2018 Baseball HOF Inductees Announced

[26CornerBlitz]

 

 

[KD in CA]

No major arguments with the results.   Those 4 guys were all clearly deserving.  A whole bunch of HOVG guys on the ballot who I don't see building their way to Cooperstown.

 

A few comments:

Clemens -- As always, !@#$ Clemens.  I hope he never, ever gets in.  Or at least dies first.  I couldn't hate him any more if he was starting for the Pats*.

Mussina -- interesting borderline case.  I don't think of him as being that great, but he has more wins than Jim Palmer and Bob Feller.  Can you workhorse your way to the Hall?

Manny -- wow, people really hate Manny.  22% for maybe the best hitter we've seen in our lifetime.  I understand why, but......damn what a hitter.

Livan -- I know he's no HOF, but come on, only one vote?  This guy had a really interesting career. Too bad they couldn't put Livan and El Duque on the ballot a team.

Isringhausen -- So much for Generation K.  

[Gugny]

After years of having a staunch "hell no," attitude with regard to letting verified steroid users into the Hall, I am beginning to soften.

 

I agree with all of KD's comments above my post, re: those who did not get in.  Although I don't think Mussina will, or should, get in.

 

But Clemens, Bonds, Manny ... they belong.  And let me tell you .... even without steroids, I cannot STAND Clemens.

 

It was, in my opinion, a dark era of the greatest sport of all time.  But it was an era.  It's a significant part of the history of the game and it always will be.  My hope is that those who truly love/follow the game will explain it to others something like this:

 

Barry Bonds used performance enhancing drugs and likely due to those drugs, he ruined some of Baseball's most sacred records.  But here's the kicker ... he was so good, he probably could have beaten those records without using those drugs; he really was that good (we can have this discussion in Canton after Brady gets in).  Let's move onto Ken Griffey, Jr.  He played the game without cheating.  What kept him from beating these records?  Being a human being.  But he got into the Hall on his first try as a no-brainer because he respected the game and played it with dignity.

 

It's all about perspective, to me.

 

For the first time, I'm leaning toward letting these "cheaters," into the Hall based on their stats, which are incredible.  The reason(s) they were so incredible are what makes great discussion/friendly debate.

 

Man, I love baseball.

[SinceThe70s]

Clemens and Bonds were undeniably amongst the greatest players of their era and no-doubt first ballot Hall of Famers based on their accomplishments. It's a sad fact of the steroid era that they were both tied to PED's. 

 

My guess is they'll get in posthumously thru a veterans committee vote or some special steroid exception. I would be OK with either. But an asterisk is warranted.

 

What bothers me more is a guy like  Piazza who was a clear first ballot HOFer who suffered from suspicion. As far as I am aware, none of the voters ever had the stones to write a column about their suspicions but they had no trouble voting against him anonymously.

 

My personal opinion is that every player in that era should be under suspicion. Guilt by association. And this includes "untouchables" like Jeter ad Mariano.  They were all part of the same players association united front.

[row_33]

Full amnesty to the selectively picky era for steroids.  There are clearly members in the Hall who used....