Baseball HOF

Meant to get to this earlier this week but never got around to it.  I feel like I have to put my thoughts down on the shutout the Baseball Writers of America threw for the Hall of Fame this week.  The BBWA is the group that chooses all of baseball's awards and elect the players to the HOF.  The writers are guys who follow the sport and know what their talking about for the most part, I think around 535 guys get to vote for the HOF.  I don't have all the numbers in front of me, but basically a lot of guys get too vote, and it takes a hell of a lot to get into the HOF, 75% of the vote.

In case you didn't know this year was the first time Barry Bonds was eligible for the Hall.  I single him out because of all the guys in the steroid mess these he's the biggest fish for 2 reasons.  First, he's the guy who has the biggest numbers of the era, having multiple MVP awards, would be considered the best hitter of the generation, dominated the sport for almost 20 years.  Secondly he is the guy who "used" steroids that was probably HOF'ers before they used.  It's speculated Bonds didn't use till 1998 when Sosa and McGwire won America over with their record Home Run chase that everyone was covering and loving, including the members of the BBWA and the league offices who like the spark it gave them.

Prior to 1998 Barry Bonds was a multiple time MVP, he was about to become the lone member of the 400 HR-400 SB club, he was just 26 HR's short of 400 and already had 417 steals.  He had multiple gold gloves.  If Barry Bonds retires after 1997, after 12 seasons in baseball he's in the HOF in 2002.  Instead Barry decided to do what everyone was doing and dope up, however something happened to him, when those mere mortals were doping they got to his level, so when he doped, he went to a level never seen before.  Bonds was an amazing talent, he could see the ball better than any hitter, he does have the record for most walks, his hand-eye coordination is better than everyone else.  So when Bonds decided screw it I'm gonna get bigger and start knocking the ball out of the park, need I remind you AT&T Park in San Francisco is a pitchers park, it's not easy to hit home runs there, in fact the current Giants are at the bottom of HR's hit in all of baseball, yet they have won 2 or the last 3 World Series b/c when teams come into that park the long ball is neutralized.  Well that park didn't neutralize Bonds.  So now you've got the greatest hitter of his generation mixed with the juice and guess what his numbers got OC, a little to inflated, but what happened, everyone went crazy for him, he was finally loved by the fans.  The media still hated him, but San Francisco loved the guy.

Now I understand your gonna say, he cheated he shouldn't be allowed in.  Oh yeah he cheated, against what rules?  Was there drug testing?  Did you not celebrate with McGwire and Sosa in 1998?  These writers for the BBWA for the most part were right there, in the locker room, at spring training watching these guys year after year get bigger, interviewing guys with pill bottles and stuff in their lockers in plain view.  Where were these guys then?  They didn't report it, they just let it go, even the 2 guys who dug into the scandal did it for a book, Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams did their investigative reporting for a book not for a newspaper report to out these guys.  No they wanted to make money off the deal, which they did, and Fainaru-Wada turned the book into a job with ESPN.  This is my biggest problem with the BBWA being the "gatekeepers" of the Hall, where were you in 1998-2004?  You worshiping these guys like everyone else.  I'm tired of hearing about how the Hall is sacred ground, blah blah blah.

You know why baseball is dying in popularity, b/c the HOF is a joke and the old school runs the game.  The NFL puts at least 4 guys in every year, this year baseball isn't gonna put in anyone.  What's the point of having the place if your not gonna put anyone in.  Baseball is an old man's game, it's slow, doesn't have a clock, doesn't have contact.  I love baseball but if this is how people are gonna "protect" the game, guess what the game is gonna disappear.  I think baseball can fix itself if they would just get over being old school.

A couple other guys got snubbed as well, Jack Morris got screwed again, his big knock is he'll have the highest E.R.A. in the Hall, guess what someone has to have the highest ERA, why not a guy who has rings, wins, and longevity.  Tim Raines is the 2nd best base stealer in the history of the game and if he hadn't played the same time as Rickey Henderson, he would be in.  Craig Biggio has 3,000 hits, normally an automatic in, but guys didn't vote him in for some reason whether he was a stat compiler or what, but aren't we all stat compilers?  Isn't that the point, if you vote off stats then guess what let a guy who has stats in.  Mike Piazza has the most HR's for a catcher ever and he can't get in.  So you keep Jack Morris out b/c of his stats but don't let Piazza or Biggio b/c of their stats are inflated?  What a double edged sword and a bunch of bullshit.  I agree keep McGwire and Sosa out, both are frauds and would've been average players without the juice, but guys like Clemens and Bonds need to get in b/c they were great before they juiced.