No HOF Inductees This Year

[Rob's House]

http://sports.yahoo....-002553763.html

 

On a day when 569 voting members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America could not agree on a single worthy candidate...

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/scrubbing-of-character-clause-among-first-reforms-hall-of-fame-needs-to-remain-relevant-as-ped-era-inductees-come-knocking-202718797.html

 

Scrubbing of the character clause among first reforms Hall of Fame needs to remain relevant

Edited January 11, 2013 by Rob's House

[SBUffalo]

I have so many problems with this.

1. These voters are so full of themselves, it's obnoxious. They create new criteria every season. And did you notice how many ballots were public this year and how they all boasted their reasons? NOBODY cares why you didn't put somebody on the ballot. We know that it's because steroids. Get over yourselves.

 

2. Stop talking about this "first-ballot hall of famer" crap. You're either a hall of famer or you're not. If somebody is a hall of famer, then vote them in as soon as possible. Giving this crazy criteria about first-balloters is what creates logjams later on where you get diluted classes of too many players.

 

3. IT'S LITERALLY JUST A MUSEUM. It's a place for fans of the game, young and old, to go and see baseball history. Why would it make sense for them to go there and not see the greatest statistical hitter of all time or the greatest pitcher of all time? That makes no sense. Put them in. Put all of the greatest players in regardless of how they got there. If you have to note it on their plaque or somewhere in the hall, do it (ONLY if they were 100% proven to have used PEDs, so not Bonds).

Edited January 11, 2013 by DStebb716

[KD in CA]

Good. !@#$ the cheaters. I love that Sosa got so few votes; I hope he's off the ballot entirely in a couple years. Bonds and Clemens will eventually get in but there's no reason not to make them wait a long time.

 

I also have no problem with making second tier guys like Biggio and Piazza wait a few years. I think the 'First Ballot' thing is an important benchmark.

[Maury Ballstein]

its all horse shhhhhh IMO. there have been steroid rumors since the 70's

 

leave Palmeiro and Manny out if you want as they have been caught redhanded.

 

Barry Bonds was the GOAT IMO. He's got to be in the HOF.

[Rob's House]

Good. !@#$ the cheaters. I love that Sosa got so few votes; I hope he's off the ballot entirely in a couple years. Bonds and Clemens will eventually get in but there's no reason not to make them wait a long time.

 

I also have no problem with making second tier guys like Biggio and Piazza wait a few years. I think the 'First Ballot' thing is an important benchmark.

I disagree with most of this. First, it's not about rewarding the players, the hall of fame is for the fans. Baseball went through a steroid era & a lot of the best players took part. So do you pretend they weren't the dominant stars of the era? Do you change it from the Hall of Fame to the Hall of Virtue.

 

And to each his own, but this whole first ballot thing makes absolutely no sense to me. Just comes off as hubris by the arrogant d-bags that get to vote for it.

[KD in CA]

I disagree with most of this. First, it's not about rewarding the players, the hall of fame is for the fans. Baseball went through a steroid era & a lot of the best players took part. So do you pretend they weren't the dominant stars of the era? Do you change it from the Hall of Fame to the Hall of Virtue.

Sure a large part of it is for the fans, but it's also an enormous individual honor. As for the dominant players of the era, who is to say how dominant they would have been w/o 'roids or how much more other players who didn't cheat would be appreciated (and considered for the Hall) if they didn't have to be compared to cheaters.

 

I can't sign off on simply pretending the entire episode never happend, or to just assume everyone was dirty, when it comes to voting for the Hall.

 

And to each his own, but this whole first ballot thing makes absolutely no sense to me. Just comes off as hubris by the arrogant d-bags that get to vote for it.

It just creates a super-class within the Hall; I don't see a problem with that. Also,some guys gain appreciation over time faster than others; hence the 15 year eligibility, rather than a one time up or down vote.

[Rob's House]

On another front, every writer who did not cast a vote for Dale Murphy should be stripped of the honor.

[RuntheDamnBall]

Tim Raines should be in. Jim Rice shouldn't be in. Jack Morris shouldn't be close. Dale Murphy should be in. Bagwell should have been a first-balloter and no one has ever implicated him in anything other than hitting a lot of home runs when lots of other juiced guys were hitting them.

 

I agree. It isn't the Hall of Virtue, and this weird limbo state that the writers have created just hurts the relevance of the Hall itself. It should just be addressed with a special exhibit. Everybody comes clean, it gets acknowledged, and we move on. Right now people who don't deserve it are getting punished.

[HopsGuy]

Tim Raines should be in. Jim Rice shouldn't be in. Jack Morris shouldn't be close. Dale Murphy should be in. Bagwell should have been a first-balloter and no one has ever implicated him in anything other than hitting a lot of home runs when lots of other juiced guys were hitting them.

 

I agree. It isn't the Hall of Virtue, and this weird limbo state that the writers have created just hurts the relevance of the Hall itself. It should just be addressed with a special exhibit. Everybody comes clean, it gets acknowledged, and we move on. Right now people who don't deserve it are getting punished.

 

Without a doubt, Tim Raines should be a HOFer. That guy was a player. He did everything, for a long time. Very fun to watch.

 

Dale Murphy? No.

 

Dale Murphy was a fine player for 3-4 years but his career WAR was nothing to get excited about. His defense was abysmal (Gold Glove voting is head-scratching). His greatest feat was winning 2 MVPs or actually keeping Mike Schmidt from winning 2 more by hitting a few more homers at the "Launching Pad". Nice guy, but not worthy of Cooperstown.

 

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