FINAL COUNTDOWN
Snub of former Astro shows real world consequences for baseball’s bias
Jan 20, 2022, 5:23 pm
This is the last chance for Roger Clemens to be elected to the HOF. Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/Getty Images.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame – that’s the official name for our pastime’s hallowed halls in Cooperstown – will announce its Class of 2022 next Tuesday.
It appears that only one player from the modern era, Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz, has a chance of tallying above the 75-percent threshold of votes cast by the Baseball Writers Association of America.
More noteworthy, this year marks the last gasp of eligibility for two of the greatest players in the history of the sport, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. And it’s likely they won’t be elected.
It’s that pesky good citizenship clause in the requirements to be elected to the Hall of Fame:
“Voting shall be based upon the player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.”
Uh-oh, did they say “integrity” and “sportsmanship” and “character?” Also, the rules state that any player on baseball’s “ineligible” list can’t be on the ballot.
So we have baseball essentially banning from its Hall of Fame:
Bonds, arguably the game’s greatest player ever, career and single season home run champion and only 7-time MVP.
Clemens, arguably the game’s greatest pitcher ever, 354 wins, 4,672 strikeouts and only 7-time Cy Young Award winner.
Pete Rose: inarguably baseball’s all-time leader in hits, games played, at bats, and most seasons with 200 hits. Rose is banished for violating baseball’s rule against gambling on games.
Curt Schilling, whose pitching stats probably warrant entry to Cooperstown, is expected to fall short on votes this year. While there is no specific rule against being a complete jerk and high-grade idiot (in 2016 he appeared in public wearing a T-shirt that said, “Rope. Tree. Journalist. Some assembly required.” Uh, you are aware that journalists vote on who gets into the Hall of Fame, right? His T-shirt suggesting lynching journalists pales in comparison to other incendiary comments on race and politics.
Alex Rodriguez has all the stats to gain induction, 3,000 hits, 696 home runs, three MVP Awards, five American League home run titles, career mark for grand slams and a batting title. But A-Rod was an outed steroid user, which included a 211-game suspension.
About half of the approximately 400 voting members of the baseball writers have revealed their ballots and Ortiz appears on 86 percent of them, according to Hall of Fame tracker Ryan Thibodaux. However, writers who keep their ballots secret tend to be fuddy-duddy traditionalists who look askance at players suspected of having used performance enhancing drugs. While Ortiz never flunked an official steroid test, he did pop a positive result in MLB’s anonymous drug-testing survey in 2003 – a year before baseball implemented its drug policy. Ortiz never tested positive after 2004.
Baseball's commissioner has asked Hall of Fame voters not to hold Ortiz’s 2003 test result against him. “Even if your name was on that (anonymous) list, it’s entirely possible that you were not positive. I don’t think anybody understands very well what that list was,” Manfred said.
Leave it to baseball to “name names” on an anonymous list.
If Ortiz sinks below the 75 percent mark when all the ballots are counted, 2022 would be the second consecutive year with no player from the modern era elected to the Hall of Fame. The plaque-maker also filed for unemployment benefits in 1945, 1950, 1958, 1960, 1965, 1971 and 1996.
Baseball writers can be a picky bunch. They have been electing players to the Hall of Fame since 1936, yet only one was ever voted in unanimously – reliever Mariano Rivera in 2019. That means there were, one would think astute, baseball writers who surveyed Willie Mays’ career and said, “Nope, not a Hall of Famer.” Some writers turned thumbs down on Cy Young, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig and Henry Aaron at some time during their eligibility.
Craig Biggio had to wait three years to be elected to the Hall of Fame. Jeff Bagwell was in Cooperstown’s waiting room for seven years.
You mean some writers didn’t vote for Babe Ruth? What does a guy have to do around here to get in the Hall of Fame?
We will find out in 2025 when Ichiro Suzuki comes up for a vote. He notched more than 3,000 hits in MLB (one of the benchmarks for induction) and that was after winning seven straight batting titles in Japan. He holds the MLB record for most hits in a single season (262). If you add up his hits in MLB and Japan, it fritzes out the calculator at 4,367, far out-distancing Pete Rose for the crown of baseball’s true Hit King.
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How these 3 critical factors could swing battle between Texans and Jets
Oct 30, 2024, 3:06 pm
The Jets host the Texans and their scary defense on Halloween night! Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.
Houston (6-2) at New York Jets (2-6)
Thursday, 8:15 p.m. EDT, Amazon Prime
BetMGM NFL odds: Jets by 2.
Against the spread: Texans 3-4-1; Jets 2-6.
Series record: Jets lead 7-3.
Last meeting: Jets beat Texans 30-6 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Dec. 10, 2023.
Last week: Texans beat Colts 23-20; Jets lost to Patriots 25-22.
Texans offense: overall (9t), rush (18), pass (8), scoring (14).
Texans defense: overall (2), rush (13), pass (3), scoring (15t).
Jets offense: overall (24), rush (30), pass (13), scoring (25).
Jets defense: overall (4), rush (17), pass (2), scoring (11t).
Turnover differential: Texans plus-4; Jets minus-3.
