Biggio is gonna get in, if not this year certainly next year. Bagwell based on voting history it seems will also get in, usually once you get to 60% this early you get in eventually. Most of the voters are actually very good, the baseball HOF is the best, but some of the voters are so stupid it makes the whole lot look bad. The I don't vote for anybody on the first ballot are the worst of them all, even worse than the "he looks guilty" crowd.
Biggio, yes. Bagwell appears to be losing steam. If this is what happens, I hope Biggio does 2 things. I hope he asks Bagwell to give his intro speech and I hope he takes a shot at those that continue to keep Bags out despite the complete lack of evidence against him. I doubt he does either though. I'd bet one of his sons gives the speech and he's not one to be controversial (even if there is no controversy).
I wonder who first mentioned Bagwell and steroids in the press? I'm just wondering where the hell it came from and what evidence besides some stupid writer playing the part of tabloid in implicating Bagwell? I think a lot of it comes down to having Caminiti as a former teammate. I'm not exactly clear if Cam was using when he was an Astro? Or, wasn't there some pic of a "before" and "after" Bagwell out there at one time which gave the impression he was juicing?
It's really simple. Bagwell played at a time when steroids were rampant. Bagwell hit a lot of home runs. Therefore, he must have used steroids.
From what I recall, his home run numbers were never close to leading the league. It just seems like he would have hit a lot more if he was juicing...like Caminiti did the MVP season. Edit: From reviewing Bagwell's home run stats, he may have been Top 5 a few seasons but I don't recall him ever finishing the league as #1 in home runs. And, Caminiti only hit 40 HRs in his MVP season. Bags had I think three 40+ HRs maxing at 47.
I think it's a combination of things . . .he played during the steroid era, he played on a team with several guys that were strongly tied to steroids (Caminiti, Roger, Andy among others), right or wrong the Astros are "viewed" as one of the definite steroid teams. Add to that the fact that he came over from Boston as a prospect most thought would hit for a good average with moderate power, and he turned into a big power guy. And just physically looking at him, he got very big (the pic you referenced was there, and the change over one offseason was immense) Not saying he used, not at all. I'm just saying there are a few things there that people could use and suspect him, that's all He deserves to be in the Hall
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Greatly respect the transparency from <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffPassan">@JeffPassan</a>, passing along his official MLB Hall of Fame ballot: <a href="http://t.co/dVjC8qRZH7">pic.twitter.com/dVjC8qRZH7</a></p>— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) <a href="https://twitter.com/richarddeitsch/statuses/417373047322976256">December 29, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
http://www.astroscounty.com/p/2014-hof-biggio.html He was a hall of famer last year, but not this year. What the heck changed?
He likely hits more if he doesn't play in the Astrodome. Would I say he was completely clean? Probably not... but is there enough evidence to lump him in with the rest of the "steroid" guys? No, there's not (especially if people are voting for Piazza and Frank Thomas).
He is also voting for Roger Clemens... something tells me his type of "ballot" will be in the minority, and won't be enough for either Bidge or Bags.
You can only vote for 10 players. Biggio had a much better shot of getting in last year as there were no other big non-steriod names on the ballot.
So there are 10 players better than Biggio on this ballot that pushed him out? Or are we discussing crazy hall of fame voter logic here?
Remember, they don't "have" to vote for 10... they can vote up to 10. There were voters last year who voted for NOBODY, and left their ballot blank. Some voters only vote for 5 guys they feel deserving. Maybe these guys voted only for Biggio last year as their "last" guy.. and decided this year to vote for guys like Maddux, Glavine, Schilling... or maybe they only vote for one guy every year (and this year, Biggio wasn't him). Who knows... its a screwy process, and really creates more "controversy" now for those who aren't in it, year after year, rather than "prestige" for the inductees.
Frank Thomas should be about as free from steroid speculation as any 275 lb. power hitter from the 1990s can possibly be. Dude was always huge going back to his days as a football player, he started sustaining injuries in his late 30s that slowed down his production considerably (i.e., normal aging curve), and for much of his career he was one of the most vocally anti-steroid players in the Majors. My Ballot: Maddux Bonds Clemens Thomas Piazza Bagwell Raines Biggio Glavine Mussina Kent and Schilling will get in eventually. Edgar should, probably wont. It'll be interesting if a guy who clearly has the numbers for at least continued consideration drops off early, a la Kevin Brown or Joey Belle. I could see Kent getting hosed. Be even more interesting if someone like Jack Morris or Lee Smith finally get in and someone like Mussina gets dropped off the ballot.
Andro is NOT a steroid. Not even close. At the time McGwire, etc used it, it wasn't even a substance that was banned by baseball. It is a hormone that causes similar results to steroids, but it isn't the same thing. The sale, purchase and use of andro was legal in the US until 2005.
Sounds like a steroid to me. http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/performanceenhancingdrugs/a/Androstenedione.htm The muscle-building supplement that Mark McGwire made famous, Androstenedione (Andro), is classified as an anabolic steroid and as such, it is illegal to use without a legitimate medical reason. For years Major League Baseball did not ban andro despite evidence that its use could be hazardous to those taking it without a legitimate medical reason. It had been previously been banned by the Anti-Doping Agency, International Olympic Committee, the NCAA, the NFL and the men's and women's tennis tours. In January of 2005, the Anabolic Steroid Control Act was amended with the Controlled Substance Act that added anabolic steroids and prohormones to the list of controlled substances. This makes possession of the substances a federal crime. In 2004, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the sale of Andro, because of evidence to support increased health risk when using this substance. Androstenedione is a supplement made from a naturally occurring steroid hormone. The body metabolizes androstenedione into testosterone, which is considered a steroid. When supplements of testosterone are taken in high doses, they are known to have an anabolic effect increasing muscle size and strength.
