Baseball Hall of Fame: How to get it wrong

Let's get one thing straight right out of the gate:  The latest MLB Hall of Fame vote was a travesty.

No one gets in?

NO ONE?

Really?

What a sanctimonious, self-righteous, Pharisee-like lot the BBWA is.

We can throw out all the known and suspected PED users and the result is still baffling.  There were no real right answers in this round of balloting, but they somehow managed to get it totally wrong.

Now we will address the issue of the "Steroid Era".

Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci, one the most respected national baseball writers on the planet has taken the Taylor Swift approach to those of the steroid era.  Never, ever, ever.  Never.  Ever.

While reading his stance on these players, you can't help but nod your head in agreement.  Verducci makes very valid points and states them eloquently.  We, however, tend to disagree.

Another respected voice, ESPN's Jayson Stark, asks whether the baseball HOF should be a shrine or a museum, while leaving the answer up for debate.

Here is our take.  How can you discount an entire decade of baseball?  No matter what happened, there were Hall of Fame caliber players playing the game during that time.  Sure, the numbers for baseball have been skewed for the rest of time because of that era.  But you know what?  In the words of Stark, it happened.

There are at least two no-doubt Hall of Famers in the current class, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, with or without steroids.

To be fair about our position, we don't have the highest regards for the Baseball Hall of Fame anyway.  Without "cheating the game" in any way during his playing career, Pete Rose is not in the Hall.

Explain this:  Well yes Joey, this is the Hall of Fame which pays tribute to the best baseball players of all time.  However, the all-time hits leader, all-time home run leader, pitcher with the most Cy Young awards are not honored here.  You're right.  Now, how far is Canton anyway?