Looks like my attempt at a "reverse jinx" didn't work.
The vote has been announced for the 2022 election of the Baseball Writers Association of America for players to the Baseball Hall of Fame. A player needed to have retired between 2007 and 2016, and then 75 percent of the vote, to get in. Here are the names on the ballot, and their percentages:
David Ortiz, the only one in, with 77.9
Barry Bonds, 66.0
Roger Clemens, 65.2
Scott Rolen, 63.2
Curt Schilling, 58.6
Todd Helton, 52.0
Billy Wagner, 51.0
Andruw Jones, 41.4
Gary Sheffield, 40.6
Alex Rodriguez, 34.3
Jeff Kent, 32.7
Manny Ramirez, 28.9
Omar Vizquel, 23.9
Sammy Sosa, 18.5
Andy Pettitte, 10.7
Ortiz cheated, and he's in. Bonds, Sheffield, A-Rod, Manny and Sosa cheated, and they all had at least 500 home runs, and all but Sheffield had more home runs than Ortiz, yet they're not in.
Or, to put it another way, using the number of total votes, rather than the percentages:
Ortiz got 307 votes, Clemens 260, Bonds 257, Sheffield 160, A-Rod 135. What this means is, there were 47 writers who thought Ortiz deserved election, but not Clemens; 50 who voted for Ortiz, but not Bonds; 147 who voted for Ortiz, but not Sheffield; and 172 who thought Ortiz deserved election, but not A-Rod.
Why? What makes Ortiz more worthy of election than the others? What makes him 18 percent worthier than Clemens, the most dominant pitcher of a generation; 19 percent worthier than Bonds, the all-time home run leader and the only man to top 400, let alone 500, in both home runs and stolen bases; 92 percent worthier than Sheffield, who had 217 more hits and was a good defensive player; and 127 percent worthier than A-Rod, who (being 12 years younger than Bonds) was the arguably the best all-around player of his generation?
Yes, they were all accused of cheating. So why brush aside what we know about Ortiz, and not what we know, or think we know, about the others?
It could safely be argued that, while they didn't cheat (as far as we know), Rolen, Helton, Wagner and Kent just don't have the stats to get in. And Schilling and Vizquel each has a cloud of character, albeit different kinds, hanging over them, meaning that, while their on-field reputations suggest they should get in, they won't, at least for a while.
Jones didn't cheat, as far as we know. It is ridiculous that he is not in. The claim that Pettitte cheated has only the slimmest basis in reality. He should be in. And Clemens is the one and only player ever to beat the rap. How can you vote for Ortiz, and not them?
The BBWAA members who voted knew all of this. And still, they voted for David Ortiz, and not for Alex Rodriguez, or Roger Clemens, or anyone else.
As I said in my previous post, the attempted reverse jinx: One of the main arguments against Pete Rose getting reinstated to baseball, and thus becoming eligible for the Hall of Fame, is that, on top of his initial offense, he lied about it for 15 years after getting caught.
A-Rod got caught twice. After trying to avoid it, he admitted it, fairly quickly, both times.
Papi failed that test 19 years ago. He lied about it. He still lies about it. He's been lying about what he did longer than Rose lied about what he did.
But Papi is in, and A-Rod is out, and Rose doesn't even get the chance to get voted in or out.
Note: I am not advocating for Rose to be reinstated. He should remain banned. I am simply comparing his situation to those of the players on the ballot today.
I guess, like politically-themed comedian Bill Maher said about the word "Republican," the words "Red Sox" begin with "The Magic R," which, when coming after your name, means you can get away with anything.
True, Clemens pitched the bulk of his career with the Red Sox, and he's not in. And Manny Ramirez had his best-known years with the Red Sox, and was at least as responsible for Boston's tainted World Series wins of 2004 and 2007 as Ortiz was (though he was gone by their tainted win of 2013). And he's not in.
Maybe, as has been suggested, it is all about whether a player is "likable." Papi is likable. Clemens, Bonds and Manny are not.
But, wait: The media love A-Rod now. Or is that only as an announcer that he's likable, not as a player?
Will we ever know the truth? I'm not holding my breath.
Here's the truth: Either all of the players with sufficient stats deserve to get in, or none of the players you suspect of cheating should get in.
Known PED users who are now in: David Ortiz, Mike Piazza, Ivan Rodriguez.
Known PED users who have the stats to get in, but aren't in: Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, Gary Sheffield.
Accused of PED use, but never proven, and yet thus far denied election: Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte.
Known PED users who don't have the stats to get in: Jose Canseco and Jason Giambi, among others. So, take them out of the equation, and you've got the preceding 11 players.
Either all of them should be in, or none.
If you believe that any of them should be in, and the others not, then you owe baseball fans an explanation.
And that explanation cannot be, "I don't care about his cheating," or, "His cheating didn't matter: He's a Hall-of-Famer anyway."
Because the only reason to vote for David Ortiz, and not any of the others, is that you believe he didn't cheat. And if you believe that, then you are what President Joe Biden called Fox "News" reporter Steve Doocy at the White House yesterday: "What a stupid son of a bitch."
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