BBWAA says none are worthy, not even one

This was fairly predictable for the main protagonists Bonds, Sosa and Clemens, but Craig Biggio too? C'mon guys?

Baseball -- via the powers vested in the BBWAA and the Hall of Fame -- seems bound and determined to continually this annual rite of public flagellation and humiliation over the PED issue.

The NFL addressed this when Lawrence Taylor was up for induction and -- with no huge public outcry or retribution -- Taylor was admitted under the premise that the Hall of Fame is not the Hall of Saints. Given the baseball Hall of Fames ridiculous adherence to the following "character clause" we can expect more of the same debate in coming years.


from foxsports.com
Morosi: Simple change to MLB Hall of Fame ballot could help deserving players - MLB News | FOX Sports on MSN:

PEDs enter into play when we consider the evolution of voters’ thinking. Of course, the actual criteria, set forth by the Hall of Fame, remain unchanged: “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.” The BBWAA isn’t easily convinced, enshrining more than two players in a year only once during the past two decades. But now it seems successful candidates must check three boxes.

How many guys have actually been elected to the baseball Hall on the basis of integrity, sportsmanship or character without superlative playing ability and contributions to winning? Anyone? Is there a "Miss Congeniality"  that has been elected who didn't pass the usual playing ability tests? I didn't think so, although I thought I heard a couple of Phil Rizzuto whispers back there, but WDIK?

If you're not willing to take open and avowed racists (talking to you Cap Anson) or guys who padded their stats by competing in a segregated league, then don't go all high and mighty now.

The Hall is a museum and should speak to the history of the game, warts and all. If you're not scrubbing or ignoring the racists past, it seems rather silly, childish and petty to only punish players of this era for their sin in participating in the "culture of the game" within the context of the era in which they were participating. By that standard, you should yank Babe Ruth out for not speaking up against segregation.

Why MLB insists on turning what should be an annual celebration of the game into an annual black eye, to appease a small minority of self-avowed "purists", who truth be told are not all that pure themselves, is a joke.


from the MLBPA:

Michael Weiner, executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, released the following statement after the BBWAA failed to vote in a single candidate for 2013:

"Today's news that those members of the BBWAA afforded the privilege of casting ballots failed to elect even a single player to the Hall of Fame is unfortunate, if not sad. Those empowered to help the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum document the history of the game failed to recognize the contributions of several Hall of Fame worthy players. To ignore the historic accomplishments of Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, for example, is hard to justify. Moreover, to penalize players exonerated in legal proceedings -- and others never even implicated -- is simply unfair. The Hall of Fame is supposed to be for the best players to have ever played the game. Several such players were denied access to the Hall today. Hopefully this will be rectified by future voting."