If I had a vote for this year’s Baseball Hall of Fame class, this is how I’d vote.
- BARRY BONDS – YES
- ROGER CLEMENS – YES
- SAMMY SOSA – YES
- MIKE PIAZZA – YES
- CRAIG BIGGIO – YES
- CURT SCHILLING – YES
- SANDY ALOMAR – NO, BUT MAYBE LATER
- KENNY LOFTON – NO, BUT MAYBE LATER
- TODD WALKER – NO
- REGGIE SANDERS – NO
- ROYCE CLAYTON – NO
- JEFF CIRILLO – NO
- DAVID WELLS – NO
- STEVE FINLEY – NO
- JEFF CONINE – NO
- JULIO FRANCO – NO
- SHAWN GREEN – NO
- ROBERTO HERNANDEZ – NO
- RYAN KLESKO – NO
- JOSE MESA – NO, BUT MAYBE LATER
- MIKE STANTON – NO
- AARON SELE – NO
- RONDELL WHITE – NO
- WOODY WILLIAMS – NO
- JACK MORRIS – YES
- JEFF BAGWELL – YES
- LEE SMITH – YES
- TIM RAINES – YES
- ALAN TRAMMELL – NO
- EDGAR MARTINEZ – NO, BUT MAYBE LATER
- FRED MCGRIFF – NO, BUT MAYBE LATER
- LARRY WALKER – NO, BUT MAYBE LATER
- MARK MCGWIRE – NO, BUT MAYBE LATER
- DON MATTINGLY – NO, BUT MAYBE LATER
- DALE MURPHY – NO
- RAFAEL PALMEIRO – NO, BUT MAYBE LATER
- BERNIE WILLIAMS – NO
To put it simply, yes there are issue with players that have been connected to steroids. But I am on the boat that the Hall of Fame is a history museum. It tells us a story of baseball’s history. Whether good or bad, history can’t be covered up. Because of that, I feel that the players connected to steroids should be included because of it.
Sure their stats may have been enhanced by the drugs so I believe maybe they should have an asterisk on their plaques or something. But to completely ignore them doesn’t work. Maybe they won’t get a plaque, but they have to be recognized for what they did for baseball. After all, steroids saved baseball in 1998. You can’t deny that.
I am glad I am not a voter. This would have blown my brains trying to justify these votes.