Hall of Fame Ballot

Wow!

Granted the ballot is really good this year but the HOF would be the size of Alaska if the voters were as lenient as some of the posters here are. I'm seeing a lot of very good and just good players named instead of actual hall of famers. There is a difference folks!

So, Corky, do we have to beg you to deign to give us your super-reduced list of the almighty?

Bill

I feel the Hall of fame has been greatly diluted with players who just are not hof material. I am an old school guy. the Hall of Fame became a joke to me when Bill Mazeroski went in...I mean come on...are u serious? Now I am a Yankee fan but Rizzuto does not belong.....Pee Wee Reese is another and so is Ozzie Smith. Reese and Rizzuto were not great hitters and Ozzie could not even hit his weight for a number of years. I could easily name a dozen more. If you want to know what the HOF is... just look at the picture of the original class. The other big issue I have is no one ever getting in on 100% of the ballots is also a joke. When guys like Mays, Mantle, Dimaggio, Williams and Musial are not 100% then whatever voters did not list them should never have the right to vote again. With that being said there are some very deserving candidates this year ( not going to get into the Clemens, Bonds and McGwire thing.) Anyway my votes are for Piazza, Thomas, Maddux,..... with Bagwell and Glavine right on the cusp. Mussina and Biggio just accumulators. Trammel probably pretty close also. With some of the lists I saw here for people who should go in I just have to shake my head and wonder what planet these people are on.

I think that there are 3 no-doubt guys and another 5 that are pretty darn close.


No-Doubt on My Ballot
Tom Glavine
Greg Maddux
Frank Thomas

A Bit Short of Total Excellence; Maybe in a Future Class
Jeff Bagwell
Craig Biggio
Mike Piazza
Tim Raines
Alan Trammell

Great Players But Not HOF Material
Jeff Kent
Edgar Martinez
Don Mattingly
Jack Morris - sorry - last year on the ballot
Curt Schilling
Larry Walker

Maybe Time Will Heal The Wounds
Barry Bonds
Roger Clemens
Rafael Palmiero
Sammy Sosa

Some people are not looking at the big picture, taking into account defense, base running and the era the player played in. Alan Trammell was the best SS in all of baseball for a good ten years (with the exception of Robin Yount, maybe, who is already a Hall of Famer). Trammell did it all and he should have been league MVP in 1987 for sure!

Saying Ozzie Smith should not be in the Hall of Fame is pure silliness. He stole over 500 bases, he won a dozen Gold Gloves, he was a major contributor on World Series teams, and perhaps the best glove ever. End of story!

In my opinion you do NOT just look at offensive numbers, you compare the player with others from his era. If a player was the best, or one of the best at his position for a decade or more, he should at least be considered. If the player was additionally an All-Star for several or many years and won Gold Gloves or multiple batting titles that should also be taken into account.

If you believe Ozzie Smith does not belong in the Hall of Fame, using that same logic there is no way
Brooks Robinson gets in, and that is just silly.

I'm going to predict only Maddux makes it into the Hall this year.

Bonds should be in. 'Roids or no, he dominated the game like no player ever, Ruth included. We all know it. But I don't think he will this year, maybe ever.

tws

Bonds. McGwire. Clemens....

Should NEVER be selected for the HOF.

The below, was taken directly from the MLB HOF website.

4. Method of Election:

A. BBWAA Screening Committee — A Screening Committee consisting of baseball writers will be appointed by the BBWAA. This Screening Committee shall consist of six members, with two members to be elected at each Annual Meeting for a three-year term. The duty of the Screening Committee shall be to prepare a ballot listing in alphabetical order eligible candidates who (1) received a vote on a minimum of five percent (5%) of the ballots cast in the preceding election or (2) are eligible for the first time and are nominated by any two of the six members of the BBWAA Screening Committee.

B. Electors may vote for as few as zero (0) and as many as ten (10) eligible candidates deemed worthy of election. Write-in votes are not permitted.

C. Any candidate receiving votes on seventy-five percent (75%) of the ballots cast shall be elected to membership in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

5. Voting: Voting shall be based upon the player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.
6. Automatic Elections: No automatic elections based on performances such as a batting average of .400 or more for one (1) year, pitching a perfect game or similar outstanding achievement shall be permitted.

