The Hall of Fame Voting Process

I don't have a vote on the baseball Hall of Fame, and my opinion will probably be met with a grain of salt from anyone who has earned the right to have a vote. But I have a problem with those who have a vote and waste it for certain reasons. I also have a problem with how certain guys who don't belong in the Hall of Fame are being voted in.

Last week, Andre Dawson was finally elected into the Hall of Fame by the baseball writers. Now, I have nothing personal against Dawson, and I thought he had a solid career. But as I watched him play growing up and look at his stats now, I never thought of then or think of now Andre Dawson as a Hall-of-Famer. His stats don't scream Hall of Fame to me. Andre Dawson was a very good player. He was not a great player.

I have very high expectations for players who should be in the Hall. The Hall of Fame in my eyes is supposed to be for the elite. It's supposed to recognize those players who had great careers, players who impacted the game in a way that no other player ever did. It's supposed to be for players who dominated the game during their careers. Andre Dawson just doesn't fall into that category for me.

Two players who were on the ballot this year, one for the very first time, should have been no-brainers. Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven. But for some reason, a few of the writers elected not to vote for these players. Some of the reasons why some writers aren't voting for certain players is pretty laughable.

One writer suggested he turned in a blank ballot because he didn't think any of the players on this year's ballot deserved to be in the Hall. That's certainly his opinion, but the facts suggest otherwise. A couple of others didn't vote for any of the first timers on the ballot because they don't think any player should ever get in the Hall on their first try. And some writers didn't vote for certain players because they still hold grudges and are punishing players for their actions when they were already punished by the league.

Now, to say none of the players deserved to be in the Hall is crock of bull. Bert Blyleven's stats speak for themselves. And to have put up the kind of numbers he did (287-250 record, 3,700+ strikeouts, 3.31 career ERA) on such bad teams throughout his career says a lot. If those aren't Hall of Fame numbers then I don't know what is.

This whole thing about writers punishing a player eligible for the first time is pretty comical. I mean, really, good luck explaining why, in 2013, you didn't vote for Greg Maddux in his first year, or in 2014, why you didn't vote for Randy Johnson in his first year. Well, it's pretty much the same thing with Roberto Alomar. Which leads me to my next argument.

Alomar was punished by the league when he spit on the umpire. The league suspended him for 10 games. So why are the writers punishing him, as well? One thing has nothing to do with the other. It's the same thing with the steroid users, at least those who tested positive and were suspended or those who openly admitted they used steroids. Or worst yet, players who have been linked to steroids but have never been suspended or have never tested positive that we know of.

Barry Bonds was never suspended, and for all we know, has never tested positive for steroids. (That's not to say he used something else, such as HGH, that can't be detected through a urine sample. But that's a whole other issue itself.) Yet, when his time comes for the Hall of Fame, the writers are going to shun him because of his ties to BALCO. (If the writers' argument for not voting for him is because he was a regular arrogant prick, then that's entirely different because Bonds was an arrogant prick to a lot of people, the writers included.) Bonds did nothing but put up Hall of Fame numbers with or without using anything. He was putting up Hall of Fame numbers long before the BALCO thing ever surfaced.

Mark McGwire is another example. Sure, he hurt his chances in the eyes of the writers when he refused to talk about his use of steroids at the Congressional Hearings in 2005, and he probably hurt his chances even more last week when he admitted to using steroids the latter part of his career. And also hurting his chances, which should be the real argument for keeping him out of the Hall is the fact, outside of the 583 home runs, he was essentially just that: a home run hitter. He was a below average hitter overall, with just a .263 career average. He was very good defensively at first base. He didn't have a great arm. And he couldn't run. But every other eligible hitter with at least 500 home runs is in the Hall.

Same goes for Roger Clemens. I'm not going to sit here and come up with reasons why he should or shouldn't be in the Hall. Steroids or not, his numbers more than speak for themselves. So do his seven Cy Young Awards, which the writers vote on. So for any writer who voted for him to win those seven Cy Young Awards, or who voted for Barry Bonds to win his five MVPs, and then doesn't vote them into the Hall, they're hypocrites.

And what's even more sad is the fact the Hall of Fame Veterans Committee is already making a stand against these players who are tied to, have admitted to, or tested positive for using some kind of performance enhancing drug. Well I got news for them, as well. Some of them are hypocrites, too. Especially if they don't allow some of these players into the Hall if the writers don't. Because it's no secret that about 50 of them already in the Hall shouldn't be there based on any of my arguments above or because some of them have decided to label the steroid/performance enhancing drug users as "cheaters."

