Dale Murphy played for the Atlanta Braves in the 80's and 90's and is one heck of a nice guy.
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.
So why am I talking about Dale Murphy? Well because he has some honest words about baseball players and steroids.
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?
I would love to see him in the hall of Fame instead of some of these juiced up, glow in the dark, plastic players we have nowadays.
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