The revelations in recent years about the sport’s so-called Steroid Era ignited an ongoing debate on the standards through which individuals should be admitted to the Hall of Fame. Earlier this month, some questioned whether Ryan Braun, the recipient this year of the National League Most Valuable Player award, should have the honor revoked after it was revealed he had failed a drug test in October.
The difficulty of traversing such ground was exposed again this week after The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Tuesday that Bill Conlin, a prominent sportswriter, had been accused of molesting four children during the 1970s.
Conlin, 77, who wrote for The Philadelphia Daily News for more than four decades, was the recipient this year of the J. G. Taylor Spink Award, presented to one person annually for “meritorious contributions to baseball writing.” The award is voted on by the Baseball Writers Association of America, which also votes on Hall of Fame entrants and the annual player awards.
Like other Spink recipients, Conlin is now honored at the Hall of Fame and, as the most recent honoree, is currently featured in an exhibit there.
