The HoF voters had already been criticized for electing Jim Rice, and the results this year certainly do not help their case.  The NY Times called for changing the way that players are elected before the voting was conducted this year.  The Times argued that many voters do not know very much about baseball.  I generally agree with Ryan's choices on this ballot (with the possible exceptions of Schilling and Morris), but Ryan does fit the profile the Times described of people who should not be voters.  It's understandable that Ryan would write this column to defend those voters.  Maybe the best approach is to administer a test to potential voters, and only allow voting for those who pass the test

    The sportswriters elected Gaylord Perry even though Perry himself has admitted that he was a cheater.  Now many of the same people are saying that Clemens and Bonds should not be elected because they were cheaters.  This is hypocritical.  I don't believe that Clemens and Bonds should be elected, but I also don't believe that Perry should have been elected.  I certainly applaud players. such as Frank Thomas and Curt Schilling, who have taken a stand against performance enhancing drugs.

I keep wondering when the sanctimonious MLB (along with some of the writers) will finally acknowledge Pete Rose. And Shoeless Joe Jackson for that matter. Pete Rose was a hard-nosed baseball player who worked for every hit he had. No steroids, no drugs. And Yet because of the gambling issues that arose after his playing career he is denied not only consideration for the hall, but he is persona non grata ANYWHERE in baseball. He can't have anything to do with anyone. A pariah. And Shoeless Joe's stats would make one have to think twice about his participation in any gambling his teammates did. But he too is denied any sort of consideration for the Hall. And yet, we see debate about the neanderthal steroid-pumped phonies like Clemens, Bonds, Sosa, and others. No one knows if their stats would have held up if they hadn't turned their bodies into the incredible hulks. They might, or might not have been worthy of the Hall. But because the drugs gave them the extra they needed, writers are actually considering them. Pete Rose bet, admittedly, but said he always bet on his team to win. I believe him, as that's the kind of player he was. There is no proof his betting ever affected the outcomes of games. So which is worse? Gambling, something millions of Americans do every day (we're even trying to promote it in Mass with a new casino or two, or three), of pumping your body with chemicals to ensure more power and speed and a longer career? I say that if Clemens and the rest of the artificially enhanced players get consideration, so should Rose (and Jackson). Anything else is hypocrisy.