[EmpireWF]

Another year passes and Jim Rice remains out of the baseball hall of fame. Jim Rice received 392 votes, good for 72.2%. He fell short by 2.1% or 14 votes.

Why can't he get the votes? It's amazing, he deserves to be in and some people just won't vote for the guy.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Tragic...but then again, so is Big Mac not making it.

[EmpireWF]

Originally Posted by Gotham Dark Knight

Tragic...but then again, so is Big Mac not making it.

McGwire not getting in is anything but tragic.

[LSC9901]

Originally Posted by EmpireWF

McGwire not getting in is anything but tragic.

5 years from now Rogo Clemens will be in the same boat. He may walk away from this mess without being convicted but his name will forever be connected to steroids now.

[Lefty Noob]

McGwire not getting in IS tragic. Um, what exactly has he done wrong again? Show me some proof that he was a cheater. There is none.

[ThePundit]

Why should Rice get in? He was only the MOST DOMINANT HITTER in the AL for about a decade...... If Craig Biggio gets in, and Jim Rice doesn't, it'll be beyond a joke.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by EmpireWF

McGwire not getting in is anything but tragic.

Oh???...and your opinion is more valid than mine how?...

The guy never failed a drug test...brought baseball back to life and has the numbers...and you are siding with who???...Jim Rice???...I see...

What's more tragic than Big Mac not getting in...is people and writer who are denying him the slot in the Hall without ever proving him guilty of anything...that my friend is TRAGIC....in captials...

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by Lefty Noob

McGwire not getting in IS tragic. Um, what exactly has he done wrong again? Show me some proof that he was a cheater. There is none.

Finally, a sane voice among the Mob who which to burn the suspected witch...thanks Lefty...

[Lefty Noob]

Originally Posted by Gotham Dark Knight

Finally, a sane voice among the Mob who which to burn the suspected witch...thanks Lefty...

Yep, it's disgraceful to keep him out of the Hall because of hearsay and unsubstantiated opinion.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by Lefty Noob

Yep, it's disgraceful to keep him out of the Hall because of hearsay and unsubstantiated opinion.

Well, give the writers the power and who knows what will happen...

Is there a better way to run the votes?...

I mean if people are on the ballot to begin with, don't they have MLBs stamp of approval.

[legend]

Rice will get in next year-nobody that has gotten that percentage of votes has not made it in. So in 2009 Jim Rice will be worthy of the hall of Fame, but not for the last 14 years. The voting should be done by all living retired players and managers and executives. Those that actually played the game should decide who is among the elite, not those who write about it and hold petty grudges for all time. The BBWAA think that they are the protectors of the sport, much like Robert Duvall's character in "The Natural."

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by legend

Rice will get in next year-nobody that has gotten that percentage of votes has not made it in. So in 2009 Jim Rice will be worthy of the hall of Fame, but not for the last 14 years. The voting should be done by all living retired players and managers and executives. Those that actually played the game should decide who is among the elite, not those who write about it and hold petty grudges for all time. The BBWAA think that they are the protectors of the sport, much like Robert Duvall's character in "The Natural."

I would welcome the change...a jury of "your peers" is indeed the American way, is it not?

[LSC9901]

Originally Posted by Gotham Dark Knight

What's more tragic than Big Mac not getting in...is people and writer who are denying him the slot in the Hall without ever proving him guilty of anything...that my friend is TRAGIC....in captials...

Tragic ...... maybe. His biggest obstacle will always be what he didn't say at the hearing versus what he did on the field.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by LSC9901

Tragic ...... maybe. His biggest obstacle will always be what he didn't say at the hearing versus what he did on the field.

So?...show me were that is a criteria for Hall of Fame induction? McGwire was not the most outspoken person...he never had all that much to say...it was within his character...

[EmpireWF]

Alright, I'll admit that McGwire is being made an example of in his early years of eligibily. You guys are right; he never failed a drug test (never had to take one), he simply played the game during a time when I think it's safe to say a majority of players were on something (greenies, steroids, pills, whatever). BUT, he is 'paying' for his terrible performance in front of Congress where he refused to admit anything...or talk about anything (the past to be exact lol).

Is that fair? Perhaps, perhaps not. McGwire is 8th on the all-time HR list (he didn't do much else in his career, offensively) but he was considered one of the best players in the game during a short stretch. He is responsible for the resurgence of the sport in 1998.

It's all about the individual writer and their feeling on the subject. If someone refuses (at least for the time being) to vote for McGwire based on the fact he really only hit a bunch of HRs, or because he's the posterboy for the steroid era...I can't disagree. If someone can think past the steroids right now and vote him in based on the HRs, I understand, but I'm not there yet.