My 2014 Hall of Fame ballot submitted to Deadspin

For those unaware, Deadspin claims to have bought a Hall of Fame vote from an unnamed BBWAA voter to “make a mockery and farce of the increasingly solemn and absurd election process, and to take some power from the duly appointed custodians of the game's history and turn it over to the public.

“The voter will announce his/her name and motivations once his/her vote has been officially cast.”

Of course, there’s no proof that a voter actually sold his or her vote to Deadspin. And, if it is true, why would this voter reveal himself and open himself up to discipline from the BBWAA?

Regardless, Deadspin’s ballot is now open and I’ve already submitted my picks. Unlike the current voting process, fans are allowed to vote for as many players as they’d like. So, here’s my ballot.

A-Rod passes McGwire on all-time HR list

Alex Rodriguez finally got his first homer of the season out of the way in a 7-3 win against the Rangers. It was his 584th career home run to pass Mark McGwire for sole possession for eighth place on the career list.

Quick ‘Cap:
A.J. Burnett blanked the Rangers for seven innings to give the Yankees the opportunity to put the game away early. After a two-run rally in the second, the Yankees poured it on in the third with four runs. One of Brett Gardner’s three infield hits drove in a run and the rally was capped by Derek Jeter’s two-run homer.

Rodriguez snapped a 41 at-bat homerless streak in the fourth on a 2-1 pitch from Doug Mathis, who relieved Scott Feldman in the third.

The only offense for the Rangers came on Nelson Cruz’s three-run homer in the eighth off Alfredo Aceves. Damaso Marte finished the inning for Ace, and Joba Chamberlain wrapped it up in the ninth. Full box score here.

Thoughts:
Gardner and Burnett really stood out today. Gardner showed how much of a pest he can be, scoring two runs and stealing his fifth base. Burnett worked out of a bases loaded, one out jam in the fifth and then toughed out two more innings. Great days for both Yankees.

Line of the Night:
Burnett: W (2-0), 7 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K.

Up Next:
The Yankees will go for their first sweep of the season on Sunday, and I’ll be at the game! I bought bleacher seats with an obstructed view, but I’ll be moving around with my friend Andrew Fletcher. Look for my tweets from the game and pictures posted to the blog later that night.

What $103,579 can buy…

So many other things besides Alex Rodriguez’s 500th home run ball. The article from the Daily News lists a few other notable home run balls sold.

• Barry Bonds – 756 - $752,467
• Mark McGwire – 70 - $3 million
• Roger Maris – 61 – $5,000

I collect some memorabilia, but I’m not going to spend over $500 on anything. Maybe after I become rich and famous I will.

Quotable: McGwire choked up on interview with MLB Network

Mark McGwire sat down with MLB Network's Bob Costas tonight from 7-8 p.m to show the world how sorry he is for using steroids. However, the most important thing people got from this interview is that McGwire believes performance enhancing drugs do not enhance performance.

As you can see from part of the transcription below, he said he believed he could have hit 70 home runs in 1998 and collected 583 homers over his career without steroids, just as a result of his God-given ability. I'm not even going to bother discussing why steroids do enhance performance. Ask any doctor, they'll tell you the same thing. I actually asked an athletic trainer, one who is very knowledgeable about PEDs, and he told me they did, unequivocally.

Sorry Big Mac, but that is just not a believable idea. I don't believe you for a second. I can understand you only used them when you were recovering injury, but those things that make you recover quicker also give you more strength. Not to mention, the PEDs sped up your recovery time, which in turn helps your performance. There's no argument here.

I was glad McGwire finally came out earlier today, and he definitely gets more credit than guys like Barry Bonds. But to believe that his power numbers were not abnormal and not related to the stuff he took, is just flat out stupid. So now I believe he has some more admitting to do, because I think he knows he is just dodging the full impact of what he did.

Some notable quotes from the interview:

Could you have hit 70 home runs without using steroids?

