Take Me Out to the Hall Game.

“Baseball is like church. Many attend, few understand.” – Leo Durocher

Before I roll out my Hall of Fame pick’s let’s all hug the elephants in the room.

1: we'll all be gettin' HGH treatments in 15 years.

2: I don't think we need anyone "protecting the integrity of the game" for us, I'm well aware of what baseball is and isn't and Mark McGwire or Barry Bonds are both infinitely better human beings than Ty Cobb and they both had to bat against the best arms, regardless of color or nationality.

Ty on the other hand sharpened his cleats so that people were afraid to tag him on the steal or the plate (inflating his numbers dramatically), and never once had to face down Satchel Paige with stats on the line.

But again, please protect the "sanctity" of 1990's baseball and continue to play dumb regarding the warped effects of segregation, amphetamines, corked bats, spitballs, sharpened cleats, stolen signs, cocaine, scoreboard spies tipping pitches, etc, etc, etc.

Baseball's so pure, so virginal, so pristine, much too good for the dirty realities of life....and we all love a prissy prom queen that don't put out....right

Please...tell me again how Steroids threaten the integrity of baseballs numbers when Josh Gibson never got an MLB at-bat and Babe Ruth woulda been lucky to get a double off Bullet Rogan. Explain to me in great detail how home runs were hit “incorrectly” but Greenies so people could be awake enough to play at a high level is somehow different.

I’ve been a follower of this sport my entire life, Baseball is the story of America, history will prove this true, and in many ways it already has. We can’t change history, and we shouldn’t censor the narrative. It is also dumb that I would only get to vote for 10 if I did have a vote.

I’m on the path of understanding more than many who actually get to check a ballot, but here’s who I think should be in anyway:

Veterans Committee: They don’t get to do squat until they put Buck O’Neil in. No further attention will be given to them until they show the courage to overstep their boundaries and demand the HOF correct this egregious insult to both a great player and the history of the game.

Barry Bonds: Did you not see the man play? That’s the worst part of the steroids argument, whether he did or didn’t I never saw it and neither did you, but I saw him play, he’s one of the greatest.

Roger Clemens: Rockets Red Glare. Had that awesome commercial with him punching his arm into a giant tub of rice repeatedly. All his children have names that start with the letter ‘K’. Probably has more to do with baseball still being in Toronto than people realize. Knows in his heart of hearts that Maddux will always be better so even if you hate on him why would you not want him to have to sit at the same table as Maddux during the players only banquet next year when every old school HOF’er including his godfather rolls out the red carpet for Mad Dog Maddux while Clemens seethes.

Mike Piazza: Greatest offensive catcher ever. Even if you discount the era the numbers hold up, and he wasn’t as bad with the glove as the gripers remember, he just got old playing while he was playing for the Mets so he got a bad rap on his way out. Handled a pitching staff well. Was maybe the only batter to officially get in Roger Clemens head.

Craig Biggio: Doubles, Doubles, Doubles, Doubles, Steals, Doubles, Doubles, Defensive Versatility, Doubles, Steals, Grit, Grit, Grit, Grit, Baseball, Baseball. He’s a George Brett division Second Baseman and a lifetime Astro to boot. These are the stories that go in the hall.

Jeff Bagwell: A better first baseman than McGwire, a better first baseman than many. Maybe the worst trade the Red Sox ever made wasn’t Babe Ruth but when they dumped a minor leaguer named Jeff Bagwell. Him and Biggio were the Killer B’s in Houston and maybe the only good thing to come out of denying Bagwell last year would be him and Biggio going in together this year.

Rafael Palmerio: As far as I know there’s no performance enhancer that can give you a moustache that sexxxxxxxy. 3,000 hits and 500 home runs are just icing on the cake.

Tim Raines: All he did was get on base…..and snort massive lines of coke. For every person who wishes Daryl Strawberry had kept it together because he woulda been a HOF’er realize this is what he woulda been with more homers but fewer steals. And Straw never coulda got on base at the clip Raines did year in and year out for his entire career.

Mark McGwire: This is where we start getting philosophical. The quote I put at the top of this whole thing, you be a baseball person long enough and you understand it, and you understand it more and more. Cal Ripken and Mark McGwire were the same thing to Baseball and they deserve the same place of honor. Ponder the field of dreams long enough and it all becomes clear.

Dale Murphy & Fred McGriff: We’re taking that quote from above one step further now. I agree wholeheartedly with the push for Dale Murphy on two levels.

1: No less than Bill James has said he’d be ok with Murph in the hall so his stats hold up.

2: His family is right, why the hell are voters only using the character clause AGAINST former players? Click the link below right now.

http://gardenturtle.blogspot.com/2012/12/if-youll-let-me-wax-poetic-for-sec.html

Put him in the hall, do it for his stats, do it for his career, but most importantly do it for future fans of the game. These are the stories a good parent teaches their child.

And in that spirit I also use the precious tenth vote for the other Character Clause guy, The Crime Dog Fred McGriff. Who cares if he held on a few seasons too long chasing stats, those stats count, he was a solid citizen, did a ton of charity work, was in those Tom Eumansky defensive drill videos if I remember correctly and his late season trade to the Atlanta Braves was the catalyst for the last great divisional race between them and the Giants. 

The very next season history and everything else changed again with wild cards, so it's not like the game itself hasn't changed things that change things.

Were there others worthy of a vote? Yup, but the real problem with steroids is they’re gunking the ballot up with guys that are worthy but will drop off because you can only check ten names. The voters are being cowards, they’re letting this go so someone else will have to deal with it. Vote for the greatest of each era whether you like it or not. That's the burden of greatness.