Maddux, Glavine, Thomas elected to Baseball Hall of Fame; Biggio just misses

Re: 2014 BBWAA Baseball Hall of Fame ballot released

With 12 hours to go, 33 percent has been tallied. That is 188 ballots. Last year's counter stopped at 194. So whatever columns come out tomorrow might get past 200.

99.5 - Maddux
95.7 - Glavine
90.4 - F. Thomas
78.7 - Biggio
———————————
68.6 - Piazza
60.6 - Jack (The Jack) Morris
59.0 - Bagwell
55.3 - Raines
43.1 - Bonds
41.5 - Clemens
36.7 - Schilling
26.6 - Mussina
25.5 - E. Martinez
25.0 - L. Smith
22.9 - Trammell
15.4 - Kent
12.2 - McGriff
11.1 - McGwire
8.5 - L. Walker
8.0 - S. Sosa
6.4 - R. Palmeiro
5.3 - Mattingly
———————————
0.5 - P. Rose (Write-In)

 

Re: 2014 BBWAA Baseball Hall of Fame ballot released

Here is a comparison of tallied percentage from last year

2014 2013
78.7 - Biggio - 70.1
68.6 - Piazza - 60.3
60.6 - Morris - 59.3
59.0 - Bagwell - 59.3
55.3 - Raines - 59.8
43.1 - Bonds - 45.4
41.5 - Clemens - 44.3
36.7 - Schilling - 39.2
25.5 - E. Martinez - 35.6
25.0 - L. Smith - 38.1
22.9 - Trammell - 37.6
12.2 - McGriff - 20.1
11.1 - McGwire - 14.4
8.5 - L. Walker - 16.5
8.0 - S. Sosa - 13.4
6.4 - R. Palmeiro - 12.9
5.3 - Mattingly - 8.8

 

Re: 2014 BBWAA Baseball Hall of Fame ballot released

Best thing I've seen here in pages and pages.

 

Re: 2014 BBWAA Baseball Hall of Fame ballot released

Yeah, we get it. Any post that agrees with you is the greatest thing ever and any post that criticizes your point of view is so horrible the poster should be ignored, then banned. Got it.

 

Re: 2014 BBWAA Baseball Hall of Fame ballot released

Ken Gurnick has accomplished what he hoped to accomplish: In a discussion about the Baseball Hall of Fame, people are talking about Ken Gurnick.

 

Re: 2014 BBWAA Baseball Hall of Fame ballot released

Jayson Stark made electability a primary criteria, though grudgingly:

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/10253089/jayson-stark-2014-mlb-hall-fame-ballot

The solution to his big problem - too many worthy candidates - seems simple to me. Ignore first-year guys.

 

Re: 2014 BBWAA Baseball Hall of Fame ballot released

Keep banging that drum all you like., At least Stark knows better.

Key line by Stark: "There's just one word to describe any ballot that doesn't include Maddux's name: Embarrassing."

And his take on Bagwell:
"Whatever reasons people are finding not to vote for this guy, they obviously have nothing to do with the amazing career he had. Bagwell is still the only first baseman in the 400-Homer, 200-Steal Club. (And nobody else since World War II is even in the 400-100 Club.) … He's one of two first basemen in history to run off 12 straight seasons with an OPS-plus of 130 or better. The other? How 'bout Lou Gehrig. … And have you noticed he won pretty much every award you can win, other than maybe a Grammy? Owns an MVP, rookie of the year, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger and Sporting News player of the year. So Jeff Bagwell, my friends, is one of the four greatest first basemen of the live ball era. But he's still tainted, apparently, by suspicions of something or other."

And this, from the section on Piazza:
"I've said this a thousand times. I'll say it again. Playing this PED guessing game is a fruitless, hopeless, impossible task, in an era where hundreds of players were taking whatever, for all sorts of reasons -- and the sport never stopped them, or has done anything since to keep them off this ballot. So you know what the chances are that we can keep all those dastardly "cheaters" out of the Hall of Fame? Zero, friends. Zero. So a guessing-game voting boycott of Piazza, or anyone else, is the ultimate empty gesture."

 

Re: 2014 BBWAA Baseball Hall of Fame ballot released

Stark's approach is perfectly reasonable. I prefer mine, which is also perfectly reasonable.

But remember: You have been adament for 30-plus pages that voters should pick the 10 most deserving candidates. Stark did not do that, by his own admission. So don't carry his water now, all of a sudden.

 

Re: 2014 BBWAA Baseball Hall of Fame ballot released

Stark called a ballot following your approach an embarrassment, so he has that going for him.

I didn't say I agree 100 percent with Stark. I said he knows better than you and pointed to some excellent points he made.

But hey, keep misrepresenting reality in a desperate attempt to justify your opinion.

Edit: I should clarify, especially for those who don't get the misleading point you are trying to make. I argued that there is no good reason to leave Maddux off the ballot an that he has no shot at 100 percent because some fool will insist on ensuring that nobody ever gets 100 percent.

Well, guess what. Stark not only voted for Maddux, he called any ballot that leaves him off an embarrassment. So yeah, I'm going to agree with him on that bit.

 

Re: 2014 BBWAA Baseball Hall of Fame ballot released

If you have been voting for 10 players that are still on this year's ballot, then you not only can defensibly leave Maddux off of your ballot, but you probably should do so, in my opinion.

 

Re: 2014 BBWAA Baseball Hall of Fame ballot released

You tried to use Stark's ballot to support your side of the argument. He does not agree with you. He called a ballot submitted with your reasoning an "embarrassment."

 

Re: 2014 BBWAA Baseball Hall of Fame ballot released

Where?