Ten Hall of Fame Thoughts

Another year another name in the Hall of Fame and more thoughts from me.

1. Barry Larkin isn't sexy, but he's worthy.

Actually Barry Larkin is a handsome guy, so maybe someone DOES think he's sexy.

But it isn't like when Reggie Jackson or Rickey Henderson or Cal Ripken got into the Hall of Fame where there was a national buzz.

It probably would be a more exciting day if he had been elected with Blyleven and Alomar last year, but hey. Larkin deserves it. He was a great player who nobody seems to have a bad word about him. Maybe after sharing the spotlight with Ozzie Smith and Cal Ripken then later Alex Rodriguez, Nomar Garciaparra and Derek Jeter it is appropriate that Larkin has the stage to himself.

2. Tim Salmon got two votes? Really?

There were a few players who got more than one vote and they fascinate me more than the ones with one vote. Both Eric Young and Javy Lopez got a single vote and chances are they were from a sports writer who liked them and tipped the proverbial cap to those players.

But 6 put Vinny Castilla on there? 5 put Salmon? 4 put Bill Mueller? 2 said "Brad Radke belongs in the Hall of Fame?"

One of these years someone will be voted in with those sympathy votes and I will laugh like hell.

3. No votes for Ruben Sierra...

Sierra doesn't belong in the Hall of Fame. His career came way short. But you'd think if someone could put Brad Radke's name on their ballot then someone would rustle up a sympathy vote for a man who for a time truly was an elite player.

For a stretch he was a legit MVP candidate (and probably could have beaten Robin Yount for the 1989 AL MVP.)

Sierra himself has acknowledged that he squandered some of his talent but the one time Diva became one of the games good guys by the end of his career. Not enough for Cooperstown, but odd that he didn't get an Eric Young pity vote.

4. If Jack Morris gets in next year, they should put his plaque next to Jim Rice's

Seriously, other than Don Sutton, Phil Rizzuto and Bill Mazeroski, I haven't such vitriol for a Hall of Fame case than Jack Morris and Jim Rice.

I've supported both and I admit that I am biased. They impressed me as a kid and I want to believe the great players from my youth are worthy to stand shoulder to shoulder with Hank Aaron, Stan Musial and Sandy Koufax.

Yeah yeah yeah, I understand the arguments against him. I'm still rooting for him. He's inching closer but has only 2 more chances. The showdown will be the next two years.

If he gets in, but his plaque next to Rice so their detractors can get all of their anger out at once.

5. We are going to be nostalgic for the Jack Morris and Jim Rice debates next year.

With those two people compare stats, memories, new stats, traditional stats and it is a rational (if passionate) argument.

Next year? We have the man who holds the single season and All Time home run record on the ballot. We have the man with more Cy Young Awards than anyone in history. We have one man who broke Roger Maris' mark joining the other man. And the ballot also includes a member of the 3,000 hit and 500 home run club! It should be one of the greatest classes in baseball history. And it is going to SUCK!

What bigger names bring up the ugly head of Steroids more than Clemens, Bonds, Sosa, McGwire and Palmeiro. It's a Mount Rushmore of juicers. (Yeah, Mount Rushmore has only 4 heads, but they broke THAT record as well.

The debate will turn away from stats (they all have stats that are worthy) and to if they are worthy. It is going to be a sea of "Not Fun!"

Trust me, you'll become nostalgic for Jack Morris' ERA.

6. It's a shame Juan Gonzalez fell off the ballot

I don't think he belongs in the Hall of Fame. Under normal circumstances, his 2 MVP awards would be compelling but the needles found on his trip to Toronto are more interesting to voters.

So why is it a shame he's off the ballot?

It would have been nice to see McGwire, Sosa, Bonds, Clemens, Palmeiro and Gonzalez on the ballot together.

It would be a Mitchell Report reunion.

7. You will hear "Back Acne" and "Friends with Ken Caminiti" more than you want to next year.

Mike Piazza will be on the ballot. Jeff Bagwell is returning to the ballot. Normally they'd be preparing their speeches, but the whispers of PEDs for both of them might prevent their induction.

Think that's unfair? Perhaps. But remember how the likes of McGwire, Clemens, Bonds and Sosa were celebrated? Remember how Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Andy Pettitte and Alex Rodriguez all got standing ovations?

This is the pendulum swinging the other way. The voters want to make sure they don't have to deal with the specter of putting a guy in and THEN finding out he's a juicer. If Jim Rice and Bert Blyleven can wait a decade and a half, then so can some of these guys.

