Last night Adam Rubin,the Mets beat writer for ESPN.com revealed his list of candidates that he voted to go into the Baseball Hall of Fame this summer in Cooperstown, New York.
Among those he admitted that he omitted were Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds and New York Mets catcher, Mike Piazza.
Here is Adam’s reason for not voting for Piazza – the All Time homerun leader for catchers.
I plan to wait a year on Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds and Mike Piazza before placing them on my ballot.
As a Mets-specific writer, I’ll offer a short reasoning on delaying a year on Piazza …
While there is no smoking gun with Piazza related to performance-enhancing drugs, there are enough things swirling around to at least cause me to pause for one year:
• Back acne that you do not see on players today, and which appeared to clear up as testing was instituted.
• Reporting to camp significantly thinner for spring training (with yoga instructor in tow) as testing began.
• Tearing the groin muscle off the bone — an injury suggesting he was bulked up beyond the norm.
First off let me say that I have met Adam on many occasions and he is one of the nicer guys that covers the Mets. He is always generous with his time and I consider him a straight shooter, and he is entitled to his opinion – it is his vote. But in this case I think he is way off base.
First off unlike Bonds or Clemens, Piazza was never dragged into court or named on any list of purported performance enhancing drug lists then to omit him from his ballot is onerous at best.
To pass judgement on Piazza because he had back acne, coming into spring training thinner or because of a freak groin injury is to convict him without a fair trial. All I know is I am 40 and I still get pimples on my back from time to time ( sorry for the visual) and there can be other reasons why the reasons he listed above may have occurred.
Look I am neither blind nor am I ignorant, I know there is a good chance Mike may have used P.E.Ds, but with out concrete proof that he did it to bar him from the Hall of Fame is just plain wrong.
And with that said…. HERE COMES THE INFAMY !!!!
Mets alumni celebrating a birthday today includes:
Reserve second baseman from the ’67 season, Bart Shirley is 73 (1940).
Middle reliever from ’92-’93, Paul Gibson is 53 (1960).
Mets outfielder from ’90-’92, Daryl Boston is 50 (1963) Boston was brought in to make us forget about another Daryl – Strawberry. In short – he didn’t.
Sadly on this date in 2000 one of the best first basemen to ever come from the Mets farm system, John “The Hammer” Milner passed away.
The Atlanta Braves, signed utilityman, Bill Pecota of the New York Mets as a free agent on January 4, 1993.
The New York Mets signed free agent middle reliever, Mickey Weston on January 4, 1993.
The New York Mets tradedstarting pitcher, Jae Seo and middle reliever, Tim Hamulack to the Los Angeles Dodgers for middle reliever, Duaner Sanchez and minor league pitcher, Steve Schmoll on January 4, 2006. This was one of then general manager, Omar Minaya’s best trades during his tenure with the Mets.
Mo Vaughn has been elected to the Hall of Fame. – No not the Baseball Hall of Fame but the Competative Food Eaters Hall of Fame !!!!
12 comments
greggofboken
1/4/2013-7:26am at 7:26 am (UTC -4)
If Rubin, based on what he saw as someone covering the team, were not to vote for Piazza based on what he believes, I would have no problem with that — smoking gun or not.
But that’s not the case.
He says it gives him pause for one year. Really? What happens between now and next year that eases his doubts?
If you believe he used PED’s based on what you saw, then you don’t vote for him — now or ever — if you’re honoring that standard. If you don’t believe, but simply suspect and have doubt, I think you have to act on formal testing and/or formal accusations. And your vote should not change one way or the other until those suspicions are either proved out or negated.
But to not vote for him for one year (implying that you’re likely to vote for him next year) seems just more of the Ken Davidoff witholding nonsense that seems arbitrary and overly self-important.
wanny
1/4/2013-8:38am at 8:38 am (UTC -4)
HOF voting has become a complete joke. The honor is meaningless now.
I don’t understand why the steroid users are treated differently than the amphetamine users who fill the Hall. And I don’t know why the writers get to decide who is a steroid user based on whatever anecdotal or circumstantial proof they want and whether a steroid user is even qualified.
In this case, bacne, a yoga instructor and an injury are the flimsiest and most irresponsibleand unreliable evidence to rely upon that I have seen yet. I hope Rubin crosses paths with Piazza with no witnesses around….
TRS86
1/4/2013-9:20am at 9:20 am (UTC -4)
In this case, bacne, a yoga instructor and an injury are the flimsiest and most irresponsible and unreliable evidence to rely upon that I have seen yet.
