BASEBALL'S BAD BOYS WITHOUT A HALL

This summer, Major League Baseball will add infielder Roberto Alomar and pitcher Bert Blyleven to the Hall of Fame.  Both are deserving of their induction into the Hall.  For Blyleven, the road has been a long one.  Year after year he had waited for the call that never came.   Alomar was considered one of the best second baseman of all-time.  It's a wonder he had to wait until his second year of eligibility before he got the nod.  As of January 2011, 295 individuals have been elected to the Hall of Fame, including 205 former Major League players, 35 Negro Leaguers, 19 managers, 9 umpires, and 27 pioneers, executives, and organizers.  To say this is a select group, is an understatement. 

You're Telling Me I Should Have Said "NO"?

With the recent drug suspension/retirement of Manny Ramirez it beckons taking a look at a lineup of stars......actually, I mean superstars, that will have very little chance of adding their name to that hallowed HOF list.  Of the ten men I've listed, only one was guilty of something other than steroids....Pete Rose, who has banned for life for his gambling on baseball.  It's really sad when you think about these players not receiving  recognition for their superior talent.  It's one thing to be excluded from the Hall because people felt you didn't measure up to an athletic standard.  Not so in these cases.  Here is the bad-boy lineup with some of their credentials.......    

OF-Raphael Palmeiro (569 Home Runs (ranks 12th); 3,020 Hits, only 5 major leaguers have 500 HR's and 3,000 hits)
OF-Barry Bonds (All-Time Home Run Leader (762); 14-time All-Star)
OF-Sammy Sosa (609 Home Runs (ranks 7th); 7-time All-Star)
3RD-Gary Sheffield ( 509 Home Runs (ranks 24th); 9-time All-Star)
SS-Alex Rodrniquez  (616 Home Runs (ranks 6th); 13-time All-Star)
2ND-Pete Rose (All-Time Hit Leader (3,256); 17-time All-Star)
1ST-Mark McGwire (583 Career Home Runs (ranks 10th); 12-time All-Star)
C- Ivan Rodriquez (309 Career Home Runs; 14-time All-Star)
DH-Manny Ramirez (555 Career Home Runs (ranks 14th); 12-time All-Star)
P-Roger Clemens (354 Career Wins (ranks 9th); 7-time Cy Young Award Winner)

The 409-page Mitchell Report, released on December 13, 2007, covered the history of the use of illegal performance-enhancing substances by players.  In addition to the names above, it named a whole lot of other players that had dreamed of their Hall acceptance.  Names like Mike Piazza, Matt Williams, Lenny Dykstra, Mo Vaughn, Benito Santiago, Andy Pettite and Jose Canseco.  You can kiss them good-bye too.  There is one other name that should be mentioned along with these cheaters, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson.  Jackson had a lifetime .356 average but was banished for throwing the 1919 World Series.  So, the biggest question is why?  Why did this group risk everything they ever accomplished on the ballfield and off, for that matter?   Did the idea of getting an "advantage" seem like the only thing they could do to continue their play at a certain level?  You'd think the number of times they looked in a mirror, something would have become visible in the reflection they saw.  Like, maybe the severe acne or the testicular atrophy.  And for Rose and Jackson.....greed and  stupidity was certainly present when betting against their own team.

There are going to be plenty of deserving ballplayers for the Hall to consider in the future.  Names like Frank Thomas, Ron Santo, Tommy John, Jim Kaat, Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Larkin, Will Clark, Dale Murphy and Gil Hodges.  Did they ever cheat in any way, shape or  form?  Did they ever throw a spitball or cork a bat?  They could of.    But what ever it might have been, it wasn't a crime.......that's the difference.    

Thanks for reading,

John