They're not the cheaters. The cheaters are the hypocrites already in the Hall refusing to let the steroid users in even though they themselves cheated in some way, shape or form throughout their careers. And I'm talking about Gaylord Perry and Joe Morgan, two of the most outspoken Hall of Famers.

BUSTED!

That one word in the headline says it all. Alex Rodriguez, the pretty boy everyone thought couldn't have ever used steroids, and had played his entire career the right way, clean, reportedly tested positive in what was supposed to be a blanket, anonymous survey test in 2003.

Here's what we know based on today's report:

In 2003, when rampant steroid used in baseball had come to the forefront, the league was looking for ways to salvage the sport's image by implementing a testing program with stiff penalties for positive results. In order to determine this, the league tested each of the 1,198 players in the league at the time, anonymously, and if there was more than a 5% positive return, a testing program would be implemented the following year. The league and the player's union agreed that the names of any player's test who came back positive from this testing would be kept anonymous, with no penalties. Of the 1,198 players, 104 players tested positive, an 8% positive return, thus testing would be implemented the following season.

A year later, when the BALCO investigation began to take shape, federal investigators searched one of the California labs that was holding the samples and other viable information, with a search warrant. The warrant allowed them to seize information regarding 10 specific players as part of the BALCO investigation, and in the process, the list of the 104 players that failed that 2003 test was discovered. The original list was supposed to be sealed by a court order in California per MLB and the player's union agreement regarding the 2003 testing.

However, several sources told Sports Illustrated that one of those names on the list was in fact Alex Rodriguez. Those sources also claim that several players were tipped by the player's union's chief operating officer, Gene Orza, about unannounced, upcoming testing, a direct violation of the agreement between the players and the league. ESPN has confirmed all of this through one more source.

Now, I've never been a fan of Alex Rodriguez, but I've always believed in his talent as one of the greatest players the sport has ever seen. I never really had any suspicions that he used, or was using, performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). The stories I read, and videos I saw of his work ethics told me he was genuine, and his achievements came naturally from raw talent. So to wake up this morning and see two text messages sent to my phone with breaking news alerts that A-Rod had failed a test back in 2003, was a surprise to say the least.

But here's what bothers me most about it. Before today, there was no evidence that A-Rod was using PEDs. (The only real link between A-Rod and steroids was in Jose Canseco's first book in 2005, Juiced, in which Canseco claims plenty of players were using steroids and PEDs anyway.) In 2007, his name never came up in the Mitchell Report. He probably figured that since it hadn't, he was probably in the clear, and could say and deny whatever he wanted, knowing that the results of this 2003 test were anonymous and couldn't possibly make their way out to the public because they were sealed by a court order in California. So, several days after the Mitchell Report came out, in an interview with Katie Couric of CBS News, she specifically asked him, "for the record," if he had ever used any steroids or any other PEDs, and he vehemently said "no" without any hesitation. And so, in light of today's report that he failed a test in 2003, he lied. To me, that holds more water in my pail than anything else.

I honestly really don't care that he took any PEDs, or even failed a test when there was no concrete testing for it, and steroids and PEDs hadn't been banned from the game yet. There were enough players using some kind of PEDs at the time that the playing field was leveled out anyway. (And I'm not talking about the 8% return mentioned above.) We already know based on information from the BALCO investigation when Barry Bonds supposedly started using. He was a great player, a great hitter for years before the suspicions came out. The same can be said for A-Rod, more or less. These are two great players who should not be punished in the court of public opinion for something when there were hundreds of players using PEDs. In my opinion, when the time comes, they both belong in the Hall of Fame.

But the fact is, and this is what irritates me more than anything, we now know he lied about it, and in the court of public opinion, that will hurt him more than anything else. Now, Alex Rodriguez will be labeled as a steroid user, and a liar. So the best thing A-Rod can do at this point to salvage what is now a tarnished image and reputation, as well a tarnished career, is to come out and publically apologize for lying in that TV interview with Katie Couric, and to admit he used steroids during his 2003 MVP season with Texas, and any other time, if in fact he did.

(A-Rod claimed in that inteview in 2007 that he had been tested "eight or nine times" and so far there's no evidence of any positive results. In fact, in 2005, when he and others were part of the WBC, every player was tested then, as well, but under international rules rather than MLB's rules. Any positive test would disallow a player from participating in the WBC. A-Rod played for Team USA in 2005.)