8. My endorsement of Alan Trammell didn't amount to crap

I thought I had more pull in the baseball world.

I said that I believe he is a Hall of Famer and he gets a measly 36.8% of the vote?

He only has 4 more ballots to pick up 38.2% of the vote in order to get him over the top.

I better get some more power for next year.

9. Tim Raines would be a nice protest vote next year

I am a big Raines supporter and his bandwagon is growing bit by bit. But with all the steroid users on the next ballot, Raines would be a perfect middle finger to the juicers.

Think about it. You are actually saying "You'd have been better off doing cocaine!"

I wonder if his stolen base total was inflated because he was on coke.

10. Lee Smith was on more than half of the ballots.

I didn't just make that up. More than half of the writers said "YES" to Lee Smith in Cooperstown.

He has 5 more chances to add 25% to his vote total. Has there EVER been a candidate with this many votes who has this low a profile candidacy?

I hear more debating over Edgar Martinez and Alan Trammell who can't even bust 40% than Smith who has a majority of the writers approval.

Yet I don't know ANYONE who thinks he's a Hall of Famer and trust me, I know a lot of baseball fans.

It's an odd candidacy to be sure.

So there you have it.

Another year and another vote. Bernie Williams is the only new name coming back and Dale Murphy has his final go round next year.

Be prepared... next year is going to be a bumpy ride.

CONGRATS BARRY LARKIN!

Lots to write about but first and foremost, Barry Larkin deserves it.

Steady, sometimes overlooked but a great player.

And now the 1990 Reds have a Hall of Famer.

Great job voters. Looking forward to the Summer.

The 2012 Sully Baseball Hall of Fame ballot

I don't have a Hall of Fame vote. That is a tragedy. Someday that will be changed. But for now all I can do is type from my blog and say who I WOULD vote for if I had a ballot.

Not one of the 13 new names on the ballot should be back on next year. No offense to Tim Salmon, Javy Lopez, Bernie Williams, Terry Mulholland, Ruben Sierra et al. They had wonderful careers but none of them came close to a Hall of Fame career.

(Bernie Williams for a stretch was an elite player, as was Sierra. But they didn't have the resume.)

There are some names on the ballot who were great for a stretch but not enough for the Hall (Sorry Dale Murphy and Don Mattingly.)

Some who were really good but not quite immortal level (Sorry Fred McGriff and Larry Walker.)

And there are the specialists who just missed my ballot but I will listen to the arguments pros and cons (Sorry Edgar Martinez and Lee Smith.)

And yeah, I went there before and I'll go there again... Jeff Bagwell smells fishy to me. His transformation just sounds too familiar to me. Blame McGwire if you don't like it.

So who WOULD I have on the ballot?

BARRY LARKIN
He could do it all and did it with class and dignity. An MVP, a great hitter and terrific defender, he was the National League's best shortstop for a decade.

JACK MORRIS
I know he isn't getting in, yet I still turn on the light for his eligibility. I understand the stats against him and yet I'd still want him starting a big game over several other Hall of Famers. I am sure my support for him means a lot to Morris.

TIM RAINES
An elite player for a Hell of a lot longer than most of you remember. He deserves to get in.

ALAN TRAMMELL
As I said earlier, his resume is virtually identical to Larkin's.


I think only Larkin will get the call tomorrow.
The other three deserve that call.
I have no control on the matter... yet.

Sully Baseball endorses Alan Trammell for the Hall of Fame

Barry Larkin is almost certain to be elected to the Hall of Fame in about a week. He was the best National League shortstop for a decade. He was a Cincinnati native who spent his whole career with the Reds (not really a Hall of Fame factor but makes for an uncluttered plaque.)

A former MVP, winner of 9 Silver Sluggers, 3 Gold Gloves, he had a lifetime .815 OPS with power, speed and help lead the Reds to the 1990 World Series title.

And yet Alan Trammell has virtually the same resume and is considered a long shot at best.

Each played roughly the same amount of games.

Larkin - 2,180

Trammell - 2,293

Each hit close to the same amount of homers (with Larkin playing in a more home run friendly stretch.)

Larkin - 198

Trammell - 185

Their OPS+ were right around the same level

Larkin - 116

Trammell - 110

Both won multiple Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers.

Trammell would have matched Larkin's MVP if the voters went with him instead of George Bell like many thought they should have in 1987.

Both had a solid 6 or 7 year peak in the center of their career.

