Who are your top current first ballot hall of famers playing today?

[cjclong]

I'll go with Jeter and Rivera. I think Rivera could quit today and get in. If he gets the all time saves record that would just be icing on the cake. The HOF voters pay a lot of attention to post season play and no one has been better there than Rivera. I think the 09 playoffs and world series cemented his reputation where of all the closers for the playoff teams he was the only one who did not blow a save through the playoffs and world series. Also, in many of the past years of HOF voting the closer postion on a staff wasn't looked at with the importance it is today. And from all accounts Rivera is a very fine person which will also influence voters when unfortunately too many athletes are jerks.

[nationals2k9]

I always make a point to mention before anything else that my suspicions with Pujols have nothing to do with Manny already being suspended and me hoping to bring down the whole crew. I just think MLB is not a fully healthy league when it's a mix of former stars turned PED violators, combined with guys like Pujols who is oddly the first guy to look like Mark McGwire since McGwire himself. My argument at its core is to stop making the PED crap such a huge criteria when it comes to HOF consideration, and just return to watching these guys perform and do what they do best. I'm frankly embarassed that one day I get to explain to my son that the majority of my favorite players growing up are guys he won't be seeing in Cooperstown, in large part because it was the era where someone decided to make a big deal about it. But the way it stands, you've got a small handful of "clean" guys that we're all clinging to, and you've got even more guys who a lot of used to love that are now considered a joke because they made some poor decisions. That makes me angry and causes me to cast doubt on the remaining few everyone is all goo goo about.

You guys are probably a lot like me in a way... trying to defend what we like to make ours. "I have 10 Pujols bats, he's a god, he's never done anything, leave him alone." I'm thinking, "I have 10 Manny bats, he's my favorite player, stop picking on him like he's a cancer and appreciate his abilities."

Of course my thinking is unfounded, but what's the fun of waiting until after the fact and proclaiming that I knew something was up? Pictures like this of Albert and seeing the way he hits the ball tend to bend my thoughts some.

[kellsox]

Manny is an interesting case because he served a suspension for violation of the policy, came back and was nowhere near the same player. Calling into question how much of his accomplishments were ped aided (more so than others)

[nationals2k9]

I see your point, but he's also at that age. Some of the other guys just kind of vanished entirely. This year will be interesting with his back against the wall. He seems to be in the right mindset, dropping 12 lbs and working his butt off to prepare. We'll see. But I get it.