Every year there seems to be some kind of kerfuffle over the Hall of Fame. Either a player is not inducted and people think it is a travesty or the number of votes received angers people. This year we have a few things…
Curt Schilling
Schilling did not get into the HOF, but his numbers have went up. He deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. I do not like the guy and I think his statements over the past few years (and his downward fall into Trump-mania) have been sad to watch. However that does not diminish his baseball career. I know some people have mentioned the character part of the HOF, but during Schilling’s playing career, I cannot remember there ever being a major story about him being the type of person he is now.
The Unanimous Vote
People are freaking out that Mariano Rivera became the first unanimous selection. I keep reading comments like “who could vote against Cal Ripken, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, or Roberto Clemente?” I have heard everything from racism (some of it back in the day), jealousy, New York bias, and plain stupidity.
I think there is a combination of things at work. There were a bunch of writers who would not vote for someone on their first try. They were consistent with this self-imposed rule and they had their reasons (albeit stupid ones). Most of those writers are gone. There was also a strategic reason for leaving a sure thing off your vote. If you know for a fact that Ripken is getting in, instead of adding to that vote, which is meaningless (does it make a difference if you get 97% or 95%?), they would use their vote on a player that might not get the required amount to be on the ballot next year. Those people who did not vote for Nolan Ryan, George Brett, and Robin Yount, were able to help give Bert Blyleven enough votes to continue being on the ballot.
I feel like the unanimous vote outrage is similar to the perfect Rotten Tomatoes score. When a movie has a perfect score, people freak out at a reviewer that gives it a negative (specifically kids movies, people will write in some very angry letters to those reviewers).
Who Votes
The unanimous vote thing brings up another point: who votes? Some people hate that it is the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). Why should a bunch of journalists decide who is in the Hall of Fame? There is that sentiment that these writers are just a bunch of nerds who never watch games. Obviously that is pretty far from the truth. The reason the BBWAA was chosen is because the writers back in the day were the ones out at the games, seeing a variety of players. Especially before games were televised.
Some people think the actual HOF members should be the ones to vote. However, I think that may be problematic. Not all of the former players pay as close of attention to the sport as others. I know, it is crazy to think that some people might not be fanatical about baseball, but if you did it your entire life, once you retire from it, maybe they just become casual fans.
Personally, I would like to see a combination of the two. The writers and Hall members together should be able to create a more balanced HOF.
Next Year
Naturally we have to discuss next year. This will be the first year for Derek Jeter and he will undoubtedly be voted into the Hall of Fame. I can see him getting the unanimous vote as well. I think Schilling gets in, but Clemens and Bonds stay out (I think they hover at 60%). I think Todd Helton, Billy Wagner, and Scott Rolen make the biggest jumps, maybe doubling their vote total. I am on the fence about Larry Walker. He will definitely benefit from the lack of definite additions, but I just do not know if he can cross that 75% barrier.
If I had a vote, it would look like this:
Derek Jeter
Curt Schilling
Larry Walker
Todd Helton
Billy Wagner
Scott Wagner
Omar Vizquel
Bobby Abreu
Blank
Blank
I cannot remember from the rules, do you have to vote for ten players or is it just ten is the maximum? If I had to take ten, then I would probably put Bonds & Clemens on my list. As I have said before, if they retired in 1998, they would both be in the HOF. I think you put them in, but you mention they were PED users.
The real question is whether or not Nate McLouth receives more votes than Adam Dunn.