7. Time of Election: The duly authorized representatives of the BBWAA shall prepare, date and mail ballots to each elector no later than the 15th day of January in each year in which an election is held. The elector shall sign and return the completed ballot within twenty (20) days. The vote shall then be tabulated by the duly authorized representatives of the BBWAA.

8. Certification of Election Results: The results of the election shall be certified by a representative of the Baseball Writers' Association of America and an officer of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. The results shall be transmitted to the Commissioner of Baseball. The BBWAA and National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. shall jointly release the results for publication.

9. Amendments: The Board of Directors of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. reserves the right to revoke, alter or amend these rules at any time.


The above, is about half of the rules for electors and those available to be voted in. Please notice the selection in RED. This, is the rule used to keep Pete Rose out of the Hall.

Ty Cobb, went INTO THE STANDS at a game, and beat, literally beat a disabled man who was unable to defend himself because of a racist remark. He was voted in, because he was the BEST PURE HITTER of HIS time. In this case, the electors chose to ignore the INTEGRITY part of the rules.

Pete Rose.

Do I think what Pete did was wrong. For me, its a gray area. Damn it man, just bet on your team to win every game.
If the writers (electors) are not going to vote in the hit leader of ALL TIME because of transgressions he did while not an active player...

How, can the electors vote in confirmed PED users?

Bonds. McGwire. Clemens.

NEVER

Those sports enthusiast that want the afore mentioned three in the HOF, please pass the hat, collect donations, and have your OWN DAMN HOF built.

I dunno, man....Mickey Mantle and a slew of other guys played games drunk, a ton of players popped speeders to get "up" for games, there are spitball experts and racists and freaks of all shapes, sizes and colors in the HoF. You even mention Ty Cobb yourself, and Cobb is one of the worst human beings to ever step on the field. Should we pull Cobb out of the Hall?

Bonds was an amazing player even before he went on the juice, and during his years doping, he was absolutely beyond anything baseball has ever seen. I wouldn't fight for him under any circumstances, if he doesn't make it I really won't give much of a sh!t, but if it was up to me I'd begrudgingly give him my vote.

tws

The bold blue below is why Pete Rose is not in the hall.

3. Eligible Candidates -- Candidates to be eligible must meet the following requirements:

A. A baseball player must have been active as a player in the Major Leagues at some time during a period beginning twenty (20) years before and ending five (5) years prior to election.

B. Player must have played in each of ten (10) Major League championship seasons, some part of which must have been within the period described in 3 (A).

C. Player shall have ceased to be an active player in the Major Leagues at least five (5) calendar years preceding the election but may be otherwise connected with baseball.

D. In case of the death of an active player or a player who has been retired for less than five (5) full years, a candidate who is otherwise eligible shall be eligible in the next regular election held at least six (6) months after the date of death or after the end of the five (5) year period, whichever occurs first.

]E. Any player on Baseball's ineligible list shall not be an eligible candidate.

Pete's ACHIEVEMENTS deserve to be, and are, in the Hall.

Pete, being on the ineligible list, is not eligible (deservedly so in my opinion) for PERSONAL election to the Hall.

The Roiders are not (to my knowledge) on the ineligible list.

My ballot would be Thomas, Maddux, Biggio. Glavine would probably get in down the road for me.

I would probably vote for Bonds eventually - his numbers through 1999 were already HOF worthy, and the fact that he is a lousy excuse for a human being and used PED's can't take that away from him. As noted above, Ty Cobb was no choir boy. Cobb is hardly alone on the "I'm not a choir boy but they elected me anyway" list. Robbie Alomar spit on an umpire, Bert Blyleven was a complete snot while playing, Hornsby was hated by pretty much everybody, and there are plenty of others.

Sosa and McGwire were purely creations of Roids - Sosa was about half a level above Dave Kingman before he started juicing, and McGwire was practically through because of an inability to stay healthy. Palmeiro doesn't even belong in the discussion, he was basically Cecil Cooper before he got on the juice.