Earlier this morning, in light of the report, one of his former coaches, Larry Bowa, spoke on MLB Network about this, and about Alex: "Alex lets little things bother him. This is definitely not a a little thing, obviously. This is going to be weighing on his mind, how he's going to go about dealing with the media everyday, 'cause this is not just go on one day, this is gonna go on and on and on and on. It's not going to just end in Spring Training. It's going be an ongoing thing, and you got to be mentally tough, and hopefully Alex has gotten some mental toughness since he's gotten to New York 'cause he's gonna need it, and you know, he's a great kid. I'm concerned [how he's going to react to this] 'cause he's a sensitive kid."

Bowa couldn't be more right about A-Rod. All of that other stuff that's been going on with him, from cheating on his wife, to sleeping around with Madonna, takes a back seat to this. This just adds more fuel to the fire and his image. He isn't going to get away with keeping quiet, because if he does, it could be the worst damage he could do to himself and his reputation as a great baseball player, and this will no doubt drag on all season. Remember, he still plays in New York, the largest media market in the country, where the media is about as tough on anyone as any market in the country. And as Bowa added in his interview, he's going to have to face the media (and fans) in places like Boston, and the West Coast, where he will be crucified. Even in Texas and Seattle where he once played. A-Rod will not be able to run and hide from this. And he sure as hell won't be able to handle the backlash should he decide to deny it, or ignore it altogether.

Still no home runs for Bonds. Still stuck on 754. Hendrickson did a great job last night keep him off balance, and keeping the game close. After losing the first game, Dodgers finally became the first home team to win a game between the two teams this year. Thanks to Furcal and Pierre for the win. They both had clutch bunt hits that made it all the way to Omar Vizquel at shortstop, and Omar's throw to get Pierre was late and got away from Aurilia at first, allowing Furcal to get to third. Pierre then stole second, and after Martin popped out, Gonzo sliced a hit inside third that scored both Furcal and Pierre to tie the game. Then Nomar put it away with his 5th home run of the year. Saito got the side out in order and the Dodgers walked away with a win. Proctor came in and made his Dodger debut (he never played for them before he was traded four years ago to the Yanks in the Robin Ventura deal). He made one pitch and Martin threw out a runner trying to steal second to end the seventh. A slow paced game that turned into a fun game to watch.

Meanwhile, great game in San Diego, too. Chris Young stole a grand slam away from the Padres with a web gem in the middle of the game. Then, up 5-1 in the bottom of the ninth with Jose Valverde on the hill, the Padres rallied for four runs capped off by a Milton Bradley home run. Game went to extras and Arizona scored four in the 11th capped off by a Chad Tracy three-run pinch-hit home run. Arizona won to remain one game up on the Dodgers in the NL West, but the Dodger remain even in the loss column.

Finale tonight between Dodgers and Giants. Zito vs. Tomko. Could be a slugfest with those two going. No official word on whether Bonds is playing or not, but Giants manager Bochy suggested last night if Bonds is feeling good, he'll be in there. We shall see. ESPN is picking up the game again, but hopefully I'll be lucky enough to be able to catch Vin Scully on FSN Prime tonight. (I was lucky enough to get stuck with Chris Berman and Joe Morgan, or Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow on the Giants broadcast on Extra Innings since the game was carried by KCAL in L.A.)

Rough Day at the Ballpark

Not a good day for the Blue. Dodgers got pounded again, 9-6, but not before rallying to get the tying run on base with two outs in the 9th inning. But once again, they failed with the bases loaded when Ethier struck out to end the game. And how's this for a "go figure": coming into today, the Dodgers lead the N.L. with a .290 BA with RISP, but were a league worst .232 with the bases loaded. As I said, go figure.

Jeff Kent had another amazing game as he nearly capped off a red-hot July (with one game to spare on Tuesday) with a 4-for-5 game today with 3 RBI, moving him into 55th place on the all-time RBI list with 1439. With one game left this month, Kent is hitting .448 in the month of July with 5 home runs and 20 RBI, and coming into today's game, had an OBP of .481 while slugging .718 for the month, raising his season totals to .305 with 15 home runs and 59 RBI while pushing his OBP over .380 and his slugging over .500. His sixth inning double was the 526th of his career, moving him past Ted Williams for 31st on the all-time list. And lastly, he has reached base in a Major League best 39 straight games.

No home runs today for Barry Bonds, so he remains at 754 as the "Hated Ones to the North" head south to Chavez Ravine for a three-game showdown starting Tuesday night. More on this Tuesday.

