Any baseball world where Jeff Bagwell and Barry Larkin are left off a lot of Hall of Fame ballots is not one I recognize.
Looks like the national media has picked up on that statement from Bagwell as well.... Baggy should have chose his words more carefully.
So he should have lied and said he wanted all the steroid users sent to Gitmo or perhaps to Huntsville for a lethal injection? Yeah, that's it.
Umm, he can't say he didn't use steroids and then say he condones or understands why someone would use them it creates too much conjecture. Just be consistent in your defense, that's all I'm asking for.
15 minutes until the vote is released. Pretty sure Bags doesn't get in but I'm still hoping he does. Big mistake talking about steroids in that interview, he should have used Biggio's approach and used the standard vanilla not get yourself in trouble answers, poor timing. The voters are surely to make him wait, that pretty much sucks.
I now have more respect for Olney, Timmy K and Ravech who seemed to be making a strong case for Bagwell being a HOF'er.
I read somewhere that anybody who get > 40% on their first HoF ballot eventually makes it in. Edit: From Astros County, Every first-ballot candidate since 1993 who received over 40% (Sandberg, Fisk, Carter, Sutton, Niekro) got in - except for Steve Garvey, who received 41.6% of the vote and had his 15 years (peaking on his 3rd ballot in 1995 with 42.6%) before falling off the ballot, and is waiting on the Veterans Committee,
Buster Olney: Jeff Bagwell's vote percentage is stunningly low for someone who clearly has Hall of Fame numbers -- but tied to no evidence of PED use. Going to the quote below about Olney, Kurkjan, and Ravech making cases for Bagwell, all seemed surprised that Bagwell only got 41%
Yea, does seem like some of the big name guys are going to be pushing for Baggy to get it sooner rather then later. 41.7 % is REALLY good for a 1st time guy, it's where I thought he'd be but feared much lower. I can see him making a big jump next season, probably not enough to get in but could set the stage to get in with Biggio, Piazza and Schilling in 2012. Who knows, though, the class is INCREDIBLY weak next year with only Larkin being a clear cut guy to probably be in.
Yeah I would be shocked if he makes that far of a jump next year. I also think Baggy would gave a hard rime getting into the Biggio class like you suggested(would be fitting though) because the voters don't typically elect more than a couple a year. I can't stand the politics in the HOF voting, if the guy has the numbers and you pretty much know he should be in, then vote him in!
Bagwell had 2 major things working against him this year. 1.It was his first year on the ballot, a lot of voters will only vote for mt. rushmore type players on the first ballot, some won't vote for anybody at all. I find this concept ridiculous but it is what it is. 2.Steroids, every home run hitter from that era, save ken griffey jr., is gonna be assumed to be a user, evidence or not.The next 4 or 5 years are gonna be steroid mccarthyism. But the further we get away from the roids, the more rational the younger voters will get. I expect Bagwell to be closer to 60% next year, and then he might get a biggio boost in 2013. He'll get in, but it will take a few years.
The steroid farts are clearly not out to get him. Palmeroid went 11% and McGuire dropped lower. He will get it.
