OT: Bonds, Clemens, Sosa to be on HOF ballot

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

I agree with Bosoxfan- you can't close the Hall to a whole generation of players. Especially when some of those players, such as Bonds and Clemens, are among the greatest in the history of the game. And what's the solution? Admitting mediocre to good players simply because they didn't juice. That just turns the HOF into a farce.

And I still think the two threads should be merged.

Okay, I'll start the merge process by bringing the following part of the discussion over here.

Originally Posted by barrysloate

Not tongue in cheek, but cynical. All I see around me are people cheating, in every walk of life. Yes, I absolutely deplore it. But to deny a player into the HOF because he took a drug that built up his muscles is plainly hypocritical. Bonds was the greatest hitter I ever saw, possibly one of the top five all time. Clemens was one of the greatest pitchers of all time. To deny them entrance, but to allow a less than stellar Bobby Doerr in, is a mockery of the whole process.

Gaylord Perry pitched nearly his whole career with a dab of vaseline under his cap. It's against the rules to put a foreign substance on a ball, and nearly every pitch he threw was a greaseball. He's in the Hall. And his stats don't hold a candle to Clemens.

Let's stop pretending baseball is some lily white enterprise and let these guys in. If you want you can affix a scarlet letter "C" for "cheater"on their plaques. That way the fans can tell the good guys from the bad guys.

We have been making a mockery of the process since shortly after it began, by letting in less than stellar players. Too many of them were friends with the voters and players like Albert Belle, who pissed everyone off, will never get voted in. Guys like Bonds are being denied because what they did is considered a very significant violation of the rules by the voters.

It's all about the voters - write a few letters to them, letting them know that you think steroid users are okay and should be allowed in. It would be interesting to hear their explanations as to why Niekro, Sutton and Rizzuto are in, but great steroid users like McGwire, Bonds and Sosa will not get their vote.