Babes Love The Hall Of Fame

The 2007 National Baseball Hall of Fame ballots were released yesterday, beginning the long and controversial journey to the July 29th induction. It is expected to be the biggest ceremony of this generation, with results being announced on January 9th.

There are seventeen HOF ballot virgins this year, including one of the best short stops to ever play the game, Cal Ripken, Jr. (a shoo-in), who is best remembered for breaking Lou Gehrig's consecutive game streak with 2,632 games played over a sixteen-season span. He spent all of his 21-year career with the Baltimore Orioles. Now, that's dedication.

Tony Gwynn, who could be considered one of the best and most consistent hitters in MLB history, is another first-timer to the ballot. He never hit below .309 during any full season throughout his 19-year career.

Then there's Mark McGwire - who has a shot at the Hall on a cold day in hell. Mark once hit 70 homers in a single season (1998) but everyone is quite curious whether or not he took performance-enhancing drugs to elevate his play in the '80s and '90s. Maybe he just pumped a lot of iron. In my opinion, there is no place in the Hall for cheaters. That is another blog, entirely...that I will never write.

And Jose Canseco. He wrote a book, once.

My personal favorite is of course, Bert Blyleven. Bert pitched 22 Major League seasons, nine with the Minnesota Twins (1970–1976 and 1985-1988). Besides his two World Series rings and two All-Star appearances, he ranks 5th all-time in strike-outs, 7th in innings pitched, 9th in starts and shutouts and 25th in wins. His awards collection includes the Sporting News AL Rookie of the Year in 1970 and Comeback Player of the Year in 1998...I mean, 1989. Fuck. I fucked that fucking thing up. Bert Belongs!

Of the 32 candidates this year, 15 are returnees. If I were to break down every former player, it would take 10 years and a lot of coffee. So, here they all are, listed in alphabetical order along with their years spent on the ballot. Their links will bring you to an informative paragraph on each player written by Barry M. Bloom from MLB.com:

• Harold Baines (1)
• Albert Belle (2)
• Dante Bichette (1)
• Bert Blyleven (10)
• Bobby Bonilla (1)
• Scott Brosius (1)
• Jay Buhner (1)
• Ken Caminiti (1)
• Jose Canseco (1)
• Dave Concepcion (14)
• Eric Davis (1)
• Andre Dawson (6)
• Tony Fernandez (1)
• Steve Garvey (15)
• Rich Gossage (8)
• Tony Gwynn (1)
• Orel Hershiser (2)
• Tommy John (13)
• Wally Joyner (1)
• Don Mattingly (7)
• Mark McGwire (1)
• Jack Morris (8)
• Dale Murphy (9)
• Paul O'Neill (1)
• Dave Parker (11)
• Jim Rice (13)
• Cal Ripken (1)
• Bret Saberhagen (1)
• Lee Smith (5)
• Alan Trammell (6)
• Devon White (1)
• Bobby Witt (1)