Hi, this is Fred Wallace with ” Off the Wire “.
The Baseball Hall of Fame will not have any players inducted in 2021 as the Baseball Writers’ Association of America failed to give any of the eligible players on the ballot the required 75 % of the vote.
This marks just the 4th time in 60 years that nobody made the grade for Cooperstown which I feel is the most sacred of the team sport halls.
That’s not to say that some prominent names weren’t in contention
Slugger Barry Bonds, the all time leader in career home runs with 762, managed to secure close to 62 % of the vote.
Pitcher Roger Clemens, who won 354 games and captured the Cy Young award 7 times, winning in both leagues, received almost the identical percentage of votes, or put another way, not nearly enough.
Another pitcher, Curt Schilling came the closest to induction with 71 % voter approval.
The issue for Bonds and Clemens isn’t how good they were as players, but rather what substances they used or injected to aid them in being that good.
And the issue for Schilling is Bonds and Clemens
This leaves the Hall of Fame, and others, with many conundrums.
First, Bonds, Clemens & Schilling are all approaching their 10th and final year of eligibility from the writers.
Schilling has already asked to have his name removed for next year, preferring to leave his Hall of Fame fate in the hands of the Veteran’s Committee.
Quite likely Schilling believes a writers vote for Bonds and Clemens is a vote he didn’t get, thus essentially blocking him from what he believes he deserves.
Next, a year from now Alex Rodriguez will be on the Hall of Fame ballot.
No question Rodriguez was a great player, but with a year-long drug suspension on his resume, can the writers vote for A-Rod and still deny Bonds or Clemens ?
The 2022 Baseball Hall of Fame vote already appears to be a political and performance enhanced mess.
I’m Fred Wallace