BASEBALL’S MOST SCANDALOUS PLAYERS

These are baseball’s most scandalous players, many of them convicted criminals. If I have forgotten anyone scandalous, please let me know in the comments. I have asterisked (*) the starter at each position. The crimes herein range from bigamy and human trafficking to cattle rustling! For readers in a hurry, my ALL-SCANDAL TEAM, composed entirely of hall-of-famers or “would have beens,” is: (C) Cap Anson (1B) Orlando Cepeda (2B) Rogers Hornsby (SS) Alex Rodriguez (3B) Pete Rose (RF) Shoeless Joe Jackson (CF) Tris Speaker (LF) Ty Cobb (DH) Barry Bonds (P) Dizzy Dean (P) Rube Waddell (P) Juan Marichal (P) Denny McLain (P) Fergie Jenkins (MGR) John McGraw I explain why, forthwith… John Dillinger played professional baseball, although he never made it to the majors. The young Johnny Dillinger was a star shortstop so quick he was nicknamed "Jackrabbit." Dillinger's gang killed 10 people (seven police officers and three federal agents) during their crime spree from 1933 to 1934. Fidel Castro was a passionate baseball fan and a left-handed pitcher in college. Dirty Jack Doyle lived up to his nickname when he jumped into the stands, slugged a heckler, and re-broke the hand he had broken just weeks before (in another fight, perhaps?). Doyle was arrested multiple times for attacking umpires and fans. Cap Anson (C*) was a hall-of-famer but his Chicago White Stocking teams were so packed with "drunks and rowdies" that team owner Al Spalding hired detectives to monitor their partying! Anson was also a racist who was a pivotal figure in MLB’s infamous color barrier. He has been described as a "relentless" racist who refused to take the field against black players and thus helped establish and perpetuate the color barrier. Baseball historian John Thorn said: "Cap Anson helped make sure baseball’s color line was established in the 1880s. He was relentless in that cause." Anson played primarily first base, third base and catcher and is the starting catcher on my ALL-SCANDAL TEAM. Denny McLain (P*) was MLB’s last 30-game winner. He was involved in multiple scandals, including racketeering, extortion, conspiracy, fraud, theft from a pension fund, money laundering, gambling and even setting up his own bookmaking operation! He served around seven years in prison, altogether. McLain was a sure hall-of-famer if he had kept his nose relatively clean and hadn’t let his weight balloon out of control. Shoeless Joe Jackson (RF*) was tried in the infamous 1919 Black Sox Scandal but was acquitted in court. However, baseball commissioner Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis banned Jackson from baseball for life, a ban that remains in effect even after his death. He has also not been allowed to enter the Hall of Fame. Jackson was cleared by a jury, yet banned by Landis, even though he proclaimed his innocence and his stats in the series are possible evidence that he did not participate. Pete Rose (3B*) was banned from MLB for gambling, then served time for tax evasion. But should he remain banned from the Hall of Fame? … THE REVENGE OF BASEBALL'S MORALITY BEAN COUNTERS (I) Baseball's "morality" bean counters would have us believe that, of all the men who ever played in the majors and excelled, more than 20,000 athletes, Pete Rose is the absolute worst. But the Cooperstown Hall of Fame is no hall of angels! Robert W. Cohen, the author of Baseball Hall of Fame—or Hall of Shame? asked rhetorically: "Baseball has always had some form of hypocrisy when it comes to its exalted heroes. In theory, when it comes to these kinds of votes, it’s true that character should matter, but once you’ve already let in Ty Cobb, how can you exclude anyone else?" For those who claim Al Stump was inaccurate in what he wrote about Ty Cobb (LF*), it really doesn't matter because there are many independent sources, including newspaper articles, Cobb's arrest records and convictions, the statements of other players, and Cobb's own words. If we ignore everything Stump wrote, we still have a picture of a misanthrope and probable sociopath. In 1908, Cobb attacked a black laborer who complained when Cobb stepped into freshly poured asphalt; Cobb was found guilty of battery, but the sentence was suspended. In 1909, Cobb was arrested for pulling out a penknife and slashing a night watchman. Cobb pleaded guilty to assault but apparently got off by paying a fine, probably because he was a baseball star. The rest of us would have ended up behind bars. In 1912, Cobb climbed into the stands and assaulted a heckler, Claude Lucker, who had lost his hands in an accident. Fans admonished Cobb for beating up a defenseless man, but Cobb said he didn't care if he had no