"Big Papi" David Ortiz gets baseball Hall of Fame nod; Bonds and Clemens kept out

[True Dough]

Does this make much sense to anyone?

With the process still tainted by the steroid era, David Ortiz was the lone player to gain induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame this year, while players like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens were shut out.

"Big Papi" was the only player to clear the 75 percent threshold for induction, according to results of this year's voting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Ortiz was named on 307 ballots (77.9 percent) in his first year of eligibility.

"I am truly honored and blessed by my selection to the Hall of Fame -- the highest honor that any baseball player can reach in their lifetime," Ortiz said in a statement released by the Boston Red Sox. "I am grateful to the baseball writers who considered my career in its totality, not just on the statistics."

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/33145769/former-boston-red-sox-slugger-david-ortiz-lone-inductee-baseball-hall-fame-barry-bonds-roger-clemens-miss-again

[Tomconroy]

1. Yes.

https://www.audacy.com/weei/sports/red-sox/reporter-who-broke-ped-stories-defends-david-ortiz

[RockRaven]

2. Ortiz tested positive in 2003.

Any of these writers claiming they didn't vote for these other guys on absolutist/purity grounds have no leg to stand on. They are going to have to outline a more nuanced position if they want to justify themselves.

[empedocles]

3. Agree, keep Bonds and Clemens out!

[jimfields33]

4. I agree.

[El Supremo]

5. All I know in that Bud $elig was a dickless wonder.

None of this would have happened if there had been a stronger commissioner. Judge Landis would have had them all shot (or lynched if they were black).

[orwell]

6. Total...

...hypocrites.

Ortiz gets in?

[True Dough]

9. Seems that way

to me too. The only difference is that Ortiz was a huge fan favorite and more friendly with the media (HoF voters) than the surly Clemens and super extra surly Bonds.

[ificandream]

10. Bonds, most recently ...

... seems to have calmed down. I think he even apologized for his attitude back then.

[orwell]

12. He was an asshole...

...he's completely different now that he is retired.

Also, he had a Hall of Fame career without the steroids.

He is the greatest hitter I have ever seen. He is the only hitter who was walked intentionally with the bases loaded.

His godfather was Willie Mays. Bobby Bonds was his father. He is basically baseball royalty.

There are players in the HOF that took steroids who aren't the baseball player that Bonds was.

It isn't the Hall of Fame without him. It's the Hall of guys who didn't get caught...

[Auggie]

14. Nailed it

[El Supremo]

7. Sosa was also kept out...

in his "final" year.

Could anyone even recognize him?

[empedocles]

8. The veritable 'smoking gun' broken bat

[ificandream]

11. I'm disappointed, especially for Bonds

Loved watching him back in the day. I had season tickets in the bleachers and although he didn't get along with the writers, he was nice to the fans. I remember one day at Candlestick Park on Bat Day we were all standing around at the gate waiting as usual for guys to drive out and Barry walked to the fence and signed bats. My luck I left it in the car so he signed my hat. Also talked with him on a couple of photo days where people could take pictures of the Giants.

[Iggo]

13. Cheater.