Steroid era shows its muscle over Hall of Fame voters

No player will live forever behind the walls of baseball’s Hall of Fame. At least not this year. Photo by: Ken Curtis / Flickr

BY WADE MCMILLIN & BRANDON J. SMITH, Couchsideshow.com bloggers

When the Baseball Writer’s Association received a chance to throw a shutout against this year’s Hall of Fame candidates, the pencil pushers couldn’t pass up the chance.

For just the second time in the past 40 years, a player won’t be enshrined at Cooperstown. At first reaction, Major League Baseball fans probably scratched their heads at the rare occasion. After all, many of them probably don’t remember the last time the MLB didn’t have an annual Hall of Fame Induction. It’s been more than a decade since Hall of Fame voters didn’t grant a player’s golden ticket to walk through the pearly gates of Cooperstown. So why this year? Why now? Well it seems like the baseball’s steroid era is carrying some serious weight on the prestine voters of the MLB’s highest honer.

Instead of thinking that a guy just deserves his day in the sun, voters now have to second guess themselves about whether or not that particular player used performance enhancing drugs. It looks like there won’t be any free passes or thoughts that a player’s stats and skills are simply good enough. Instead, the foreseeable future of MLB Hall of Fame voting will have a dark cloud lingering, filled with creams, needles and lies. However, there’s no doubt that some players deserving of the honor, never once though about gaining that edge. Those are the baseball players who should get their shot. It’s sad to think that some won’t just because their name is listed alongside the likes of Barry Bonds, Rodger Clemens and Sammy Sosa.

As disheartening and backwards as the situation seems, it will most likely be the way Hall of Fame voters look at each player new to the ballot. Plenty of players deserved their shot this year, but were denied the chance undoubtedly because of some of the other tarnished names on the ballot. This is just the beginning baseball fans. In the future, expect crowded ballots and these old, tired voters to leave your guy off their list. Here’s a look at some of this year’s snubs and a clear case of why they either should’ve made it into the Hall of Fame on Wednesday or why they should soon.

Pre-steroid era (Brandon J. Smith)

• Jack Morris, Detroit Tigers: I’m not a Jack Morris supporter, and it has nothing to do with feelings or emotions concerning his candidacy, but rather the factual results that don’t put him in an elite category of pitching. No matter how you slice it, a 3.90 ERA with a 1.78 strikeout-to-walk ratio just doesn’t do it for me. If he gets elected however it won’t bother me personally, just the writers who have to twist and bend history to make a case for him will. That being said, where does Morris go from here? He up from 66% to 67% of the vote this year and has one chance left before he’s off the ballot. Will there be a final surge from the voters to get a sympathy vote when Maddux, Glavine, and Frank Thomas join the fray next year, or will he get pushed back with all the others? I think he’ll get pushed back, although it would be hilarious to have him inducted on the same day as Greg freaking Maddux. (more…)

January 9, 2013 | Categories: MLB | Tags: barry bonds hall of fame, baryy bonds hall of fame, bernie williams will never be in the hall of fame, cooperstown, craig biggio hall of fame, craig biggio hall of fame snub, fred mcgriff hall of fame, kenny lofton will never be in the hall of fame, mlb hall of fame, mlb hall of fame controversy, mlb hall of fame shutout, mlb hall of fame snubs, roger clemens hall of fame, sammy sosa hall of fame, why didnt any player get voted into the baseball hall of fame, why wasnt anyone elected into the hall of fame, will alan trammell ever get into the hall of fame, will jack morris ever get into the hall of fame, will time raines ever get into the hall of fame | Leave A Comment »