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Saturday, 4 a.m.
Who would be on your baseball Hall of Fame ballot this year? How do you stand on Barry Bonds and other steroid users being allowed in the HOF?
Larry Beller
Larry, your question was very good for me. I had written an article on Nov. 24 about my choices, and this was the perfect chance for me to check back to see how I did. For a change, I did okay.
The first four guys on my ballot all made it: Chipper Jones, Vlad Guerrero, Jim Thome and Trevor Hoffman. I also called the fifth guy, Edgar Martinez, although he fell short of getting enough votes to get in.
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Usually, 2-3 guys, at most, get in. I voted for eight, just to have room to discuss it, and I thought all eight had an argument. Still, I was pleased with four.I like Martinez, too, and I think he'll get in next year.
With my sixth pick, I went with sentiment. I voted for Fred McGriff. I wasn't really surprised he finished 12th, but sometimes, you have to go against the flow.
After McGriff, I went with Mike Mussina (who finished sixth) and Omar Vizquel (10th).
Those were the eight I listed.
As far as Clemens and Bonds, I admit it: I'm softening. Both players were well on their way to the Hall before they had the career turnarounds that hinted at steroid use. Both players have denied usage.
In my gut, however, I think both of them took PEDs. Now, I place only half the blame on the players. The sport of baseball was pushing power hitters, and they seemed to be turning their heads as skulls got bigger. I just wish they'd admit it. (See Sosa, Sammy).
The problem is that the lines are so vague between those who have admitted it, those who we believe did it, and those who we wouldn't be surprised at it. After a while, you can blame the game or you can you shake your head at a Hall of Fame without Pete Rose, without Barry Bonds, without Roger Clemens, without Mark McGwire, without Alex Rodriguez, without Joe Jackson, without Buck Weaver and without Sosa. At some point, are you robbing the fans.
For right now, for today, I didn't vote for PED users. But next year, or the year after, I might. I had an interesting conversation about this with Joe Posnanski the last time we had dinner. He, too, thinks the evidence is far from conclusive.
We're in a nation where we like to forgive. I can tell you this: Every year since PEDs, it's been a struggle for me. I'm sure that will continue.
I just don't understand how Fred McGriff received only 23.2% of the votes on this year's HOF ballot. Do you?
Scott Myers
I don't, but some days, I feel like you and I are fighting a losing battle. I wrote once that if Freddie had been caught corking his bat, causing a couple of bar brawls and had a history of holding out for more money, it might have made him more interesting to voters.
I know Freddie, and I like him. There has never been a whisper about him and PEDs, which as I've also written, should create a curve for him. You could believe in every one of his homers. He played on some very good teams.
Hey, I'll admit it.He wasn't Babe Ruth or Willie Mays. But you don't have to be to get into the Hall. I think if McGriff were to be inducted, he certainly wouldn't be the worst player there.
But I think a lot of years, there are sexier candidates. Because of it, I think Fred has gotten lost. It's a shame, because he's a good guy.
In my mind, he makes the cut. But there are a lot of minds that vote. I remember reading one year that a columnist wrote about Fred: "I don't know what a Hall of Famer is, but I know Fred isn't." That seemed to me kind of a vague criticism.
I recently heard Troy Aikman in an interview saying how the NFL is designed for parity, and that New England doesn’t see it that way. They believe they have a significant advantage. I’ve always thought Belichick mastered the art of "delegating," and focuses more time on finding an “edge." Then again, you've got to motivate better than the other coach, too. This guy has no personality. How do you think he figured that part out, and put it all together?
Carlos Ubinas
I think for Belichick, consistency is the operative word. He isn't going to be bland today and lively tomorrow; he's bland every day. You get what you get.
Belichick is the latest bit of proof that you don't have to be a players' buddy to get him to play for you. Tom Landry was the same way. Chuck Noll. Tony Dungy. Players just need organization and guidance.
Think about it. Sam Wyche had a wonderful personality. Jerry Glanville. Buddy Ryan. But that doesn't get a team to the end zone.
Belichick is a master of creating matchups, and of exploiting (sometimes illegally) the little things. No, he doesn't hang out with Gronk. But he's meticulous, and he gives his players the best chance to win. He's an ace in my book.
Larry Beller
Larry, baseball holds the Rays up as a success story. The Rays have
won (in the past) while spending very little money. And don't forget, the sport sent John McHale here to control the spending. So, no, I don't think we're any more likely to get a floor than a ceiling.
But, sure, I'd like to see it. I'm all for the Rays spending money (provided it isn't for the Hit Show). Baseball seems happy with the disparity of spending whether fans are or not.
(An aside: When the NFL went to the salary cap, I was a the guy who had to ask Paul Tagliabue about a floor. As you know, the Bucs of those days weren't going to test the ceiling).
Stu Sternberg, the Rays' owner, has said often that the Rays payroll rises and falls (not too high, of course) because the franchise can't afford to spend with its opponents in the AL East. Looking at the stands, it does feel as though their revenues are limited.
So I do understand what the Rays are up against. But when the payroll bottoms out, as it probably will this year, it's hard for fans to even think about the post-season. You're right. This might resemble a Triple A team. Especially when you compare them to the Red Sox, who are trying to buy all the pitchers in the league, and the Yankees, who are trying to buy all the home-run hitters.
We've been dealt a bad hand, Larry. We have to depend on the tumblers to fall just right to compete. We have to win with players who are young enough not to have hit the big money yet. We have to hope for oafish spending elsewhere in the division.
I understand the fans, too, Larry. They're weary of being outnumbered (and outspent) every year. They want to see winning streaks, too. It's no fun pulling for the Washington Generals.
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