And Trammell, along with Cal Ripken, transformed the shortstop position from an All Field No Hit position to a power one, paving the way for Barry Larkin and the great shortstops of the 1990s and 2000s.

I still don't understand WAR, but only 68 non pitchers have a higher WAR all time than Trammell. Right behind him are Hall of Famers Eddie Murray and Pee Wee Reese.

If I ever get around to figuring out WAR, that will impress the Hell out of me.

But his World Series MVP in 1984 and his cameo on Magnum P.I. impressed me enough to give him a second, third and fourth look.

Larkin deserves a spot in the Hall. As does Tim Raines. I've always been a big fan of Trammell's Tiger teammate Jack Morris but I am resigned to the fact that he won't get in.

But I hope Trammell gets some votes and some momentum. The next bunch of years will be some of the least fun ballots in Hall of Fame history.

Bonds and Clemens will be on soon and mixing it up with Rafael Palmeiro, Mark McGwire et al to make for some awful "Should steroid users be in the Hall?" debates.

Maybe someone like Trammell can benefit from that. A guy to vote for while that ugliness is going on.

And if so, take a look at his career.

It is no charity case.

It's a compelling one.

Why I am mad at Ron Santo's Hall of Fame selection

Ron Santo got selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame today by the Veteran's Committee, and the primary emotion I am feeling is being pissed off.

Not at the decision.
Santo had a great career. I understood the arguments pro and con but I can never understand how someone could get mad that someone got IN.

I'm mad at the timing.
The last time Ron Santo played a major league game, it was 1974.
I was 2 years old.
I'm now 39.

His stats have been unchanged for 37 years.
He was on the ballot 15 times and never got in. Fine. That's the BBWAA decision.

But then there were several Veterans Committee votes where he was out as well.

And now he is in, posthumously.
Santo, who became the beloved tipsy voice of the Cubs, who was filled with joy and love for his team and the fans who loved him, would have been the greatest Hall of Fame speech since... well... Phil Rizzuto, another borderline Hall of Famer who became a goofy and beloved announcer.

How wonderful would a Ron Santo Hall of Fame speech be?
What a celebration of fun, life, love and baseball it would be!

Instead it is going to be bittersweet. People wondering what he would say and how he would have reacted instead of SEEING the tears of joy.

I had the same complaint a few years ago when Joe Gordon was put in posthumously. The stats never changed. So why wait?

Why string a guy along? Here's the danger of the whole "He's a Hall of Famer but not a first ballot Hall of Famer" bullsh*t.

You hold off on the vote and they may never get to experience it.
Ron Santo has become a baseball immortal, but never got to KNOW that in his lifetime.

If you think Jim Kaat is a Hall of Famer, put him in on the next vote. I don't want to see any more children or widows of Hall of Famers giving the speeches.

Ron Santo IS a Hall of Famer. It's no longer a matter of opinion. It's a matter of fact. And future generations will see his plaque and not know if he was in on the first ballot or the 15th or selected by the Veterans' Committee.

He deserved to have that moment.
He didn't get it.
And that makes me mad.

But THIS makes me laugh.

The Ryan Lavarnway Era Begins!

Here's what I know about Ryan Lavarnway:



He is a catcher who has been destroying pitching in the Eastern League and the International League.



He plays a lot of DH which makes me wonder if his future is NOT behind the plate.



He's a right handed home grown slugger who is coming into a Red Sox line up in desperate need for a jolt, especially with the injuries to Youk and Papi.



I've never seen him play.

I don't know anyone who has seen him play.



He joins the Sox today.

Mark today down.



We will be living in the Ryan Lavarnway era!



WILLIAMS!

YAZ!

RICE!

FISK!

BOGGS!



The next great Hall of Fame hitter for the Red Sox?

Make room on the wall and mark my words!



IT WILL BE LAVARNWAY!



(No Pressure.)

The calm before the Hall of Fame storm

I hope you enjoyed the Hall of Fame ceremony yesterday. Pat Gillick, Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven all deserved to be voted in. I have supported Tim Raines, Jack Morris, Barry Larkin and Dave Parker in the past.

With the Cobra off of the ballot, there is good news for Raines, Morris and Larkin:
Next year's first time Hall of Fame ballot stinks.

I'm not kidding.
My dad and I went down the list of all the players who will be on the ballot for the very first time.

Heads and shoulders above all the other first time candidates is Bernie Williams.

Look, Bernie was a terrific player and a Red Sox killer. He was a champion who wore the pinstripes with honor and had clutch post season moments in the 1990s and the 2000s.

