Baseball Hall of Fame Pitches a Shutout

I don't have a problem with it.

Exactly.

Yes -- I find it quite pathetic that the same group now acting holier than thou about the steriod era is in large part the exact same group that did nothing to report on steriod use during that time, and could easily be accused of being jocksniffer/enablers during the era. What a bunch of idiots.

They've been acting that way since long before the steroid era... see: Pete Rose.

But it always has been.  Popularity with numbers.

IMHO, the HOF is going the way of the heisman...becoming irrelevant quickly. 

An imperfect set of voters- we really want the media to decide who the 'best' players were? Imperfect criteria to judge. An unknown, subjective standard to judge against. It is, truly a popularity contest. Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro - both with HOF stats - below 20%. Clemens and Bonds, same stats?  Over 35%. It's truly a likeability contest. 

Put whoever you want in. Without Pete Rose in there, it just doesn't matter. It's become more about the media than the athletes. Which is sad. 

Which sucks for guys like Biggio and Morris...they were the good guys. 

/rant off.

I don't believe these players should be inducted. The hall is meant for players who excelled in their profession through hard work and god given talent, not performance enhancing drugs. They may not have cheated per the rules but their performance will always have a "what if" asterisk. This is appropriate and i have no problem with, I do have a problem with going into the past and changing the record books ie. Lance Armstrong. Hall of Fame induction is a reward not a right and I don't believe in rewarding PED use.

I can easily use PED's to enhance my performance in triathlon with no repercussions, But like the majority of competitors out their I don't. Athletics is about being better than the person next to you through hard work and experience, not because of PED's. Those players should have known that.

I look forward to next year when one of my idols Frank Thomas one of the best (Clean) power hitters of the ninties will be inducted on his first ballot. He also voluntarily interviewed for Mitchell report and advocated for steroid testing well before Bonds, Mcgwire and Sosa shattered MLB records.

3,000+ hits, a 20-yr career on one team, multiple Gold Gloves, All-Stars as both catcher and 2B, MVP's, and played catcher, 2B, and outfield WELL doesn't deserve to get in on the first ballot?!

ok...

When Pete Rose was dismissed it changed my view of the selection process and nature of the HoF for me.  I loved Pete Rose as a player.

x2

He should be in, no question

I do think it's good for the HOF to have high standards...but the writers messed up (in my opinion).

Personally, I loved Jack Morris and Dale Murphy...but they are just a cut below HOF material in my opinion.  Awesome players, good guys, but just not HOF level.  Morris had too many down years that took away from his accomplishments.  Murphy didn't produce at a HOF level for a long enough period.  

McGwire's entire career was tainted by doping...and even juiced he couldn't hit for average.  He doesn't deserve entry.

MLB created this ridiculous circus by looking the other way when this nonsense was happening.  Someone earlier in this thread made a great statement...how absurd is it that the writers who didn't call out MLB in the '90's when the rampant use of PEDs was so obvious, now get the opportunity to deny some great players entry into the HOF.  Just nuts.

Bonds, Piazza, and Clemens deserve entry without a doubt in my mind.  If the writers want to take out their righteous anger on someone, 1st, look at MLB, then, look in the mirror.  All those dingers from the mid '90's through the mid-'00's, occurred because MLB was happy as heck with them!  More dingers, more $$$.

Ha true!  Pete Rose's 'scandal' looks like small beans now!

I suppose it depends on what your criteria for the HOF is.  BTW, Biggio never won a MVP award. 

Biggio is a longevity stats guy.  He never made an all star game or won a golden glove in his last 10 years of his career.  He was "really good" for about 6-7 years in the 90's, but never so good that he was considered "dominant".  In these situations, just use the eye test.  If you found out that Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux, Jim Thome, Frank Thomas, or Ken Griffey Jr were going to get traded in the mid 90's...that would be HUGE news.  If the Astros decided to trade Biggio in the mide 90's...it would be news...but nothing mind blowing.

Do I think Biggio belongs in the HoF?  No.  I never understood the value of "longevity stats" like 3000 hits.  If the NFL was the same way, then Vinny Testaverde and Kerry Collins would get in the pro football HoF because they have over 40,000 pass yards.

Pro cycling and Major League Baseball are apples and oranges.  Pro cycling did everything it could do to prevent doping.  It tried, yes it failed, but it tried.  MLB (and the writers for the most part) completely ignored what was plain to see...and for good reason.  They were profiting off of the home run races BIG TIME!

btw, who's in the this 'roid pack you speak of?  Unfortunately, Piazza's name has been bandied about.  BUT, wasn't there a report back in the early '00's that was supposed to have had big names on it?  Did it ever see the light of day?  Heck no.  

The question then, isn't if Bonds, Clemens, and Piazza get in...it's, who are you letting in from their era that you can prove WAS NOT cheating?  I think most would agree Maddux was clean...but thanks to the MLB we'll really never know who the heck was cheating throughout the last 2 to 2 1/2 decades.