2023 Baseball Hall of Fame Class

Fair enough. The system ain't perfect, as evidenced by the inclusion of Harold Baines and the exclusion of Dick Allen, but it remains the most talked about and difficult to get elected to. If it followed something like the Naismith -- a total shit show -- then Carlos Beltran, Helton, Rolen, Kent, and a half dozen other guys off this year's ballot would go in on roller skates and no one would pay the least bit of attention to the vote or the induction ceremony.

I do think more guys from the 1980s should be included, like Mattingly and Whitaker. And while I do think Clemens and Bonds should be inducted, I also don't have a problem with representatives saying no. If the fans voted, the whole damn place would be overrun with Yankees, Red Sox and Dodgers players.

 

Of course, if it's a roadway attraction, maybe the fans would be the perfect ones to pick and choose.

 

I don't think the fans should have all the say. But they are the most important stakeholders in the baseball community, so they ought to have some say, and a reasonably large share of the say.

 

Like the People's Choice Awards...

 

Good for Pat, who couldn't have been nicer the couple times I've talked to him.

 

Divk Clark used to introduce songs on American Bandstand: “Up for five American Music Awards” which of course were presented by Dick Clark Productions

 

"Welcome our newest Hall of Famers, Andy Pettitte, Ron Guidry, Tino Martinez, Bernie Williams, Dustin Pedroia, and Nomar Garciaparra! As voted on by you the fans!"

 

The last 35 seconds of this:



I only have one story of Pat, but it includes Ron Santo. As a Cubs fan since my family got cable when I was 8, my best friend and I traveled to Wrigley for a meaningless September series with the Reds two decades ago. It was our first trip to Wrigley. We lingered after the last game, a Sunday-nighter, having watched the Cubs go 1-for 22 with RISP in the three-game swept set (that's a true stat). We're on the concourse, and Pat and Ronnie come hustling down, and we can't help but say hello. They took a few minutes, could not have been more gracious, bullshitted for a bit, and finally Ronnie asks, "Wait, where did you boys say you were from?"

"North Carolina."

"Goddammit, boys, I wish we coulda played better for ya."

Slaps on the back from Pat and Ronnie, and forever my best Wrigley memory. (And that includes seeing G3 and G4 of the WS in 2016; both losses, of course. Wish they coulda played better...but it worked out.)

 

A pre Christmas update

Through 42 ballots, those over 50 percent:

Rolen 78.6 (plus 1 vote, missed by 47 last year)
Helton 78.6 (plus 9 votes, missed by 91)
Wagner 69.0 (plus 10 votes, missed by 95)
Andruw Jones 61.9 (plus 5 votes, missed by 133)
Sheffield 57.1 (plus 7 votes, missed by 136)
A-Rod 52.4 (minus 2 votes, missed by 161)
Beltran 52.4
Manny 50.0 (net 0 votes so far, missed by 182)

Of note, Kent is also plus 9 in his last year on ballot but that only has him a 47.6 percent

 

A post New Years update
Through 119 ballots (about 30 percent of last year's total, those over 50 percent:

Rolen 80.7 (plus 7 votes, missed by 47 last year)
Helton 77.3 (plus 20 votes, missed by 91)
Wagner 69.7 (plus 17 votes, missed by 95)
Andruw Jones 69.7 (plus 21 votes, missed by 133)
Sheffield 66.4 (plus 17 votes, missed by 136)
Beltran 56.3


Of note, Kent is also plus 20 in his last year on ballot but that only has him a 48.7 percent and A-Rod is at 47.9 (plus 2 votes, missed by 161)

 

Looks like a shutout is coming. They had to shorten this year's ceremony b/c of the threat of bad weather (did away with the introductions of all the attending HOFers as well as the MLB Network videos). What are they going to do to try to get to two or three hours this year? John Fogerty playing the Centerfield album in its entirety?

 

The threshold is 75 percent, isn't it? It's looking decent for Rolen, unless he just gets shutout by late ballots. ETA: Oops, re-read and saw it's only 30 percent reporting, never mind, ha.