11/21/24
January 26, 2022
David Ortiz First Ballot Hall of Famer: and he is the lone inductee for 2022. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens fall short again and are now no longer eligible for induction via this method.
If Bonds and Clemens had gotten shot in the guts, they might have made it.
posted by The_Black_Hand at 10:26 AM on January 26, 2022
Bonds is the greatest player I've ever seen. Until he's in, the MLB hall of fame is a complete joke.
posted by tron7 at 10:57 AM on January 26, 2022
I agree, tron. I had the pleasure of watching from the bleachers in Wrigley Field when he was still a part of amazing Pirates outfield during the early '90s. I also was in a Stratomatic baseball league in early '94 and the first overall pick. You bet your sweet ass that my pick was Barry Bonds. It was on his shoulders that I won the World Series.
posted by NoMich at 11:01 AM on January 26, 2022
The thing I always go back to is: juice or no juice, the player still has to put together quality at bats and make contact with the ball. Bonds could have had body parts replaced with robotic appendages and I still would have been amazed at what he did in the batter's box.
By the time he got to the 2002 World Series, opposing teams were doing everything except rolling the ball underhand across the infield grass toward home plate to keep him from getting something he could hit. Yet whenever he got the slightest chance of seeing a pitch he could make contact with, he was deadly.
I also admire Bonds for staying in the NL and playing a field position when he could have gone to the AL and lived comfortably as a DH if he'd wanted to.
And juice or no juice, Roger Clemens' work ethic and preparation were other worldly. You can't do what he did in his career without being driven to excel all day every day.
Although the Baseball HOF is flawed, it still pales in comparison to the Rock and Roll HOF, which has been outrageously exclusionary since day one.
posted by beaverboard at 12:03 PM on January 26, 2022
I'm feeling pretty lonely in my lack of anger that Bonds and Clemens didn't make the Hall in regular voting. I can't tell if it's because I'm grumpy Pete Rose is still excluded or generally disgruntled over the steroid era.
Bonds is the best hitter I ever saw in person.
posted by rcade at 04:36 PM on January 26, 2022
I think what Clemens and Bonds did is far worse than what Rose did as far as for the Hall of Fame. Hear me out on this. First, I know because he is banned from MLB, Rose is not eligible, therefore, can not be voted on. But what Rose did, was after his playing career. If he had chosen another profession, say, TV analyst, instead, he would be in the Hall of Fame right now. He would be going in as a player, not as a manager. His exclusion has nothing to do with his playing career. But Bonds and Clemens, on the other hand, were still players during their transgressions. Both would have been Hall of Famers without their use of steroids. They were two of the best to ever play, before they made a deal with the devil. But, they couldn't help themselves in their strive towards being known as the best. They cheated. Plain and simple. Doesn't matter how many others were cheating. If you get a multiple speeding tickets, you're not getting a safe driving discount from your insurance provider, regardless, if everyone else is speeding. You're still speeding. And they cheated. I played Division 1 baseball and was drafted in the June 84 amateur draft, what Bonds, Clemens, and the like did to my beloved game pisses me off beyond any comprehension. Yes, there's the argument that cheating (spitballs, greenies, sign stealing, pine tar, etc) have always been a part of America's pasttime, but this goes way, way past that. They ruined the record books. They ruined the game for many years. They ruined the image of baseball. They did not "save" baseball. If they ever get into the Hall of Fame, I would consider never watching another game. It's that big of a deal to me. And don't get me started on Bud Selig and his turning a blind eye. Sorry, for the rant, but this is something that hits me and many of my friends, personally.
posted by jagsnumberone at 01:19 AM on January 27, 2022
But what Rose did, was after his playing career.
He was in a position of power (manager) on a MLB team, so what he did was WORSE than if he did it while he was a player.
If he was a player and betting on games he participated in, then the only effect he can have is what he, himself, does on the field. He can't influence the outcome of the games except when he is batting, fielding, or running.
As a manager, he could affect the outcome of the game in so many different ways. Starting pitcher choice, batting lineups (where/whom), reliever usage (when/whom), pinch-hitters (when/whom), hit-and-runs or bunts (when/whom), and defensive alignments (when/whom) are all under his control as the manager.
Any and all defense for Rose is just pathetic in my eyes.
Comparing what he did to players who used PEDs and were not punished (like Clemens, Bonds, Mays, etc) is ridiculous.
If you want to keep Ramirez and Rodriguez out of the hall for being suspended for PED use, I have no problem with that. There were specific rules and they broke them.
The fact that the commissioner during the PED era (Selig), managers that obviously knew and benefited from the PED usage (LaRussa), and other players suspected of using PEDs (I.Rodriguez, Ortiz) are already in the HOF completely neuters any reason why Bonds and Clemens shouldn't get elected to the HOF when they come up for the Modern Era committee vote in the future.
posted by grum@work at 07:00 AM on January 27, 2022
jags: it sounds like you and Doug Glanville are on the same page with the PED issue. He was interviewed on local sports radio yesterday, discussing this topic. (look down the list a bit to find the Doug Glanville interview)
As for Pete Rose, I'm definitely with grum. Pete Rose gambled on the games that he managed and MLB clearly established a precedent with regard to gambling on games waaaay back in the early 20th century. He certainly did not help his cause out in any way with all of his lying and just generally being an asshole about it.
posted by NoMich at 08:11 AM on January 27, 2022
Comforting to note that while MLB goodwill ambassador Jeff Kent didn't score well in the voting, he will still have further opportunities to gain entrance.