2022 Hall of Fame Class

snowmanny

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Dec 8, 2005
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Based on the merits of his baseball accomplishments, he would have surely been elected this year if he had kept his mouth shut for the last couple years.

None of this is good for the game of baseball, by the way. It’s exhausting and boring to be examining players based on stuff beyond the field. Schilling, Bonds, Clemens can’t blame anyone but themselves. But the writers playing their stupid games with the votes share some blame as well. In Schilling’s case he should have been in eight years ago. And the writers turned a blind eye to the Clemens and Bonds mystery fountain of youth for years. And of course MLB itself was entirely complicit in the steroid era, which may or not be over.

If anyone’s HOF plaque should mention steroids it is Bud Selig.
 

JoePoulson

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Feb 28, 2006
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None of this is good for the game of baseball, by the way. It’s exhausting and boring to be examining players based on stuff beyond the field. Schilling, Bonds, Clemens can’t blame anyone but themselves. But the writers playing their stupid games with the votes share some blame as well. In Schilling’s case he should have been in eight years ago. And the writers turned a blind eye to the Clemens and Bonds mystery fountain of youth for years. And of course MLB itself was entirely complicit in the steroid era, which may or not be over.

If anyone’s HOF plaque should mention steroids it is Bud Selig.
This where I'm at too. For something that is 100% entertainment they sure can make it a fucking chore. MLB has been losing fans forever but they still insist on shitting all over their product. The Hall vote should be a cause for celebration; instead it seems they would rather not induct anyone and just wanna shit on the game, the players, and the process.
 

Plantiers Wart

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Oct 16, 2002
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I'm sorry if my post seemed too V&N ish. But there are reasons that someone as talented as Schilling is polling so low. We know it's not steroids, which are okay to discuss, so it must be something.
I don't care if folks don't want to talk about it here and will let it go.
It wasn’t your post. I replied with something about freedom of speech, society’s seeming intolerance of ideas that run opposed to our own ethos, etc…..mine was the post that was out of line.
im sorry I gave you pause. I always enjoy your thoughts
 

Petagine in a Bottle

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Jan 13, 2021
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Schilling has always been seen as marginal candidate, and I think a large part of it is just that people don’t like him. For some valid reasons and some maybe not as fair. But he’s shot himself in the foot time and time again. Had he kept his mouth shut and rehabilitated his image with the ESPN gig, he’d be in by now. But he can’t help himself and if it’s not one thing, it’s something else. He’s given people enough reasons to not like him (and hell, we all loved him at one point!)

Compare that to Papi, a guy who has always been popular and been a great ambassador for the game and generally been a positive guy. Voters and the public in general are willing to give people they like the benefit of the doubt more than those they don’t.

Furthermore, you don’t see a lot of people making HOF cases for those who they don’t like. You could build a really strong case for Schilling, but who would want to?
 

John Marzano Olympic Hero

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Apr 12, 2001
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Furthermore, you don’t see a lot of people making HOF cases for those who they don’t like. You could build a really strong case for Schilling, but who would want to?
This is very true.

"I hate everything about you and your friends and I actually wished that you were killed in one of the worse ways possible. Now please help me get into a place that will ensure that people will always fondly remember me after I pass away and make me gobs of money right now!"
 

InsideTheParker

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Jul 15, 2005
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MLBN has been airing a wonderful piece on the Negro Leagues Museum talking about how wonderful Buck O'Neill was when he wasn't elected to the HOF and everyone had gathered at the museum to rejoice, only to become bitter and angry. O'Neill got up and gave a wonderful speech consoling everyone. Harold Reynolds was totally upset, crying as you almost never see men cry. Very moving.
 

Archer1979

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Reason 83 he is my avatar. A great, great man
During the MLB strike, PBS reran Baseball and, by far, the most impressive expert was Buck O'Neill. I had to run an errand at work one time and was listening to Jim Rome on the radio. His guest was Buck. I listened to the whole segment which lasted long after I finished eating lunch. Fantastic story teller and great ambassador for the game.
 

ookami7m

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Jul 15, 2005
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I’ll say it again. If you have not read Soul of Baseball by Posnanski on Buck ONiell you’re missing out.
 

LoweTek

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May 30, 2005
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I have met a lot of former MLB players including at least a dozen HoF. When I met Buck O'Neill it was different, powerful. It felt like I was shaking hands with as Posnanski so eloquently put it, the Soul of Baseball. I was never so moved.