I know I’m not alone in writing about this topic today, but as I sat at my computer, I just couldn’t get this off my mind. Today it was confirmed what we already know, the MLB Hall of Fame is a circus and the voting process is an absolute joke. In a decision that could have only occurred in 2020, for the first time since 1960, nobody will be inducted.
For those not familiar with the process, Hall of Famers are determined by the members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, and a player must appear on 75% of the ballots to get inducted. So that means this year, these “writers” decided that there isn’t a single player worthy of entering Cooperstown. Let me know which one of these players shouldn’t included the Hall of Fame!
How is it possible that the Bloody Sock from the 2004 ALCS is in the Hall of Fame, but the player who wore it sits on the outside looking in. Say what you will about Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, but I have no argument with the Top 8 getting recognized among the best.
Here’s what drives me and most baseball fans nuts, these writers take their vote as an opportunity to “make a statement”. Don’t believe me, Derek Jeter received all but one vote his first time on the ballot. As a Red Sox fan, I hate Jeter, but that guy is a first ballot unanimous Hall of Famer. But for some reason, a writer decided to take it upon themselves to keep Jeter from being the first position player unanimously elected.
These writers feel like they are the protectors of the game and don’t want anyone included in the Hall of Fame that they don’t like. They now make their decision not based on stats, but on actions off the field. Now it’s one thing if a players committed some heinous crimes, but for someone like Curt Schilling, it’s his political views that turns off writers, and for other like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemons, it’s their steroid scandals that are keeping them out.
But ask yourself this, what’s the purpose of the Hall of Fame? In my opinion, Cooperstown’s job is to share stories of the best players with the next generation of fans. Can you really tell the story of Baseball over the past three decades without Barry Bond, Roger Clemons, and Curt Schilling? When a family is walking around Cooperstown and a child asks “who hit the most homeruns?” and is told “it’s Barry Bonds”, then they have to explain why he isn’t in the Hall of Fame?
Right now, the entire process is a jokes and the clowns who run it need their power stripped of them. But good news, there’s a simple solution, and ironically it’s one that’s already in place, simply have current members of the Hall of Fame select the next batch each year. They already do it, if a player doesn’t get selected for 10 years, there’s a Veterans Committee that can then induct them. It’s this process that allowed Ted Simmons, Marvin Miller, Alan Trammell, and Jack Morris to get elected these past couple of years. So why isn’t this the process, why do writers get to be the decision makers. If you want them to be part of the process, ok, but sole decision makers is crazy.
