Posted on 01/07/2014 12:59:17 PM PST by EveningStar
No player has ever been elected unanimously to the Hall of Fame and four-time Cy Young winner Greg Maddux, the most obvious of the many deserving candidates on this year’s ballot, won’t be the first. We now know that for sure thanks to MLB.com’s commendable tradition of posting its writers’ ballots the day before the results are announced. There are 17 MLB.com writers who have been members of the Baseball Writers Association of America for 10 or more years and thus are eligible to vote for the Hall of Fame. Sixteen of them voted for Maddux. Dodgers beat reporter Ken Gurnick did not.
Why not? Gurnick wrote that he won’t vote for any player who “played during the period of PED use.” Not one. So who was on his ballot? Just Jack Morris.
(Excerpt) Read more at mlb.si.com ...
Yup. I can see how HGH would help a pitcher a lot. Of course this doesn’t mean Maddux was doing anything of the sort. HGH sounds perfect for anyone facing a 162 game grind, whether they are a star player or just average. Just like it sounds perfect for the NBA. And of course it gets rampant use among NFL players.
FReegards
I would vote Jack Morris over Maddox or any other pitcher on the ballot. Maddox in 23 years of pitching managed to win 20 games only two times, and he only has one World Series ring to his credit. Morris also had two 20 win seasons, playing 6 fewer years. Morris was the most dominate pitcher of the 80s. If Morris had played as long as Maddox no doubt in my mind he would have won as many games. Morris also had 175 complete games to 109 for Maddox, and this was playing 6 less years. Morris also played on 4 World Series winners. I think Maddox will be selected today to the Hall of Fame, but Morris should go in with him. Morris has also been on the ballot for the last 15 years. This is his last chance. Hopefully they both make it.
Clemens was the best pitcher in the last 30 years, WITHOUT USING STEROIDS, then after the age of 35 he started juicing to pitch longer. No player gets better after the age of 35 without help. I hope Bonds and Clemens and the rest of the lying PED users never get in. If Shoeless Joe Jackson is not in the Hall, and he done nothing, neither should any PED user go in. But I would vote for Pete Rose. He bet on teams when he was a manager. He admitted it. What that has to do with his playing days I will never know.
I agree that if Shoeless Joe Jackson's crime involves a permanent ban from the HOF, the PED users should face the same. Only because I understand that he only bet on his own team to win, I'd let Pete Rose be eligible for the HOF. However, I'd make it a lifetime ban which could lifted after he passes. Never seeing his HOF induction would be his penalty for doing something which he knew was seriously wrong.
Really, no one should be surprised about rampant PED use in sports. It is actually a pretty rational decision. Think about the poor struggling minor leaguer who is confronted with the choice of taking PEDs. Take PEDs and boost performance knowing that penalties are not severe and negative health consequences are years into the future or do nothing and spend the rest of his life driving a tractor in Iowa.
Jack Morris screwed again. In a big game you wanted won I would give it to Morris over Maddox any day of the week.
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