Bickering over latest Hall of Fame ballot

Bickering over latest Hall of Fame ballot
The Baseball Writers' Association of America will announce the results of the Hall of Fame voting on Jan. 25. A recent update from Ryan Thibodaux (@NotMrTibbs), Twitter's king of Cooperstown calculators, had David Ortiz (83.2 percent), Barry Bonds (80.4) and Roger Clemens (79) above the 75 percent threshold for induction. No ballot is perfect. The inclusion of "cheaters" sickens fans or validates their beliefs. The media tries to figure out where lines should be drawn. Sadly, they're more...

Hall of Fame ballot loaded with big names and controversy

Hall of Fame ballot loaded with big names and controversy
If you glanced at the 2022 Hall of Fame ballot that was released Monday hoping to find some prominent Nationals representation, you were sorely disappointed. Sure, Jonathan Papelbon made the list, but you probably aren't going to find too many Nats fans excited to relive those regrettable 12 months in club history. You'll just have to wait another year, because among the players eligible to make the 2023 ballot is none other than Jayson Werth. We'll have some fun with that one when the time...

My 2021 Hall of Fame ballot

My 2021 Hall of Fame ballot
There's no greater privilege in this business than serving as a Hall of Fame voter. And there's no greater feeling than seeing one of baseball's greatest get the news of his election, knowing you played a small role in making it happen. So it's always disappointing to put the time and effort into voting in a given year and then find out nobody was elected. Unfortunately, it does happen from time to time. Not by design, but by a confluence of events including an excess number of players...

Will any new Hall of Famers be elected tonight?

Will any new Hall of Famers be elected tonight?
Hall of Fame election day should be an enjoyable event. We should spend our time celebrating the careers of the greatest players baseball has to offer and engaging in spirited but friendly debates about those players who didn't get enough votes to make it to Cooperstown. Unfortunately, this probably isn't going to be one of those election days. For a number of reasons, this could wind up being the most depressing one of these we've had in a while. The year-long pandemic, of course, has made...

Tales from the clubhouse: Bonds and Bacsik

Tales from the clubhouse: Bonds and Bacsik
With no news on the state of the 2020 season expected until sometime today, the baseball world was left Sunday with nothing else to do but wax nostalgic and watch a documentary about the breaking of one of the sport's most hallowed records 22 years ago. The Great Home Run Chase of 1998 between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa was beloved by everyone at the time, cringed at now because of the added layer of context we now have for what took place. Watching it, though, reminded me of the breaking of...

My 2020 Hall of Fame ballot

My 2020 Hall of Fame ballot
After a string of 20 new electees in the last six years, the Baseball Hall of Fame's Class of 2020 was always destined to be small. But not so small that there wasn't room for two electees. Derek Jeter, the obvious choice in his first year of eligibility, will be joined on the stage in Cooperstown this summer by Larry Walker, who narrowly earned election in his 10th and final year of eligibility. Jeter was named on 396 of 397 ballots submitted by members of the Baseball Writers' Association...

Previewing tonight's Hall of Fame election reveal

Previewing tonight's Hall of Fame election reveal
It's been a rough week for baseball, unless you're of the opinion that bad publicity is better than no publicity. Regardless, the Astros' sign-stealing scandal - and the still-falling domino effects of it - has shown us some of the worst baseball has to offer. Which makes today a good day, because we're going to get to experience some of the very best baseball has to offer. (Plus some controversy, because this sport simply isn't allowed to just celebrate the good things without having a...

What to watch for on Hall of Fame election night

What to watch for on Hall of Fame election night
The hot stove league may be tepid right now, but at least baseball is providing us something us to get excited about later today: the Hall of Fame election announcement. Yes, it's time to find out who's in the class of 2019 in addition to Lee Smith and Harold Baines (who were elected last month by what used to be called the Veterans' Committee but now has a confusing and completely unnecessary longer name). The announcement is scheduled for 6 p.m. Eastern time on MLB Network, after which...

Dubious performance, link to steroids should keep Bonds, Clemens out of Hall of Fame

Dubious performance, link to steroids should keep Bonds, Clemens out of Hall of Fame
Pitcher Roger Clemens and outfielder Barry Bonds are moving closer to the 75 percent threshold needed for election into the Baseball Hall of Fame, but it is still a mystery as to why they should be in. As a voting member of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, I can't vote for them. I don't understand or agree with the arguments that BBWAA members use to vote for Bonds and Clemens. A vote for Bonds and Clemens is a vote for steroids usage. That means a voter thinks that Clemens'...

