The Baseball Writers' Association of America did a pretty good job with their latest Hall of Fame ballot. They elected Jim Thome, Vladimir Guerrero, Trevor Hoffman and Chipper Jones, and held off Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds. They could have done better by electing Edgar Martinez, Mike Mussina, Omar Vizquel - and even long shot Fred McGriff - but maybe those guys will make it on another ballot. Mussina is on the ballot another five years. Before we get too far into the Hall of Fame analysis,...

You can call the system flawed, you can argue whether steroids users should be in or out, you can debate whether it's more important to have been a consistent performer for 15 years or an elite performer for eight years, you can complain about who gets a vote and who doesn't get a vote. Here's what you can't argue, though: The Baseball Hall of Fame matters. It matters to so many people, from the players themselves to those who work in the game to those who are entrusted to submit ballots to...

It's Hall of Fame announcement day, which means two things: Several of the greatest players in baseball history are about to become immortalized forever, and far more attention will be paid to those very good-to-great players who aren't elected this year, for a variety of reasons. Personally, I think it's a real shame that we spend way more time and energy arguing over who didn't get in than celebrating who did get in. But that's the world we live in today. Why celebrate positives when we...

ATLANTA - It was a strange sight, really. A pretty cool sight, but a strange one. There was Chipper Jones in the visiting clubhouse here at Turner Field, the park that he called home for 19 years, dishing out hugs and chatting with Nationals players. There Jones was, the former Brave and future Hall of Famer talking shop with his good buddy and former teammate Adam LaRoche. There the two men were, sitting in a hallway adjacent to the Nationals' clubhouse, watching film and breaking down...

Before last night's series finale against the Braves, the Nationals presented Braves third baseman Chipper Jones with some going-away presents. Yesterday marked the future Hall of Fame third baseman's final game at Nationals Park before he steps away from the game, so the Nats put together a video tribute which was played on the Jumbotron and held a presentation in which Ryan Zimmerman, Mark DeRosa, Adam LaRoche and GM Mike Rizzo gave Jones a few gifts. Those gifts included a base which was...

The Nationals won't have to deal with Chipper Jones tonight, as the future Hall of Fame third baseman is out of the Braves lineup. The 40-year-old Jones played all 13 innings last night, but won't be starting against Stephen Strasburg in Game 2 of this big division series. Jones went 1-for-5 with a walk last night. He came into this series with three homers in his past three games. The Nats will face off against left-hander Paul Maholm, who the Braves acquired from the Cubs prior to the...

Catcher Jesus Flores left tonight's game in the seventh inning with a stiff back. He said after the game that he should be fine for tomorrow's doubleheader. Also, Xavier Nady's rehab stint ended today with a 1-for-3 performance at Single-A Potomac. There's no official word from the Nationals yet, but it sounds like the team is planning on designating Nady for assignment. Now back to the shocking nine-run blown lead ... The game lasted 4 hours, 21 minutes. It saw the Braves come all the...

Remember that whole "Bryce Harper vs. Chipper Jones for the last spot on the National League All-Star team" thing? Yeah, that won't be happening. Jones has been named to the All-Star team as an injury replacement for Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp, removing him as a candidate for the Final Vote. It's a little uncertain what will happen now, but Harper clearly now has a better shot of earning that final NL roster spot for the Midsummer Classic. As of earlier today, he ranked third in voting...