writers, too.

If you are suspended by MLB for performance-enhancing-drugs, you should be ineligible for even appearing on Hall of Fame ballots. It would leave off Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz, among others.

“To me that is a very easy story,” Wagner told the New York Post. “If you are caught and proven without a doubt and you are suspended, I don’t know why you are on the ballot.

“I understand that A-Rod was one of the greatest players I ever played against, and when all that stuff changes you just have a hard time. You go, ‘Why? You were already great.’ For whatever reason I just don’t think it’s fair that [PED users] get to enjoy what guys who did it the correct way are forced to deal with.’’

– Shortstop Omar Vizquel’s 25.2% drop in his Hall of Fame candidacy was the largest in history. Voters punished him after sexual harassment charges by a former minor-league bat boy and domestic-violence charges against his ex-wife surfaced.

Vizquel, who received 52.6% of the vote two years ago, received just 23.9% this year.

_The Hall of Fame voters haven’t elected a starting pitcher since Mike Mussina and Roy Halladay in 2019, and likely won’t again until C.C. Sabathia appears on the 2025 ballot.

– Detroit Tigers starter Casey Mize has high hopes for his team this year, and wasn’t holding back on his expectations.

“I think we should be aiming higher than the playoffs,’’ Mize told the Detroit Free Press. “I think we're at the point now where we should be aiming to win World Series. …

“To me, playoffs is too low of a goal. We're in a position now where we're a good enough team. We need to start aiming to win the World Series. And so, I definitely think we're in position to be a playoff team and more than that."