Nobody is denying that his #51 deserves to be retired at Yankee Stadium and he should get standing ovations in the Bronx for the rest of his life.

The only reason he should be at the Hall of Fame induction is if he is hired to be the musical act.

And he's BY FAR the best new candidate.

The other new candidates?
Vinny Castilla
Javy Lopez
Ruben Sierra
Jeff Nelson
Jeromy Burnitz
Tim Salmon
Mike Matheny
Edgardo Alfonzo
Danny Graves
Scott Erickson
Tony Womack
Jeff Fassero
Phil Nevin
Carl Everett
Brian Jordan
Eric Young
Tim Worrell
Bill Mueller
Joe Randa
Jose Lima
Matt Lawton
Terry Mulholland
Brad Radke
Rick Helling
Mike Remlinger
Felix Rodriguez

Wow.
Not a valid argument for one of them. Other than Bernie Williams, what player deserves 5% of the vote to keep them on the ballot a second year?

Williams is the only person on that list that I think has a prayer of being on the ballot in 2013, and that will probably be because a lot of sports writers think he is a nice guy.

So with writers feeling like they should put SOMEONE on their ballots, Larkin, Morris, Raines and maybe even Lee Smith will get some more love than usual. Maybe 1 or 2 of them will be pushed over the top.

And I hope they do because next year will be the last normal voting year before the dreaded 2013 ballot.

Sure there were juicers on last year's ballot and Mark McGwire, Juan Gonzalez and Rafael Palmeiro will return for more (or less) votes next January. (So will Jeff Bagwell, a slender hitter with limited power who packed on muscle fast, hung out with Ken Caminiti and became a Hall of Famer. Not saying anything except facts.)

But the two big fish are eligible in 2013.

Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens.

(Throw in Sammy Sosa too for good measure.)

2013 will be the LEAST FUN Hall of Fame vote in history. The feats of Bonds and Clemens will be staring at us all in the face... and nobody will know what to do.


It's great news for Craig Biggio, whose 3,000 hits will get him in automatically (just ask Rafael Palmeiro and Pete Rose.)

And it will probably be great news for Mike Piazza (although there have been louder whispers about Piazza's physique than for Bagwell.)

Voters won't know what the hell to do. So the borderline cases might ALL get in as a way to procrastinate or put off the inevitable.

All I know is this:

The next few years of Hall of Fame voting will be so NOT fun that you will become nostalgic for debating over Robbie Alomar spitting in an umpire's face.

Dick Williams, a man who could breathe life into dead teams

Hall of Fame manager Dick Williams died today... and if you are a fan of the Red Sox, A's or Padres, you should toast him tonight.

Dick Williams was more than a great manager. He was more than someone who took three different teams to the World Series.

He raised teams from the dead.

It's hard to believe this now, but there was a time when the Boston Red Sox were a dead franchise with poor attendance and non contenders.
They had losing seasons every year from 1959 to 1966, including 100 losses in 1965.

Dick Williams took over the club and they went to their first World Series in 19 years. And the Red Sox were revived. You can trace the love for Fenway and the romance of Red Sox Nation to the magical summer of 1967.

When he went to the A's, they hadn't been relevant since Connie Mack was manager. They never had a winning season in Kansas City and the 1971 A's was the franchise's first October since 1931.

He inherited a talented team but he made them an All Time team. The A's won back to back titles under Williams and they went on to win a third title.

In 1977 after a failed turn with the Angels, Williams took over an Expos team that never had a winning season in their first 8 years of existence. By 1979 they were a 95 win club with future Hall of Famers Gary Carter, Andre Dawson and Tony Perez at the core. A non factor franchise became a legit pennant contender and the Expos had their greatest years and drew their most fans.

Then he took over the Padres, another nondescript franchise with no history nor success. Between the Padres first season in 1969 and Williams arrival in 1982, the Padres had a grand total of one winning season and never finished above 4th place.

By his third season, the Padres were a 90 win team and won the 1984 NL West title, then stunned the heavily favored Cubs to give San Diego their first World Series appearance.

Later he took over the Mariners, another hopeless franchise. For a while it looked like he was going to do the same thing there with talented players like Mark Langston, Mike Moore, Jim Presley, Alvin Davis, Harold Reynolds, Danny Tartabull and Phil Bradley on the roster. But alas it didn't work out in the Pacific Northwest.