I am sorry Wanny because I think you and I have debated this one before but like Rubin or not he is just as guilty as any reporter who makes a living based on who much people read their stuff.
This is a complete attention seeking missile sent out into a Mets fanbase that he knows right now will generate a shit ton of clicks. If he just posted Bonds and Clemens and why he isn’t voting for them do you think anyone would give a damn? Once he puts Piazza’s picture next to those two and puts up his name with those guys and says he didn’t vote for him he knows a firestorm is coming. Controversy generates clicks.
srt
1/4/2013-10:32am at 10:32 am (UTC -4)
What you said, Wanny.
SaltyGary
1/4/2013-8:59am at 8:59 am (UTC -4)
This mess will not be solved until the Hall dictates what direction the writers take. They already tell them how to vote and obviously they need to provide a updated directive on how to deal with this era. Until they face the issue and stop hiding from it, it will continue to be a mess. They already no how it is playing out with how McGuire was handled, after this vote and seeing the data, if they continue to hide from this issue, their legitimacy will seriously take a huge hit.
TRS86
1/4/2013-9:22am at 9:22 am (UTC -4)
I am to the point now with the blogging industry and how the beat reporter is no longer the same as it was in the old days to completely strip “reporters” from deciding who gets into the HOF. They have too much of their own agenda to be trusted with such a sacred vote. Make the committee out of current HOF, players, managers, etc.
wanny
1/4/2013-9:59am at 9:59 am (UTC -4)
i don’t know if thats the right solution either. Have you seen how those factions vote for all-star and individual awards? you know, the rafael palmeiro gold glove thing… that was not reporters.
and you want to talk about agendas? letting peers vote on the players?
unfortunately, i think the HOF is just a meaningless museum at this point.
TX
1/4/2013-2:00pm at 2:00 pm (UTC -4)
take away the limits on how many votes they get and limit the voting to a one and done type. They either are or are not a HOF player.
Either that, or take it away from the sports writers all together.
darknova306
1/4/2013-10:19am at 10:19 am (UTC -4)
Adam Rubin, like lots of other HoF voters, is a sad little man. “I have circumstantial evidence that you may have done something I don’t like, so I’ll wait a year to vote for you” is attention seeking nonsense by a sad clown that’s trying to exert the only bit of influence he can ever have on the game. Just like Davidoff, this is an attempt by a hack writer to put his worthless self above the game. The writers and their agendas are a joke.
Wanny is likely right with his comment above:
“unfortunately, i think the HOF is just a meaningless museum at this point.”
TRS86
1/4/2013-10:26am at 10:26 am (UTC -4)
“attention seeking nonsense”
Completely agree.
srt
1/4/2013-10:38am at 10:38 am (UTC -4)
Hypocrite.
Most of these writers voting witnessed all this going on during the steroid era and had no problem with it. They certainly didn’t blow the whistle on any of them – quite possibly b/c it would mean their job.
Now some like Rubin acts all indignant about it? Bah….
Davidoffs complicated saber metrics that he used – which he clearly doesn’t understand – was nothing more than an excuse not to vote for Piazza on the first ballet.
Heard another HOF voter on MLB last night explain his choices. Didn’t catch the name, didn’t recognize the face. But his reasoning made the most sense to me.
He said since he’s got no idea who was using, who wasn’t, (for the most part), who was affected by those using, he was just going to vote for the best players – drugs be damned. He voted for Bonds and Clemons.
He left Piazza off. He went on to say he’s felt bad about that, he’s more than deserving and he’ll get in – but that he only had those 10 votes and 2 of them were taken up by 2 guys who, if they didn’t get in this year, would be taken off the ballet (forgot who they were). His justification was he was sure Piazza will get in – maybe even this year – but certainly next year.
Stickguy
1/4/2013-12:30pm at 12:30 pm (UTC -4)
You spend hot summer days squatting for 3 hours in polyester and catcher’s gear, and I bet you get some backne too.
the HOF? Get rid of the writers. they are an antiquated group, like the electoral college. Maybe in the old days they were the only ones that really ever saw the players enough to know, but not any more.
IMO, the HOF should form a committee, with rotating members, to make the decision every year. They could even whittle it down to a select group, and let some other faction vote too. Include a cross section (bill james? some writers? Rusty Jr.?) to evaluate the list, and make the nominations.
but giving hacks that don’t even watch games anymore (in some cases of the old timers) final say is ludicrous at this point.