HOF voting

[cjclong]

Greg Maddox was elected, but there were several sports writers who did not vote for him. I don't see how you could fail to vote for a pitcher who has won 353 games and a number of Cy Young awards and has never been linked to PED's? Does anyone have a thought as to why he should not have been a unanimous choice? I know one writer said he wouldn't vote for anyone who played "in the steroid era" even though they had never been linked to them, which is ridiculous.

[EricTheRed44]

You get 10 votes (if you wish). While I think Maddux should have been voted in by all (even though no one has) I'm sure some people knew he would get in, so they probably voted for guys like Morris who they knew would need any vote he could possibly get and it was his last go around.

A lot of times hometown guys get votes when they dont deserve it. I know my favorite player Eric Davis got at least a vote, when I believe he'd be a HOF'er if he had stayed healthy, even I know he's not a Hall of Famer. You'd still think you'd have a vote or two left over to vote for Maddux... but then if he said one bad word to a certain writer or turned them down for an interview, they may hate the man and simply not vote for him.

You also had the joker that only voted for Morris and didn't someone SELL their votes? A lot of writers are stand-up guys but there are plenty that are jokes and shouldnt have the write to vote!

That was a long response... my apologies.


Joe

[emann]

A lot of times hometown guys get votes when they dont deserve it. I know my favorite player Eric Davis got at least a vote, when I believe he'd be a HOF'er if he had stayed healthy, even I know he's not a Hall of Famer.

I think most of these ballots are coming in with only 1-2 selections each every year. They get up to 10, but I assume most voters don't put anywhere near that many (out of some weird need to keep the inductions small & exclusive every year maybe?)...

Davis got 3 votes BTW. He deserved those out of respect. It'd be nice to see more of that as opposed to writers making "statements" (or a quick way to get press for themselves) by not voting for anyone, etc.

[xpress34]

My personal opinion is that if Ruth and Clemente and other greats of the game didn't get 100% Unanimous election, then how can any modern player expect or be so deserving.

Maddux was a great pitcher, but others before him - Cy Young for example - didn't get 100% either.

I honestly think that there may be some voters who feel the way I do and possibly abstain their vote just to ensure no one gets the 100%.

Just my .02.

[metsbats]

The only number which matters is 75. Personally I don't think any player who gets the call to the Hall would really dwell on the votes he didn't get so why should we?

[metsbats]

My personal opinion is that if Ruth and Clemente and other greats of the game didn't get 100% Unanimous election, then how can any modern player expect or be so deserving.

Maddux was a great pitcher, but others before him - Cy Young for example - didn't get 100% either.

I honestly think that there may be some voters who feel the way I do and possibly abstain their vote just to ensure no one gets the 100%.

Just my .02.

That's so true.

[KGoldin]

Mickey mantle and Joe DiMaggio each got 88%
88% for Joe D! ever see his numbers?
Ted Williams got 93%, and over 5% of the morons (I mean writers) didn't vote for Willie Mays

I thought the closest person to get to 100% would have been Ripken, as he was universally loved and thought as the savior of the game after the strike...and he got 98.5%/....close, and 3rd all time, but not enough.
so no, no one will ever get 100%

[jbean023]

Just my thoughts and opinions on the situation. Yes by all means with 10 votes Maddux should have been a 100% unanimous along with a few others in the past. This is the baseball hall of fame, I understand all the steroid controversy but baseball would be nowhere near what it is today without the steroid era. To me Bonds, Clemens, ect get in. Can anyone say for 100% certain that all the guys that are already in never did anything illegal, there was drugs in the 50s/60s that were legal that are now illegal. So if you are the best in that era in my opinion you get in. For instance in Nascar you're going to say Jimmie Johnson doesn't deserve to be in the Nascar Hall of Fame, he cheats. The USA is all about the upper hand and whatever you have to do to get to that state. Just like the Seahawks secondary and aderol so they shouldn't of been able to be in the playoffs last year, they cheated! Its technology and use it to your advantage in my opinion. To me you can't compare Ruth and Young in any modern conversations because no one on this forum has seen either of them play in person its all what you read, what's on paper, and word of mouth. Cy Young pitched the first half of his career with the mound at 50 and 55 feet.

Greg Maddux is a pitcher that aged like you should, lost velocity, got larger in the waist, and got smarter. This guys stats were from guys hitting the gyms everyday, the guys that were doing steroids, the guys that could watch 24/7 tapes on Maddux if they wanted to and vice versa. A totally different generation and a new breed of athlete. Just take a look at USA track and field records and see how many are still holding from 1980 and back. The baseball hall of fame will be headlined controversy until the end of time. The Bonds, Clemens, ect argument will go on like our generation still talk about Pete Rose.


If everyone knew everything that goes on behind closed doors in the big 3 sports now days everyone would be disgusted.