No players elected by writers to Baseball HOF

[joeybee12]

For the first time since 1996, no players were elected to the Hall of Fame by baseball writers.

Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mike Piazza, Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell and Sammy Sosa were among those who failed to achieve the 75 percent vote necessary for election.


Since 1965, the only years the writers didn't elect a candidate were when Yogi Berra topped the 1971 vote by appearing on 67 percent of the ballots cast and when Phil Niekro headed the 1996 ballot at 68 percent. Both eventually made it to Cooperstown.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/8828339/no-players-elected-baseball-hall-fame-writers

[madinmaryland]

1. Not unexpected.

Glad to see the Roiders didn't get in on the first try.

BTW, welcome back after the humiliation of the Fighting Amish!!

[joeybee12]

2. I know...an awful game, almost makes one wish to be an OSU fan...

A school so corrupt you don't have to worry how they'll do in bowl games!

[KamaAina]

3. Jeez. What a list.

Four 'roiders (yes, Piazza, too) and two borderline guys who spent their entire careers with the Disastros.

[ellisonz]

4. Keep the Cheaters Out!

Also, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine will be on next years ballot.

[joeybee12]

5. Some asshat on ESPN this morning was explaining why he voted for Bonds...

Had me worried Barroid might get in...but he got even fewer votes than Clemens...I think those 2 and Sosa will never get in...good.

[ellisonz]

6. The common argument being that Bonds had a HOF career before the roids...

...which IMHO is negated by the disgrace to the game he brought.

How is it that cycling is more effectively able to deal with PED use than MLB?

Verducci hits the nail on the head:

First, you must understand the voting process. A ballot is sent to me in the mail -- a personal ballot, just as it is sent to about 570 baseball writers eligible to vote. This is not an SAT test or a trivia contest. There are no "right" and "wrong" answers. This one ballot is my judgment. Yes, I am being asked to be "judge" or juror, in the parlance of some writers uncomfortable with responsibility, but I am only one of many hundreds.

When I vote for a player I am upholding him for the highest individual honor possible. My vote is an endorsement of a career, not part of it, and how it was achieved. Voting for a known steroid user is endorsing steroid use. Having spent too much of the past two decades or so covering baseball on the subject of steroids -- what they do, how the game was subverted by them, and how those who stayed away from them were disadvantaged -- I cannot endorse it.

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mlb/news/20130108/hall-of-fame-ballot-steroids-mark-mcgwire-barry-bonds-roger-clemens/#ixzz2HViOkOtG

This isn't about stats, this is about love of the game.

[joeybee12]

7. I agree...and Clemens was HOF before roids also...

But they cheated, and that negates the achievements.

[Iggo]

14. As far as the common argument goes...

...well, yeah, but Pete Rose had a HOF carreer too.

And the cycling question? Cycling doesn't have billionaire owners with stadiums full of seats they gotta fill.

[madinmaryland]

8. cboy4 is a sports reporter??

I guess that explains the whole "ace reporter" thing!!

[joeybee12]

9. There was also someone at msnbc (now nbc news) who wrote why he

voted for Bonds...must be cboy's cousin!

[madinmaryland]

10. That would be...

upton!!

[joeybee12]

11. I always said cboy was UP TO No good

[El Supremo]

12. Who were those 200 jerks who voted for Bonds and Clemens?

Player (Years on ballot) Total Votes Percentage

Craig Biggio (1) 388 68.2
Jack Morris (14) 385 67.7
Jeff Bagwell (3) 339 59.6
Mike Piazza (1) 329 57.8
Tim Raines (6) 297 52.2
Lee Smith (11) 272 47.8
Curt Schilling (1) 221 38.8
Roger Clemens (1) 214 37.6
Barry Bonds (1) 206 36.2
Edgar Martinez (4) 204 35.9
Alan Trammell (12) 191 33.6
Larry Walker (3) 123 21.6
Fred McGriff (4) 118 20.7
Dale Murphy (15) 106 18.6
Mark McGwire (7) 96 16.9
Don Mattingly (13) 75 13.2
Sammy Sosa (1) 71 12.5
Rafael Palmeiro (3) 50 8.8
Bernie Williams (2) 19 3.3
Kenny Lofton (1) 18 3.2
Sandy Alomar Jr. (1) 16 2.8
Julio Franco (1) 6 1.1
David Wells (1) 5 0.9
Steve Finley (1) 4 0.7
Shawn Green (1) 2 0.4
Aaron Sele (1) 1 0.2
Jeff Cirillo (1) 0 0
Royce Clayton (1) 0 0
Jeff Conine (1) 0 0
Roberto Hernandez (1) 0 0
Ryan Klesko (1) 0 0
Jose Mesa (1) 0 0
Reggie Sanders (1) 0 0
Mike Stanton (1) 0 0
Todd Walker (1) 0 0
Rondell White (1) 0 0
Woody Williams (1) 0 0

[joeybee12]

13. Good news is McGwire started out with about the number of votes Barroid got...

if memory serves me well...and he seems to be dropping so Barroid and Clemens should follow that same fate.

[RockaFowler]

15. OK - why isn't Alan Trammel in the HOF??

That is a disgrace. And it should have nothing to do with his coaching career. The man was amazing when he played. I really despise these writers who hold all of this power. Base it on the field of play. For God's sake!!

[madinmaryland]

16. The good thing is with Maddox and Glavine 1st ballot picks next year, there is a real

good chance everyone on that list will not make it next year, either.