My Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot

My baseball Hall of Fame ballot:

Two of my nine choices, Ken Griffey, Jr. and Mike Piazza, received the required 75 percent of votes to gain enshrinement in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

The players for whom I voted, listed in the order of how easy it was to put an X next to the name:

1 – Ken Griffey, Jr.: A Hall of Fame baseball player asked me in 1999 in Fenway Park which hitter I thought would win the Home Run Derby the day before the All-Star Game. Since Mark McGwire had hit 13 home runs to take a big lead after the first round, I gave the obvious answer: “Mark McGwire.” The Hall of Famer shook his head. “Why not?” I asked. I’ll never forget his answer: “Too long a wait (between sessions at the plate). The steroid guys tighten up when the sit down. The natural guys stay loose. Junior will win it.” Sure enough, Griffey won it. The identity of the accurate forecaster? Sorry. It was off the record then and off the record then equates to off the record forever.

2 – Barry Bonds: Did steroids inflate his numbers? Yes, greatly. Was he the best hitter in the game before the juice increased his head size, his muscles, his power? You better believe he was. This is not a tough call. Keeping players who sought an edge through performance enhancing drugs strikes me as short-sighted as not deflating the numbers of those I believe juiced. A Hall of Fame ballot does not equate to a juror’s vote in a court of law. It requires an informed opinion, so I do my homework with the help of former players, managers, coaches, etc. and then decide to deflate the numbers of those I believe cheated and then decide whether they deserve induction. Bonds requires no thought whatsoever.

3 – Roger Clemens: See Bonds explanation.

4 – Mike Piazza: Always suspected of using steroids but never directly linked, Piazza was such a gifted hitter his numbers still stand up even after deflation.

5 – Mike Mussina: Other than having won 54 more games, why Mussina and not Curt Schilling. Mussina was at the top of his profession for a longer period of time. He ranked in the top six in Cy Young Award voting nine seasons, Schilling in four seasons.

6 – Mark McGwire: His blasting of writers who called into question home run numbers, stated with such moral indignation, was a low point, but the guy hit 49 home runs as a rookie well before his muscles grew muscles. Steroids inflated his numbers, which makes him less than an easy call, but I believe he would have been one of the game’s top power hitters if steroids never became all the rage and nobody did them. He’s a 12-time All-Star.

7 – Tim Raines: Always a tough call, Raines knew how to get on base and steal bases as well as anybody of his era not named Rickey Henderson.

8 – Edgar Martinez: I went back and forth on Edgar and then I pictured the prettiest right-handed swing rapping doubles in big spots over and over and I put an X next to his name.

9 – Alan Trammell: The toughest call of all, he was such a good hitter for a shortstop that it sometimes overshadowed just how slick he was with the glove.