He would be borderline with me if he didn't have a hand in the World Series fix. To me it's the same as my personal thoughts on Andy Pettitte and Todd Helton, though more so with Pettitte.
Helton is borderline for me, but he was a habitual drunk driver, which is a big no for me. So I would have never voted for him. He didn't learn his lesson when he was charged the first time, then he doubled down on it and did something worse (who knows how many times he wasn't caught, or caught and let go). So he doesn't belong in Cooperstown.
Pettitte is the better example though. He is a borderline player, could go either way. He admitted steroid use once, then came clean and said he did it multiple times. Steroid use should be factored into stats. I'm okay with Bonds and Clemens being in because they were HOF players without it. I'm also okay with them waiting to get in. When a fringe HOF player has a red flag, then no thanks. His steroid use made him a fringe candidate. Stay out.
Ciccotte is that fringe/red flag guy. I'm also not in the camp that since Helton is in, then I should overlook a red flag. Don't get me wrong, I'd rather 100 guys threw games than one guy drove drunk, so I'm not comparing their mistakes. Putting him in because Helton is in is not learning from mistakes.
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