Notes on the newest Hall of Fame class and voting

Notes on the newest Hall of Fame class and voting
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,...

My 2018 Hall of Fame ballot

My 2018 Hall of Fame ballot
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...

What to watch for on Hall of Fame election night

What to watch for on Hall of Fame election night
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...

A few thoughts on the Hall of Fame balloting

A few thoughts on the Hall of Fame balloting
The Hall of Fame inductions are fuel for discussion and debate. The ballots from the Baseball Writers' Association were due on Dec. 31. The new inductees will be announced Jan. 18. Early vote totals say that Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds are going to make huge jumps in voter percentage this year, and each could finish with more than 70 percent of the vote. It takes 75 percent to get into Cooperstown. Both Clemens and Bonds are connected to steroids, so I don't see the logic in a huge upturn...

Harper joins 20-20 club for first time in big league career

Harper joins 20-20 club for first time in big league career
To his already hefty list of accomplishments in a brief major league career, Bryce Harper can now add another achievement: He has joined the 20-20 club for the first time. With a successful swipe of second base during last night's 9-7 victory over the Braves, Harper notched his 20th steal of the season. He already had 23 homers, which makes him the newest member of the 20-20 club. Harper is one of seven big leaguers with at least 20 homers and 20 steals so far this season, joining Mike Trout,...

Could moving Bryce Harper around in lineup spark offense?

Could moving Bryce Harper around in lineup spark offense?
For the third game in a row, the Nationals scored only three runs. Their starting pitching and bullpen allowed only two runs, so they were able to squeeze out a dramatic 3-2 walk-off win over the Padres. But the lineup had difficulty for most of Saturday night putting together good rallies against Padres veteran Edwin Jackson. Despite managing to get at least a man on base in each of his six innings, plus a hit in five of those frames, they scored only on a sac fly by Daniel Murphy and a RBI...

Baker not changing lineup with Harper free passes routine

Baker not changing lineup with Harper free passes routine
The Cubs walked right fielder Bryce Harper six times Sunday, which allowed first baseman Ryan Zimmerman several opportunities to help bring him home and change the game for the Nationals. But Zimmerman was unable to come through, leaving 14 men on base. With the strategy of walking the National League MVP in front of Zimmerman becoming a viable way to slow the Nats' ability to score runs, will more teams employ this technique? Should manager Dusty Baker put the hot-hitting second baseman...

Baker on Bonds the coach, plus other pregame notes

Baker on Bonds the coach, plus other pregame notes
JUPITER, Fla. - Some pregame notes to whet your appetite before the Nationals and Marlins get going here at Roger Dean Stadium ... * Trea Turner is in the lineup today, starting at second base. We've already seen him at shortstop early this spring. I asked Dusty Baker if he wants to see him play both positions. "I talked to him about it. I talked to other people about it. I just want to see him play," Baker said. "The fact he can play short and second, which a lot of people can't,...

Griffey makes Hall of Fame clean, so what about those connected to steroids?

Griffey makes Hall of Fame clean, so what about those connected to steroids?
The two biggest stories coming out of Wednesday's Hall of Fame election were Ken Griffey Jr. missing a unanimous selection by three votes and the ramifications of Mike Piazza opening the door for Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds, two players that have been tied to performance-enhancing drugs. The hunt is on for the three voters who didn't select Griffey. It is within the voters' rights to use a ballot for political statements. Maybe the voters were protesting the Steroids Era. Maybe they...

Of star sluggers he's managed, Baker says Harper's best comp is Griffey

Of star sluggers he's managed, Baker says Harper's best comp is Griffey
NASHVILLE - If you think new Nationals manager Dusty Baker has spent the last month poring over videotape to dissect swings, checking in by phone with all of his new players and communicating daily with the brass on South Capitol Street about how things will be run under his tenure, think again. Since Baker had pretty detached himself from the day-to-day baseball grind until the Nationals came calling, he's been immersed in other business interests and has spent much of the time since being...

Baker and Rizzo on Maddux, Lopes and Bonds

Baker and Rizzo on Maddux, Lopes and Bonds
New Nationals manager Dusty Baker was thrilled to be able to add former Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux his staff. Baker said he was able to talk to Maddux when the Rangers played a game at Oakland two years ago and Baker's son wanted to watch right fielder Shin-Soo Choo play for the Rangers. "I've been knowing Mike a long time and his brother Greg played for me in Chicago," Baker said. "I had a conversation with Mike at that time. He said, 'Hey I would like to be on your staff at some...