"Absolutely."

McGwire went on to say how people still talk about his homers he hit in little league, high school, legion and the minors.

"The only reason I took steroids was for my health purposes."

They made you stronger than you ever could have been without steroids. They didn't just speed up your recovery.

Asked on what PEDs he took:

"The names I don't remember. The steroids I took were very low dosages, just because I wanted my body to feel normal."

You are making millions of dollars to play baseball. How do you not know what is going into your body?

Why not say what you are saying now back in front of congress in 2005?

"So 2005, I was ready willing and prepared to talk about this. I wanted to talk about this. My lawyers Mark Bear Marty Steinbre, I meet them back there. We talk about the situation. Marty laid out a couple scenarios: If you go out there and you talk about this, without protection, there's a very good chance of prosecution."

"I wanted to get this off my chest. I had to do what I had to do to protect myself, my family and my friends. Anybody that was in my shoes would have done the same exact thing."

Nobody in baseball who has admitted to taking steroids has been prosecuted. I think you should have tried harder to work something out with the D.A. and your lawyers.

Did your family ever ask questions about your use of steroids?

"I have never been asked."

People don't need to ask you when they already know.

Do you think your body broke down because of the steroids you took?

"If you look at when I started taking it in the winner of '93/94, I broke down in '94. I took it the winter of '95, I broke down again. It could have been. For some reason, I kept doing it. I mentally thought that maybe if I keep doing this, maybe I'll feel better and better and get out of this rut of being a mash unit."

"For some reason." Maybe it's because they helped you hit more home runs? Just a guess.

-----
"I never talked about it. I can't remember conversations about this in any of the clubhouses I played. If I ever did, which I don't remember, I walked the other way."

Do you view your numbers as authentic? Completely legitimate?

"Unfortunately I decided to take steroids because of injuries. When I look at my hand-eye coordination, what God gave me, I'd have to think so"

Great question by Costas. No way McGwire would answer that one directly.

How much does the Hall of Fame matter to you?

"I'm not doing this for the Hall of Fame. I'm doing this for me to get this off my chest. I played this game of baseball because I was given the ability to play. If I get lucky enough to get in there, that's just icing on the cake."

Everybody wants to get into the Hall of Fame. It should matter to you especially since you have the numbers and the records as a first-balloter.


Will St. Louis forgive you?

"I'm asking for a second chance. I have a lot to offer. I have a whole Rolodex of things I'd like to teach hitters."

You set a nice example. Teach hitters to take steroids? Just kidding, Mark.

If you had a Hall of Fame vote, would you vote for Mark McGwire?

If I had a Hall of Fame vote, I'd leave it up to the writers.

You would.

McGwire finally admits to using steroids

This shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody. But at least now Mark McGwire has finally admitted to using steroids. Oh, and I'm sure it's no coincidence he's admitting this a few days after he earned just 23.7 percent of votes to be elected into the Hall of Fame.

In his statement to the Associated Press, he admitted he used steroids on and off throughout his entire career, dating back to the 1989/1990 offseason and including his record-breaking 1998 season. A source close to him said he used HGH as well. After telling congress in 2005, "I'm not here to talk about the past," he's finally here to talk about the past.

"I never knew when, but I always knew this day would come," McGwire said. "It's time for me to talk about the past and to confirm what people have suspected."

So now that he's come out, do we forgive him? Does he eventually make the Hall now? First, some have said his numbers alone don't merit an induction. Sorry folks, but if you have 583 career home runs and shattered Roger Maris' single-season home run record you have reason to be in the Hall of Fame.

Second, I'm having some trouble forgiving him. Unlike Alex Rodriguez, McGwire is admitting to using steroids throughout his entire career. If you want to subtract the few years A-Rod and Barry Bonds supposedly used steroids, they may still have the credentials to be Hall of Famers. But when you admit to an entire career tainted with steroids, it's tough to forgive. Sorry, he did win a Rookie of the Year Award without steroids, supposedly.