If only he stuck around for two more seasons in time for the arrival of Ken Griffey Jr. and Randy Johnson in 1989!

He was a Hall of Famer and one of the great managers of all time.

And you can certainly NOT say he took easy jobs.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Williams.

On a side note, we both appear in the great movie "Spaceman: A Baseball Odyssey" and in fact we both appear in this trailer for the film.
My vague connection to an All Time great manager.

A few Harmon Killebrew thoughts

A couple of people wrote to me in the last few weeks wondering why I haven’t written anything about Harmon Killebrew who recently passed away.

I gave a lengthy tribute to lesser players, like Jim Bibby and Cliff Dapper. Why not a Hall of Famer like Killebrew?

Well, I felt writers who saw him play and his former teammates all paid wonderful tributes to the great slugger. I didn’t have anything else to contribute.

But I will share a few thoughts that I had on the only Minnesota player to wear #3.


One of the great figures in Minnesota sports history almost never played there.

During the 1959 season, the lousy and cash strapped Washington Senators were offered $500,000 for their young phenom third baseman Killebrew. They were turned down. But if they caught Senators owner Calvin Griffith at a more vulnerable time, he might have made the deal.

Killebrew would have joined Frank Robinson, Gus Bell and Vada Pinson on the 1959 Redlegs squad. By the time Pete Rose would arrive in 1963, the Reds would have an all time great lineup with Killebrew protecting Robinson in the line up and driving in Pinson, Rose and Bell. He might have been a legend in Cincinnati!


The nickname was a total misnomer

The handle “Killer” was in many ways as lazy as the A-Rod, V-Mart nicknames I trashed in one of the Sully Baseball videos. Sure “Kill” was in his name, but he was as gentle a slugger as the game has ever seen.

Over his 22 seasons in the bigs, he was NEVER thrown out of a game. A hot head he was not, let alone a killer.




It took 4 ballots to get him into the Hall of Fame

Seriously? The man who when he retired was #5 on the All Time Home Run list and did so in a pitchers era couldn’t get elected?

Was this more insane “I won’t vote for the guy on the first ballot” BS?







His passing was sad but had one best case scenario

Of course his passing was tragic and a sad event in baseball. But part of me is happy that not only was he able to go on his own terms and have his wife by his side, but that the tributes to him were not all posthumous.

I'd like to hope that he saw at least one of the many montages and segments produced in his honor. Sometimes too much praising is done after someone is gone and not enough when they are still with us.

That wasn’t an issue with the Killer.

Rest in peace Mr. Killebrew.

Managing to Cooperstown - My latest for The Hardball Times

A big league manager will win a World Series this year. But how will that title affect their Hall of Fame resume?

For a few it would put them in the conversation. For others it would simply silence some critics. And still others would have a great first credit on their resume.

In my latest for The Hardball Times, I look at each big league manager and consider what the 2011 World Championship would mean for their legacy.

You can read the article HERE.

10 thoughts about the 2011 Hall of Fame vote

Bert Blyleven and Roberto Alomar are Hall of Famers. The election results are in and this wonderful day on the baseball calendar will no doubt have the columnists and bloggers typing all night long.

So why not chime in my own self?

I predicted than only Blyleven and Alomar would get in despite many other worthy candidates. But I have some other thoughts on these matters.


1. ALOMAR SHOULD BECOME THE FIRST HALL OF FAMER WITH A BLUE JAYS HAT ON THE PLAQUE

Only Rickey Henderson, Phil Niekro, Paul Molitor and Dave Winfield even played in Toronto and got elected to Cooperstown. (And Molitor was the only one to stay for more than a year.)

Alomar was a Blue Jay for five seasons. Not exactly a lifer with any one team, he should have the sideways bird engraved for all time. (The Blue Jay... NOT the Oriole).



2. BLYLEVEN SCORES ONE FOR "THE FAM-A-LEE"

An interesting thing happens when a player plays as long as Bert Blyleven did and has to wait almost as long to get elected. You find yourself celebrating teams that played generations ago.

Bert Blyleven wasn't the biggest star on the 1979 Pirates (the late Willie Stargell was) but he now joins Pops in the Hall of Fame. And while Bert will probably go in as a Minnesota Twin, his time in Pittsburgh (where he threw the complete game win to clinch the NLCS and came out of the bullpen to win Game 5 of the World Series) should be saluted.

I have a mild obsession with the 1979 Pirates and hope that SOMEONE will cue up the Sister Sledge this summer in Cooperstown.



