In May of 2015, on my one and only visit to Cooperstown, New York and the Baseball Hall of Fame, something struck me as soon as I entered the great museum.
There aren’t that many Hall of Famers.
Before they announce selections for the upcoming class, membership sits at just 333.
It still might be at 333 after the announcement.
Professional baseball has been around for more than 100 years. Doesn’t that number seem really…small?
The Hall of Fame voters, those eligible through their long-time membership in the Baseball Writers Association of America, are a tough bunch to read. Some don’t even cover baseball full time anymore, and others have seen so many games they’ve grown a bit jaded. Nothing and no one seem to be good enough anymore. They find little, often nit-picky things they use to downgrade a player’s candidacy. It’s hard to understand. This is, after all, a museum designed to tell the story of America’s National Pastime. Why limit it so much?
Why isn’t Pete Rose in, for instance? Because he did what every person and player can do from their living room couch these days, which is to place a bet on a baseball game?
I’m not advocating for gambling, but there has never been anything come out about Pete Rose the player doing anything less than his 100% very best to win every single baseball game he was ever involved in, right? Who would not have wanted Pete Rose on his team?
Again, the game’s all-time leader in hits wasn’t able to live up to a standard that many of the voters can’t live up to themselves. Hmm.
Already this year’s voting cycle, we’ve seen two ballots published that were sent back blank. As in, “No one on this year’s ballot is worthy.”
That’s too bad. It stinks that these voters aren’t willing to allow more of the history of the game to be told and displayed in that great museum.
I’ll admit that this year’s ballot is not full of new slam dunk candidates. There are no Derek Jeter’s or Ken Griffey Jr’s eligible. But there are a good number of deserving candidates, guys that did fantastic things on the biggest stages, and who deserve to get recognized for their accomplishments.
Of course the biggest point of contention still centers on players who were involved with Performance Enhancing Drugs. There remains a faction of voters who will not, ever, under any circumstance vote for any player, regardless of accomplishments, who has PED’s in his past. So right off the bat, the game’s all-time home runs leader, Barry Bonds, and one of the greatest pitchers in history, Roger Clemens, remain “no go’s” for them.
Also on this year’s ballot with PED’s on their respective resumes are Manny Ramirez, Gary Sheffield and Sammy Sosa.
Bonds and Clemens have been gaining support in small increments, but few observers expect them to get in this year, if ever. And if they don’t, then the other three have no shot whatsoever.
It’s certainly fair for voters to have standards they go by when casting a vote. But being open minded is a better way to look at things, and if you’re open minded, and you really, truly know the game, then you would come to the realization that both Bonds and Clemens were Hall of Fame caliber players without PED’s. Certainly each man had his career stats inflated by being able to stretch out his playing days. But had neither ever touched an illegal substance, they would have easily been Hall worthy.
Sheffield’s involvement with PED’s is disputed and by most accounts, very very limited. There’s nothing to suggest PED’s made him the player he was, either. As for Sosa, most of us who played against him feel like it was his use of illegal substances that turned him into the slugger he became. Ramirez is a tough one. Some feel PED’s were the catalyst in his stardom. He was busted twice. That’s not a good look.
Most of us who follow the game closely and have an intimate, inside understanding of how it works would put Bonds and Clemens in the Hall of Fame. Sheffield hit more than 500 homers, and while I’ve had my differences with my former teammate, I’d probably put him in too. Sosa and Ramirez are “no’s” for me.
I’d also cast a vote for Curt Schilling, one of the best postseason pitchers ever. He’s said and written some truly deplorable things since he’s retired, and he’s deserved all the grief – along with getting fired from ESPN – that he’s gotten. He’d probably have been voted in years ago if he could keep his mouth shut. Nevertheless, we aren’t talking about the Good Guys Hall of Fame. Strictly as a baseball player, Schilling belongs enshrined in Cooperstown.
As for the rest of the ballot, Todd Helton ranks among the best first basemen ever in several of the new analytics offensive categories, and was a spectacular defender. He should join his former teammate Larry Walker in breaking the ridiculous barrier on former Colorado Rockies in Cooperstown. And Andruw Jones is underrated as a stellar performer on offense and defense for the standout Atlanta Braves teams all those years. I’d vote him in too.
So my Hall of Fame ballot would have checkmarks next to these six names: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Gary Sheffield, Curt Schilling, Todd Helton and Andruw Jones.
Experts say that only Schilling is likely to be voted in this time around. That’s too bad, because there’s more than enough room for him and the others.
Listen to Mark Knudson on Monday’s at 12:30 with Brady Hull on AM 1310 KFKA and on Saturday mornings on “Klahr and Kompany” on AM 1600 ESPN Denver.
More from The Woody Paige Sports Network:
- Woody Paige: That time I played blackjack with Michael Jordan in Monte Carlo
- ‘Most losses in 2020’ prop bet offers NFL bettors huge value
- Lewis Black rants on Dan Snyder — the worst owner in pro sports
- Atlanta Falcons lose by accidentally scoring a touchdown
- Woody Paige: Denver Broncos could become NFL’s version of New York Knicks
- MLB rumors: Is Nolan Arenado headed to Los Angeles?
- Woody Paige: Garett Bolles underdog story is reminiscent to that of Rulon Gardner
