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2013 Hall of Fame Thread

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  • 2013 Hall of Fame Thread

    My ballot for the National Baseball Hall of Fame 2013 election is in the mail.

    It’s dutifully signed, has my Baseball Writers’ Association of America badge number recorded, all official.

    What it does not have is a vote for a single player.

    The day of reckoning I’ve been dreading for five years — ever since Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens finally left the playing field and started the countdown to Hall of Fame eligibility — has arrived.

    With no guidance from either the Hall of Fame or Major League Baseball, no clarity from the courts or Congress, and no soul-baring from the players themselves, it’s up to the 600 or so Hall of Fame voters to be judge and jury for these symbols of baseball’s steroids era.

    The questions are unprecedented. Who was dirty? Who was clean? Who got an advantage from using performance-enhancing drugs and who didn’t?

    In the end, all we have is a ton of circumstancial evidence, a general acknowledgment that it was a dirty time in baseball for a lot of players, but no checklist telling us who juiced and who was clean.

    Hall voters are left with three options:

    Vote based on players’ career records and shelve the PED debate.

    Selectively vote based on whatever suspicions one might have.

    Vote for no one.

    I am choosing to speak loudly by using silence.

    This is my way of expressing my anger to baseball. Angry that the powers-that-be turned their backs while this was going on. Angry that it took us so long to shine light on it.

    If you think I’m being stubborn, illogical or naive, or you think I’m ducking the issue, you are welcome to those opinions. And here’s something else that might push you off the deep end: I probably won’t do the same thing next year.

    Over time, the debate has gone from outrage to disinterest. The prevailing winds now blow toward a reconciliation of sorts: Baseball’s issues from the past haven’t impacted the Hall of Fame, so why is this stain different? I’m not sure I buy that, but I acknowledge that lots of people are sick of talking about this.

    Straw polls have made it pretty clear that Bonds, Clemens and Sammy Sosa won’t get enough support for election when the voting results are announced on Jan. 9. But Hall of Fame voters have a history of changing their minds, and I can see some of these players getting voted in some day, maybe even next year. That drives players nuts; they argue that the statistics haven’t changed, so their chances shouldn’t either. But a Hall of Fame is more than a set of impressive numbers. It’s a reflection of the times in a given sport, an assessment of who rose above their peers. The passage of time can impact one’s evaluation.

    I don’t know what I’ll do next year, but I’m fairly sure I won’t send in a blank ballot. This one-year protest should make my point.

    I admit to a tiny bit of guilt over possibly keeping out an innocent player by not voting, but I can live with it since there is no one I’d vote for who is in his 15th and final year of eligilibity. I’m not jeopardizing anyone’s legacy.

    Frankly, I’d feel a whole lot guiltier checking the box next to the names of Bonds and Clemens and a few other guys. That can wait for another day — or never. Remains to be seen.
    http://www.azcentral.com/sports/heat...vote-year.html

    This fucking guy.

    1 year protest really meaning he doesn't have the balls to make a decision already.

  • #2
    He prob wont do it next year, but he might, maybe.

    Comment


    • #3
      Looks as if no one will be voted in this year.

      It's a shame that someone like Mike Piazza would be left out, just because he played in the steroids era. (Maybe he did take roids, but there's no proof and just not voting for him because of the timeframe he played in is stupid)

      Comment


      • #4
        there are a lot of shames but I'd be shocked if Biggio didn't get in
        Originally posted by Madman81
        Most of the people in the world being dumb is not a requirement for you to be among their ranks.
        Need help? Questions? Concerns? Want to chat? PM me!

        Comment


        • #5
          looks like he's not getting in either

          according to the most recent exit polls

          Comment


          • #6
            I'd still be shocked
            Originally posted by Madman81
            Most of the people in the world being dumb is not a requirement for you to be among their ranks.
            Need help? Questions? Concerns? Want to chat? PM me!

            Comment


            • #7
              I don't really know the rules for the hall or the metrics on who gets in but when I look at Biggio's stats, I don't see someone who is a shoe in hall of famer. Piazza on the other hand should be in.

              Could this merely be a trend where players do not get in first ballot anymore because some voters are conflicted on how they should place votes because these players were active in the steroid era and are waiting to see how their peers think of these players before voting them in. Voters could also just be blackballing any player associated with the steroid era.

