Starr Gazing: Raising Hall of Fame Standards

This is not a uniquely baseball phenomenon. The era of the homer launch has its counterpart in the NFL, where longer schedules and souped-up offenses have quarterbacks posting numbers that would have been unimaginable for "Slingin'" Sammy Baugh or even Johnny Unitas. Baugh never threw for 3,000 yards. Johnny U's 3,099 passing yards, which led the league in 1960, would have ranked him 15th last season, just ahead of Detroit's Joey Harrington. Here's my Palmiero equivalent: name the quarterback who ranks sixth all-time in passing yardage. It's Vinnie Testaverde, an NFL nomad who will get zero consideration from pro football's Hall of Fame.

There is a decided irony in the case for Palmeiro's Hall candidacy. Just before the season, he sat alongside Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire, two more storied ballplayers, at the congressional hearing on steroid use in baseball. All three had had rumors circulating about them (and in the case of Palmeiro and McGwire, direct accusations in the best-seller by their former teammate, Jose Canseco). McGwire refused to discuss those allegations and, as a result, may have sabotaged his Hall hopes, once regarded as a "no-brainer," too. Sosa denied using drugs, but his conspicuous body shrinkage along with the equally conspicuous shrinkage of his production at the plate, has cast a shadow over his career. Only Palmeiro, who denied using steroids with finger-pointing vehemence and who has remained a productive hitter, seems to have emerged with a decided boost in public esteem.

Nonetheless, the All-Star Game is a useful reminder that not only is Palmeiro not in the game's pantheon, he is not often among its annual elite. Stats alone--particularly certain stats--can no longer be allowed to be the measure of the man. Judging a Hall of Famer should be far more akin to assessing obscenity, at least in the fashion of the late Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, who famously put it: "I know it when I see it." Well I know a Hall of Famer when I see one. And Rafael Palmeiro isn't one.

American League Supremacy

The All-Star Game is a valid reflection of one other thing besides player stature and that's league supremacy. Back in the '70s, when Cincinnati's star-studded "Big Red Machine" ruled the roost, the National League won 11 All-Star Games in a row. With Tuesday night's victory, the American League is now undefeated since 1996. AL superiority is an inevitable byproduct of the free-spending ways of its teams, led by the Yankees and Red Sox. The heart of that AL lineup Tuesday night included the highest-priced free-agent sluggers--A-Rod, Manny Ramirez, Vladimir Guerrero, Miguel Tejada--in the game.

None of this would be relevant but for MLB commissioner Bud Selig's silly decision a few years back to juice the All-Star Game by awarding the winning league home-field advantage in the World Series. Make no mistake about it. That is a not an insignificant advantage. The last seven World Series that went the full seven games were all won by the home team. The Yankees may not have capitalized on the bonus two years ago. And, of course, last year the series got nowhere near seven games. But the Red Sox certainly found it easier to maintain their momentum opening the World Series in Fenway Park. By the time the Cardinals got back to St. Louis, all was pretty much lost. With its 7-5 all-star victory, the American League has claimed that advantage once again--and right now appears like they can maintain it in perpetuity.