3. ALAS FELLOW "FAM-A-LEE" MEMBER DAVE PARKER WON'T BE JOINING HIM

On the 1979 Pirates, Dave Parker was a much more imposing figure than Blyleven. And I supported the Cobra's Hall of Fame candidacy. But after 15 attempts it didn't happen.

Maybe the Veterans Committee will take another look at him. Short of that, being the bad ass 1978 National League MVP and having two World Series rings might have to suffice.



4. HOW MANY PEOPLE WHO LEFT THEIR BALLOTS BLANK LAST YEAR VOTED FOR ALOMAR AND BLYLEVEN THIS YEAR?

Last year five writers left their ballots blank. And last year Blyleven and Alomar missed being elected by just a few votes. Those blank ballots could have been the difference.

If you left them blank last year and voted for Robbie and Bert this year, you should have your voting rights taken away.

Also if there were no Alomar nor Blyleven on the ballot, would there have been more support for Barry Larkin or other returning players? We'll never know.



5. GET TO WORK ON YOUR SPEECH, BARRY LARKIN

It is going to happen. People like Barry Larkin. There is no cloud of doubt hanging over Barry Larkin. AND he got 62.1% of the vote this year.

Next year the player with the best Hall of Fame resume being put on the ballot if Bernie Williams. Terrific player. Not a Hall of Famer. He'll get the votes next year to get in.






6. IT LOOKS LIKE THE 1984 TIGERS WON'T HAVE A HALL OF FAMER ON THEIR ROSTER

Sparky Anderson's passing recently shone attention back onto his wonderful 1984 World Champion Tiger team. It certainly FELT like a star studded super star team back then. But Kirk Gibson and Lance Parrish never got the Hall of Fame support and now it looks more and more like Jack Morris and Alan Trammell's vote tallies are not going to cut it.

Therefore the only Hall of Famer from the 1984 Tigers would be Sparky.



7. IT DOESN'T LOOK GOOD FOR MANY STARS OF THE 1980s

Don Mattingly's support is stagnant. Dale Murphy's isn't getting better. Lee Smith can't get over the hump after nine attempts. And poor Harold Baines is off the ballot after 5 tries. If Baines ONLY got those extra seven hits a year.

The 80s, the decade I grew up on, is struggling to put its superstars in the Hall!


8. WHY NO LOVE FOR TIM RAINES?

Staying with 1980s stars not getting love from the voters, the most perplexing is the lack of support for Tim Raines. In his fourth attempt he got less than 40% of the vote. It can't be just because he played in Montreal.

It can't be because of his drug problems.

I think people haven't looked at his stats. Well here they are. Read them and vote! (Jim Rice had less than 40% of the vote too at one point and he got in, so there is hope.)



9. UM... MARQUIS GRISSOM GOT 4 VOTES?

As I wrote in my Jay Bell - Hall of Famer post a few years ago, I get it when a guy gets a stray vote. A sports writer may want to throw a bone to a player they liked and make sure they didn't come and go without a single vote. It's when a player gets more than one sympathy vote that I start to wonder "Did I see the wrong player?"

I've got nothing against Marquis Grissom... a good solid baseball lifer. But FOUR voters used their ballot to say "He should be immortalized!" Imagine if 460 did. They'd be carving a plaque for him. As for B.J. Surhoff... this article kind of says it all.



10. THE NEXT 15 SOME ODD YEARS ARE NOT GOING TO FUN IN TERMS OF HALL OF FAME VOTING


Kevin Brown is mercifully off the ballot... but Juan Gonzalez somehow will stick around for next year. And Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro can't bust 20% of the vote but will be debated next winter as well.

The 'roids talk influenced the Jeff Bagwell vote and it isn't going to get prettier as the dreaded 2013 election looms... and Bonds and Clemens are eligible.

Be prepared for years and years of the tainted names on the ballot and lots of debate. Which is GREAT news for candidates like Barry Larkin and Rock Raines who will get more support from writers who don't want to send in blank ballots.

These guys have done the hard part for the Hall of Fame resume…now don’t get hurt: My Latest for the Hardball Times

Is it too early to be talking about Tim Lincecum, Dustin Pedroia or Adam Wainwright for the Hall of Fame? Of course it is. But they've all done the hard part of having great individual seasons and post season heroics already. If they can stay healthy and pile up some numbers, they should have quite a Hall of Fame argument.

In my latest for The Hardball Times, I go through the players who just need to reach a few milestones to pad an already glamorous resume.

Read the article here.