              Comment


              • #8
                I'm not sold on Biggio either, but he's got the numbers

                Comment


                • #9
                  Maybe I'm not giving considering his position enough and he did put up good numbers but for the most of his career. He was a good ballplayer and had a long career that included a few great years.

                  I think my standards are just higher than what actually makes the hall of fame.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I mean, he had an assload of doubles, 3000 hits, played (and did so well) at 3 different positions, all of them difficult and taxing, got hit by pitches a fafillion times, stole a bunch of bases, and hit some homers. nothing that doesn't say HOFer to me.
                    Originally posted by Madman81
                    Most of the people in the world being dumb is not a requirement for you to be among their ranks.
                    Need help? Questions? Concerns? Want to chat? PM me!

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Every time I read a "Jack Morris should be in the Hall of Fame" column, it makes my brain want to crawl out of my skull. Sorry, brain!
                      poop

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Jon Heyman ‏@JonHeymanCBS
                        couldn't bring myself to vote for the steroid guys -- at least not this time. saints over taints ... http://cbsprt.co/VLwJ8k
                        EHE SAINTS OVER TAINTS

                        and then he listed Tim Raines, the guy who used to slide head first so as to not mess up the cocaine in his pocket, #1 on his ballot

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          [Jack Morris] receive Cy Young votes in seven seasons.
                          His average finish in cy young voting in those seven seasons? Fifth

                          So, in his season best seasons, out of 17, he was considered, on average, the fifth-best pitcher in half the league?

                          The lengths these people are going to to argue for him is insane.
                          --------------------
                          By the reasoning used for Morris, Mike Mussina needs to be a first-ballot hall-of-famer.
                          Last edited by Bobbob1313; 01-07-2013, 07:42 PM. Reason: Doublepost Merged
                          poop

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            And you can find yourself standing in the hall of fame!!!!!!
                            LHP Chad James-Jupiter Hammerheads-

                            5-15 3.80 ERA (27 starts) 149.1IP 173H 63ER 51BB 124K

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              as predicted, no one got voted in

                              first time since 1996
                              --------------------
                              Craig Biggio 388 (68.2%) 1
                              Jack Morris 385 (67.7%) 14
                              Jeff Bagwell 339 (59.6%) 3
                              Mike Piazza 329 (57.8%) 1
                              Tim Raines 297 (52.2%) 6
                              Lee Smith 272 (47.8%) 11
                              Curt Schilling 221 (38.8%) 1
                              Roger Clemens 214 (37.6%) 1
                              Barry Bonds 206 (36.2%) 1
                              Edgar Martinez 204 (35.9%) 4
                              Alan Trammell 191 (33.6%) 12
                              Larry Walker 123 (21.6%) 3
                              Fred McGriff 118 (20.7%) 4
                              Dale Murphy 106 (18.6%) 15
                              Mark McGwire 96 (16.9%) 7
                              Don Mattingly 75 (13.2%) 13
                              Sammy Sosa 71 (12.5%) 1
                              Rafael Palmeiro 50 (8.8%) 3
                              Bernie Williams 19 (3.3%) 2
                              Kenny Lofton 18 (3.2%) 1
                              Sandy Alomar Jr. 16 (2.8%) 1
                              Julio Franco 6 (1.1%) 1
                              David Wells 5 (0.9%) 1
                              Steve Finley 4 (0.7%) 1
                              Shawn Green 2 (0.4%) 1
                              Aaron Sele 1 (0.2%) 1
                              Jeff Cirillo 0 (0%) 1
                              Royce Clayton 0 (0%) 1
                              Jeff Conine 0 (0%) 1
                              Roberto Hernandez 0 (0%) 1
                              Ryan Klesko 0 (0%) 1
                              Jose Mesa 0 (0%) 1
                              Reggie Sanders 0 (0%) 1
                              Mike Stanton 0 (0%) 1
                              Todd Walker 0 (0%) 1
                              Rondell White 0 (0%) 1
                              Woody Williams 0 (0%) 1

                              --------------------
                              votes | % | years on ballot
                              Last edited by Ramp; 01-09-2013, 01:04 PM. Reason: Doublepost Merged

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