Regarding this post, I kind of want to cry foul, but then I remember that this is about baseball and not my personal opinions of players (that does not stop me from wanting to barbecue Roger Clemens tomorrow.) I’m still upset that Buck O’Neil was not inducted into the Hall. I’d like to see Joe Girardi, Don Mattingly, Mo Vaughn, and Mark Grace in the Hall. I doubt it will happen, just as I doubt Andre Dawson will be inducted. Balloting has become pretentious and turned into a popularity contest, a sort of award for surviving the court of public opinion.

Breaking it down:

Craig Biggio (retired) – he and Jeff Bagwell should both be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Their accomplishments on the field speak for themselves.

Mike Piazza (retired) – yes. definitely.

Roger Clemens (limbo) – see Bonds. I hate him, but he’s a great player.

Barry Bonds (limbo) – asterisk or no asterisk, you can’t deny what he did for the game. I’m sure there are plenty of players already in the Hall who took steroids at a time when they were not banned in the league. Being a jerk shouldn’t keep you out of the Hall of Fame.

Sammy Sosa (no idea) – aside from 1998 and the race with McGwire, I’m a little bit iffy on Sosa.

There are plenty of players who deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. I disagree with banning people who used steroids at a time when they were not banned from the league from Cooperstown. This bs about protecting the “sanctity” of the game is just plain ridiculous. You can’t punish the league, the players, and its fans because of something legal (at the time) that may or may not have happened ten or more years ago. Just my two cents, anyway.