Today wasn't a good day to be a pitcher anywhere around the league. Some of these final scores today looked like an NFL Sunday scoreboard. Padres 18, Astros 11. Jason Jennings became the first pitcher in the modern era to give up 11 earned runs in the first inning when he did it in 2/3 of an inning. His ERA ballooned from 4.74 to 5.99. Yankees 10, Orioles 6. A-Rod still stuck on career home run #499. Royals 10, Rangers 0. Braves 14, Diamondbacks 0. Dodgers and D-backs remain tied atop the N.L. West as the Padres pull to within 1/2 game. And Mariners 14, A's 10.

Might be back shortly (or later tonight) with some trade rumor updates. If not, tomorrow morning. Stay tuned...

Interesting Notes on Penny & Bonds

Jon Weisman of Baseball Toaster's Dodger Thoughts put together this interesting item on Brad Penny. In a nutshell, he notes that Penny could become the first Dodger since Fernando in 1981 to have a higher batting average than ERA in a season. Penny's ERA crawled up to 2.51 after Thursday nights efforts, but after going 2-for-3 with the bat, his average sky-rocketed to .293. He also notes that Penny, who is a leading candidate for N.L. Cy Young, is also starting to get some recognition for N.L. MVP, and that his total aggregate VORP as a pitcher and a hitter puts him in some pretty solid company among all National League players.

Weisman, who is also a columnist for SI.com, also had this interesting piece today on the Bonds home run chase, and what could happen if he breaks Hank Aaron's all-time career home run mark in L.A. this coming week when the Giants visit the Ravine.

Enjoy!

Dodgers Hire New GM

Originally posted on my MySpace blog, November 18, 2007,

It took a while, but the Dodgers finally have a new GM. On Wednesday, they announced the hiring of longtime Giants assistant GM, Ned Colletti. I wasn't too thrilled with the decision at first, but after hearing his comments at the news conference, and listening to him in several interviews on local radio talk shows throughout the day, and reading what others in the industry said about the hiring, I've come to the conclusion that Colletti might just be the right guy for the job.

Colletti has a reputation for being a hard nosed guy when it comes to negotiations for contracts and trades. He engineered the Giants signing of Barry Bonds. He was a key player in the Giants' acquisition of Jeff Kent from Cleveland. He's also the second person the Dodgers have hired as a GM who was once a member of the media. (In 1988, the Dodgers hired Fred Claire. Claire was already in the Dodger organization, but he was once a media reporter.)

Colletti values more than just stats when it comes to building a team. I for one still believe that stats speak for themselves. Stats are cold, hard facts. Many still buy into the notion that previous GM, Paul DePodesta, was too much of a stat freak, who didn't put too much value into other areas, such as a player's personality, the scouting reports, etc. They're right, he didn't put too much value into it, but more importantly, he didnt overvalue it either. He didn't rely strictly on stats as many were led to believe. But one thing he wasn't very good at, which ultimately led to his firing, was communicating with the players, his collegues, and more importantly, his superiors.

Owner Frank McCourt says he and Colletti hit it off right away. But then again, I believe he said the same thing about DePodesta when he was hired two years ago as well. As soon as Colletti knew he had the job, he and McCourt spent close to 24 hours together over a span of three days, asking questions, answering questions, determining what direction the team was headed. Colletti basically has a very good idea what he wants to do, and it seems as if McCourt is on bourd with his ideas.

Colletti's first order of business will be to find a new manager for the recently "fired" Jim Tracy. We know right now that one of DePodesta's finalists for the managerial post, in fact he was the leading candidate at the time of DePodesta's firing, Terry Collins, will be interviewed again for the job. Also in line are Jim Fregosi and Lou Piniella, although Piniella is a very longshot. There are other unknowns on Colletti's list of candidates so one can only wonder.

Once a manager is in place, Colletti will get to work on free agents and potential trades. He's indicated that he will sit down with Kim Ng and Roy Smith, who running the player personnel ship in between GMs, and find out who they've contacted as far as free agents and other teams for trade matches, and then he'd move forward with some of those and some of his own ideas. The most glaring areas of need are at third base, the outfield, and starting pitching, but Colletti has suggested first base needs an upgrade, as well. That said, its pretty obvious Hee Seop Choi and Milton Bradley's days are numbered in Dodger blue.

There's speculation Colletti is talking with Milwaukee about Lyle Overbay. Not much of an upgrade over the Choi/Olmedo Saenz combo, but if he gets the right guy at third base (rumors persist they are talking to Nomar Garciaparra), then Overbay at first doesn't look so bad.

It's still rather early in the game but the Dodgers just might have saved themselves from a PR nightmare with the hiring of Colletti. Check back in two months to see what the new roster looks like and we'll have a better idea of whether Colletti was the right hire for the job.