feet as well. Cobb was suspended for attacking Lucker. In 1914, Cobb was arrested for pulling a revolver during an argument at a Detroit butcher shop. Once again Cobb got off with a fine. In 1917, Cobb spiked Buck Herzog, started a brawl, and had to be removed from a spring training game by the police. Cobb then invited Herzog to his hotel room to finish the fight, poured water on the floor, then wore shoes with leather soles to give him the footing advantage. The fight lasted 30 minutes with Herzog getting the worst of it. After retirement, Cobb beat his son with a whip for flunking out of Princeton. And so on. Regardless of what Stump wrote, there is ample evidence that Cobb was a violent man with serious "issues." Accusing Stump of some sort of vendetta does not make all the other evidence vanish, although apparently some Cobb fans live in that sort of denial. For some strange reason, Pete Rose has been denied any clemency whatsoever… THE REVENGE OF BASEBALL'S MORALITY BEAN COUNTERS (II) We've been told that Pete Rose is a "special case" who can never enter the Baseball Hall of Fame. But let’s consider facts, and justice. Is gambling MLB’s unforgiveable sin, really? Ty Cobb (LF*) was accused of conspiring with Tris Speaker (CF*) to fix a game in order to get his Tigers performance bonuses. Cobb and Speaker only avoided being banned for life by baseball commissioner Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis after Cobb threatened to expose how prevalent such "fixes" were at the time. Rogers Hornsby (2B*) was sued by his bookie for not paying nearly $100,000 in losses, and was traded several times because of his out-of-control gambling. Hornsby was also accused of womanizing, abusing three wives, and multiple cases of reckless driving, including running over an elderly man! Dizzy Dean (SP*), another heavy gambler, was an unindicted co-conspirator in a mob case involving the notorious game-fixer Donald "Dice" Dawson. John McGraw (MGR*) was arrested for public gambling in 1904; his bookie was Arnold Rothstein of Black Sox infamy. The perpetually broke Rube Waddell (SP*) was accused of taking a $17,000 bribe to sit out the 1905 World Series. (That was more than his annual salary.) Mickey Mantle was banned from baseball in 1983 for his association with gambling, but remains in the Hall of Fame. Ditto for Willie Mays. Manager Leo Durocher was accused of "slimy underhand transactions" with gamblers. Bookies roamed Durocher's clubhouse; it was described as an "open sewer." Durocher's shady friends included Meyer Boston, Memphis Engelberg, Sleepout Louie, Cigar Charlie and the Dancer. And there are worse things than gambling… Cap Anson refused to play with blacks and helped perpetuate the color barrier. Anson, Cobb and Hornsby were accused of belonging to the KKK. Juan Marichal (SP*) clubbed John Roseboro over the head with a bat, opening a gash that required 14 stitches. Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Paul Waner and Hack Wilson were notorious drinkers accused of playing under the influence of alcohol. (Casey Stengel called Waner "graceful" because he could slide without breaking the liquor bottle in his hip pocket.) Tim "Rock" Raines lived up to his nickname by stashing a cocaine rock in his uniform. (He would slide headfirst to avoid breaking it.) Ferguson Jenkins was arrested with cocaine in his luggage. Orlando Cepeda (1B*) did hard time for smuggling 150 pounds of pot. Kirby Puckett, Roberto Alomar and Hornsby were accused of domestic abuse. How many steroid users will eventually end up in the Hall of Fame? How many amphetamine users already belong, since Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Mike Schmidt and others have been linked to "greenies"? What did Pete Rose do to warrant eternal damnation, really? He bet on his own team, is that so terrible? Why not let him be where he belongs, with other stars who were judged strictly by their performance on the field! Will all these other scandalous baseball players be banned from Hall of Fame consideration, or only Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson? Alex Rodriguez (SS*) was suspended by Major League Baseball (MLB) for the entire 2014 season for using performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) and obstructing the league's investigation into the Biogenesis doping scandal. Barry Bonds (DH*), a hall-of-fame left fielder except for PEDs, faced perjury charges related to steroids. Wade Boggs, a hall-of-fame third baseman, admitted being a sex addict to Barbara Walters, on national television. Carlton Fisk, a hall-of-fame catcher, was arrested for DUI after being found passed-out in his pickup truck. Oil Can Boyd was arrested