Future Hope For Bonds And Clemens
The past few nights weren’t kind to Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines or Ivan Rodriguez.
Heading into the announcement Wednesday evening of baseball’s newest Hall of Fame members, they generally agreed on the symptoms caused by the wait for news about the balloting.
“Anxiety,” Bagwell said.
“Last night was probably the worst night I’ve had out of the 10 years,” said Raines, whose wait was interminable and insane.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping for three days,” Rodriguez said.
Rest easy. You made it. Bagwell, who played his entire career with the Houston Astros, made it on the seventh try. Raines, a star with the Montreal Expos, was in his final year of eligibility while Rodriguez, 14 times an All-Star catcher, is now the youngest Hall of Famer at 45.
Neither Barry Bonds nor Roger Clemens, the dominant hitter and the dominant pitcher of what became known as the Steroids Era, was elected, but both showed upswings in their vote totals. After the Veterans Committee put Steroids Era Commissioner Bud Selig in the Hall, it was natural to expect some of the resistance to ease.
Players needed to be named on 75 percent of the ballots cast by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America; Bonds and Clemens both cleared 50 percent for the first time. So the all-time leader in home runs and the seven-time Cy Young Award winner may be closing in on eventual election where they will join peers hardly their moral superiors.
Baseball’s all-time leader in hits, Pete Rose, also is not in the Hall of Fame and not eligible due to a lifetime ban that followed an investigation of his gambling. He got one write-in vote.
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman
House vs. Condo: Which One Is Right for You?
Donald Trump’s Inauguration: By The Numbers
-
Famous British Olympian Retires After an illustrious career adorned with numerous accolades, Dame Laura Kenny, Britain’s most successful female...
-
Manchester City Brings it Home with a 3-1 Victory! Following Manchester City’s impressive 3-1 victory over FC Copenhagen in...
-
Murray’s New Goals Before Retirement Andy Murray, the renowned British tennis player and three-time Grand Slam champion, has shared...
-
Kylian Mbappe led Paris Saint-Germain to a resounding 2-0 victory over Real Sociedad in the first leg of their...
-
Klopp acknowledges defensive flaws as Liverpool suffers unexpected defeat against Arsenal. Following Liverpool’s unexpected defeat against Arsenal, manager Jurgen...
-
Ryan Mendes’ Heroic Penalty: Captain Leads Cape Verde to Victory In a historic moment for Cape Verde, the national...
-
Probe Raises Questions About PSG’s 2017 Deal and Political Involvement. French authorities have launched an investigation into allegations...
-
As Ireland faces a back-three injury crisis ahead of the Six Nations, some players have an opportunity to step...
-
16-year-old Luke Littler Makes History as the Youngest Player to Join the Prestigious Premier League Darts Luke Littler, the...
-
Get ready for the electric thrill! In a groundbreaking move, Formula E announces its exclusive broadcasting partnership with TNT...
-
Captain Kohli’s Record-Equalling Century Lights Up World Cup Match Against South Africa. On the occasion of his 35th birthday,...
-
All-Rounder Stokes Aims for Recovery Ahead of Upcoming India Test Series England Test captain Ben Stokes has announced that...