Quote:
Originally Posted by Beatles Guy
As much as I like him, I'm not buying John Smoltz. He had two dominant years. Sure he had 55 saves in 2002, but an ERA over 3.00. I think maybe being part of the "big three" pushed him over the top.
As for Bagwell, it's a shame that he did not get in. Unless there is proof that I don't know about, he is not a suspected PED user. Averaged .297/34/115 over his career and being a Cardinal fan, I realize how feared a hitter he was.
|
Smoltz's ERA was 3.25 because he got bombed in his second appearance, giving up 8 earned runs in 2/3 of an inning...other than that, his ERA was 2.37 and 0.00 in his last ten games with 2 hits and one walk.
I do think that Schilling and Mussina deserve it as much as Smoltz and I believe there is some truth to the 'big three' theory. Man, oh, Man...those were great days...we Braves fans suffered a long time to get to that!
As far as Bagwell and Piazza are concerned, it's a pity they are swept up with the more obvious PED-users. But remember, these guys are millionaires enhancing and then protecting their income and wouldn't you invest in the world's best masking agents if you were doing something illegal?
If they get in, it's an insult to all those who did it the right way. By juicing they made the decision to get the fame early and get paid accordingly. Being elected to the Hall-of-Fame is not a right but an honor and should be earned honorably.
Who are we to judge? Well, the writers judge and they supposedly represent or to some extent reflect the values of the fans each one of whom pay the salaries of both the players and the writers in a direct way either by paying to see them play or buying their newspapers, magazines or books.