and served three months for threatening the life of his mistress. Gates Brown served time for breaking and entering, before playing in the majors, so he turned his life around. Rick Camp was convicted of conspiring to commit theft. Chad Curtis served seven years for criminal sexual conduct. Lenny Dykstra aka “Nails” got in all kinds of hot water and served 15 months concurrently for grand theft auto, providing false information, bankruptcy fraud, concealment of assets, and money laundering. He was also accused of indecent exposure, terroristic threats, drugs and steroids. Roy Evans was convicted of bigamy and served 19 months. Tom Farley was convicted of murder, sentenced to life, but pardoned after 69 months. Billy Geer was a habitual forger who was sentenced to a total of 21 years, managed to escape once, but ended up back behind bars. Dwight “Doc” Gooden had multiple arrests for resisting arrest with violence, battery on a police officer, disorderly conduct, DUI, driving with a suspended license (twice), battery for punching his girlfriend, leaving the scene of a traffic accident, child endangerment, drug possession and parole violation. He spent around seven months in prison. Jerry Grote was arrested for rustling cattle! Wander Franco, a former All-Star shortstop and former #1 MLB prospect, was reportedly arrested on very serious charges of human trafficking and having sex with a 14-year-old girl. Rafael Furcal, a former All-Star shortstop, was reportedly arrested on felony charges after an altercation with a truck driver in 2025. Furcal has been charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon after throwing a missile into a public or private dwelling or vehicle. Mel Hall was sentenced to 45 years for aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency. Pinky Higgins was convicted of negligent homicide and served two months. Pat Jarvis was convicted of mail fraud. Jerry Koosman served time for tax evasion. Ron LeFlore was a heroin addict and drug dealer who did time for armed robbery. While in prison he began playing baseball, turned his life around, and went on to become a MLB star. Jim Leyritz was arrested for DUI, vehicular homicide, and later for battery on his wife. He was acquitted on the DUI manslaughter charge and the battery charges were dropped. Julio Machado was convicted of unintentional murder. Joe Pepitone and two other men were arrested in Brooklyn after being stopped by the police for running a red light. The car contained nine ounces of cocaine, 344 quaaludes, a free-basing kit, a pistol, and about $6,300 in cash. Jim Rivera was convicted of rape, sentenced to life, did five years. Sammy Stewart had around 25 arrests for drugs and larceny; he was convicted of being a habitual offender. Darryl Strawberry had multiple convictions, including soliciting sex from an undercover police officer. Charlie Sweeney was convicted of voluntary manslaughter. Hank Thompson was arrested for armed robbery. Ugueth Urbina was convicted of attempted murder. Farmer Weaver was convicted of rape, sentenced to 5-21 years, served three years. Dave Winfield was a hall-of-famer who was arrested in 1983 for killing a seagull with a thrown ball. The cop who arrested him and fans who witnessed the event claimed that Winfield hit the bird deliberately. But Yankees manager Billy Martin questioned whether Winfield possessed the necessary accuracy: "Cruelty to animals? That's the first time he hit the cut-off man all year! MLB stars suspended and/or arrested for drugs include Willie Aikens, Vida Blue, Orlando Cepeda, Ferris Fain (400 marijuana plants in a barn), Doc Gooden, Steve Howe (seven suspensions), LaMarr Hoyt (three arrests), Sammy Stewart, Willie Wilson. MLB stars arrested for DUI include Craig Biggio, Carlton Fisk, Joe Foy, Doc Gooden, Mark Grace (four felony counts), Larry Sorenson (seven DUIs). Early Wynn, Don Drysdale, Bob Gibson and Pedro Martinez were notorious and feared headhunters. Wynn confessed that he would throw at his own grandmother, while Drysdale said that he would throw a second knockdown pitch to make sure the batter knew the first one was not accidental. Gaylord Perry doctored baseballs with spit, mud, sweat, Vaseline and K-Y Jelly, which he admitted in his autobiography Me and the Spitter. Don Sutton was nicknamed "Black and Decker" for his use of sandpaper and other illegal items. Whitey Ford used his wedding ring to cut baseballs and also employed baby oil, turpentine and resin. George Brett famously cheated with pine tar, then had a tantrum when he was caught. In conclusion, the Baseball Hall of Fame is no hall of angels, so let Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson in, where they belong!