The only thing going for him was his final statement about the current state of baseball.

"Baseball is really different now -- it's been cleaned up," McGwire said. "The commissioner and the players' association implemented testing and they cracked down, and I'm glad they did."

I'd hope he has this attitude toward Major League Baseball. Why? Because he's still in the game! He accepted a position as the hitting coach for the Cardinals in 2010. I'm not sure if it's in the best interest of the club to keep him in that role, because now fans may put into question any feats Albert Pujols or Matt Holliday might accomplish. I've always believed Pujols is clean, but having an ex-juicer like McGwire as his hitting coach may put his future records into question.

I wonder if anyone else from the Steroid Era will come out now (I'm talking to you Bonds and Sammy Sosa). Now is the best time to do it! I'm sure more on McGwire's case will come out in the next few days. Stay tuned.

Who’s next for the Hall of Fame?

The inductees won’t be announced until Jan. 6, 2010, but it’s still fun to look at.

Will Don Mattingly finally break through? Should players surrounded by steroid rumors, like Mark McGwire, be inducted? Feel free to debate in the comments section.

(* indicates first time on ballot)

Roberto Alomar*
Kevin Appier*
Harold Baines
Bert Blyleven
Ellis Burks*
Andre Dawson
Andres Galarraga*
Pat Hentgen*
Mike Jackson*
Eric Karros*
Ray Lankford*
Barry Larkin*
Edgar Martinez*
Don Mattingly
Fred McGriff*
Mark McGwire
Jack Morris
Dale Murphy
Dave Parker
Tim Raines
Shane Reynolds*
David Segui*
Lee Smith
Alan Trammell
Robin Ventura*
Todd Zeile*

List provided by Mark Feinsand.

Yanks lose offensive showdown

The Yankees lost a 33-hit affair to the Reds on Sunday, 13-11.  The Yankees had six players with multi-hit games (Brett Gardner, Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano and Kevin Cash) and three players with a homer (Gardner, Cano and John Rodriguez).

All seven Yankee pitchers gave up at least one run in the slugfest.  Christian Garcia gave up four runs in the seventh (three earned), and took the loss.

Full box score here, if you want to check it out.

Yankees face the Astros later today at 1:05 p.m. in Kissimmee, Fla., just in case you are in the neighborhood.

Steroid era crisis?

I just got word that commissioner Bud Selig is contemplating a suspension for A-Rod, due to his admission of PED use when they were illegal in baseball.

One thing holding back Selig from suspending him right now is that the test he tested positive in was an anonymous survey. Also, A-Rod never admitted to the specific PED he used, which makes it harder to suspend him.

This is a huge deal folks. I've been thinking a lot about what the aftermath of the steroid era should be.  I am focusing on hall of fame eligibility as well as any sort of records.

As a baseball purist, I want to make every player that has either admitted or tested positive in any PED test ineligible for the Hall of Fame. I'm sorry A-Rod, but the hall's voting guidelines are very clear:

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.

The use of PEDs defies integrity, sportsmanship, as well as character. That is enough for me to deem any one of these players ineligible for the Hall of Fame.

Now as far as dealing with the records, I want to make any one of these players ineligible for the record books. Yes, this means Roger Maris' 61 homers are still in the lead, as well as Hank Aaron's 755 dingers.

I'm sorry, but you have to come down hard on these players. I'm sure in most cases, these players are thinking, "If I use these PEDs, I can get good enough to earn myself a hefty contract." I'm sorry for the Andy Pettitte's of the world, but you still were dumb enough to use them.  Illegal or not, it is still immoral to use them and goes against everything the Hall of Fame stands for. And I certainly don't want inflated statistics reinventing the record books.

Big name players such as Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, Rafael Palmeiro, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and now Miguel Tejada can kiss their careers good bye.

Photo from SI.com