Texans player to watch
RB Joe Mixon. He has carried Houston's offense in the three games since he returned from an injury and could be even more important this week after wide receiver Stefon Diggs tore the ACL in his right knee last Sunday and is out for the season. Mixon ranks third in the NFL by averaging 100.6 yards rushing a game and has had at least 100 yards rushing and a TD run in three straight games.
Jets player to watch
Edge rusher Haason Reddick. After ending his lengthy contract holdout early last week, Reddick made his Jets debut and played 26 snaps on defense with two quarterback pressures while working mostly on third downs. His snaps might increase a bit Thursday and he could help the Jets get after C.J. Stroud, who has been sacked 22 times this season — tied for third most in the NFL.
Key matchup
Jets offensive line vs. Texans' pass rush. New York has had issues this season with injuries, consistency and protecting Aaron Rodgers. The Jets will face a tough test Thursday night against the Texans, whose 27 sacks are third in the NFL. DE Will Anderson Jr. is tied for third in the league with a career-high 7 1/2 sacks, including at least one in his past three games. DE Danielle Hunter has 5 1/2 sacks and DT Tim Settle has four, powering a formidable defensive front for Houston. Hunter leads the league with 51 quarterback pressures and Anderson is fourth with 39, the only teammates in the top 15, according to Next Gen Stats.
Key injuries
Diggs' injury leaves Houston without its top two receivers. Nico Collins, who leads the Texans with 567 yards receiving, is out for at least one more game after being placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. ... S Calen Bullock was limited in practice Monday and Tuesday after injuring his shoulder Sunday. … LBs Azeez Al-Shaair (knee) and Henry To’oTo’o (concussion) both missed the Colts game, but could return this week. … S Jimmie Ward could miss a fifth straight game with a groin injury. … LG Jarrett Patterson is in the concussion protocol and is likely out. … RB Dameon Pierce missed practice this week with a groin injury. ... Jets LB C.J. Mosley suffered a stinger in his neck during pregame warmups at New England and was meeting with neck and spine specialists this week. ... RG Alijah Vera-Tucker (ankle), WR Allen Lazard (chest), DL Leki Fotu (knee) and safeties Tony Adams (hamstring) and Ashtyn Davis (concussion) all missed the game vs. the Patriots and their availability for this week was uncertain. ... K Greg Zuerlein was placed on IR. Riley Patterson and Spencer Shrader were signed to the practice squad, and one will be promoted for the game.
Series notes
The Jets have won the past two meetings. ... New York won the first five meetings, including the first game between the franchises in 2003, when LaMont Jordan's late 8-yard touchdown run helped lift the Jets to a 19-14 victory. ... Zach Wilson threw two touchdown passes in the most recent meeting, a 30-6 rout by New York during which Stroud left with a concussion.
Stats and stuff
The AFC South-leading Texans have won four of their past five. ... Stroud is 2-0 with three touchdowns and zero interceptions in two career starts in prime time. He had 285 yards passing last week for his ninth career game with at least that many yards passing, which is tied for second most in the NFL since 2023. ... WR Tank Dell had a touchdown reception last week and has a TD catch in two of his past three games. ... TE Dalton Schultz had a season-high 52 yards receiving against the Colts. He has two TD receptions in each of his past two Thursday night games. ... Hunter has 10½ sacks in eight career Thursday night games. … LB Neville Hewitt, who spent the 2018-21 seasons with the Jets, forced a fumble last week. … Rookie CB Kamari Lassiter had a career-high three passes defended last week. … S Jalen Pitre had his first interception of the season last week. ... S Eric Murray had seven tackles and a season-high three passes defended last week. ... New York is trying to snap a five-game skid. ... Jeff Ulbrich is 0-3 as the Jets’ interim head coach since replacing the fired Robert Saleh on Oct. 8. Ulbrich, also the team's defensive coordinator, said earlier this week he'll continue to call plays on defense. … Rodgers snapped a streak of three consecutive games with an interception. He has seven in eight games, six shy of his single-season career high set in 2008 in his first year as Green Bay’s starting quarterback. ... Rodgers hasn't passed for 300 yards since throwing for 341 against Chicago on Dec. 12, 2021 — a span of 30 regular-season games and 31 overall, including one playoff game. ... WR Garrett Wilson leads the NFL with 84 targets, 11 more than the Giants’ Malik Nabers. Wilson’s 51 receptions are second in the league behind Las Vegas’ Brock Bowers, who has 52. ... WR Davante Adams had four catches for 54 yards, giving him seven receptions for 84 yards in two games since being acquired from the Raiders. ... Second-year WR Xavier Gipson caught his first career TD pass last Sunday. ... TE Tyler Conklin has a TD catch in consecutive games after not having one since catching two TD passes in Week 8 of the 2022 season against New England. ... RB Breece Hall has 316 yards receiving, the most among NFL running backs. ... Edge rusher Will McDonald has eight sacks, second in the NFL to the Giants’ Dexter Lawrence (nine). … The Jets have only six takeaways, ranking among the fewest in the league. Backup CB Brandin Echols has New York's only two interceptions.
Fantasy tip
Houston wide receiver John Metchie is coming off a career-best three-catch game and could see more targets — and perhaps his first NFL touchdown — with both Diggs and Collins out. Might be worth a stash as a potential WR3.
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