Bonds begins HOF campaign

Baseball has evolved. Ruth didn't even play the same game as Bonds, and he competed against a vastly inferior pool of players.

 

And I'm saying there's no possibility of deciding who does and doesn't belong in that group. Frank Thomas? Jim Thome? Derek Jeter? Randy Johnson? Jeff Bagwell? Or because their names never showed up in news reports, they're clean?

I know (or I think) you're being somewhat facetious/hypothetical, but this is why I think Bonds ends up being first-ballot. Voters will just compare guys against their era and a certain number of the best will make it.

 

He'll get in but I can't see it as first ballot.

 

You can scratch Bagwell because the writers have already shown they lump him in with the cheaters by the voting since he became eligible.

 

Which is among the dumber things Hall of Fame voters have done, and that's saying something. There is no evidence at all against Bagwell and he certainly has the resume to get in.

 

This is a terrible argument. Rose and Jackson are being held out for completely different reasons from Bonds. Rose also accepted his ban, though he was foolish enough to think it was only temporary.

Intentionally fixing games is worse than using PED's to succeed.

 

Bonds would need to have the capacity for humility to kiss somebody's ass, so there is no danger of that.

But I think it is pretty silly to argue that a player as driven to be the best as Bonds was wouldn't care about getting into the Hall of Fame.

 

When was Bonds banned from baseball?

 

It's not so much about being a douche for me, but it's about did you compete fairly?

Players like Bonds, Clemens, Sosa, Rodriguez and others caused me to lose all respect for Major League Baseball. I suspect I'm not the only one.

 

Then what about players who used greenies and pitchers who doctored the baseball? Cheating has been going on in baseball forever.

 

Gaylord Perry didn't compete fairly. He's in the Hall of Fame.

 

True. I just don't think it was as blatant and prevalent in Perry's day. Not sure how I would have voted on Perry.

It is, to me, a sad commentary on sports in general that so many feel they have to cheat. Too much money in the game and it tempts people.