I'm sure that we'll hear and hold more banter over the coming months about the recently released Hall of Fame ballot (new members, if any, are announced on January 8).
http://baseballhall.org/news/press-releases/2014-hall-fame-ballot-out-today
We'll hear about the steroids scandal of the nineties and early 2000's. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling, Mark McGwire, and others will be debated, lambasted, and (probably) kept out of Cooperstown for another year.
via t.qkme.me
We'll hear the debate on Edgar Martinez and the DH position, whether his statistics were padded, and overlook his lack of postseason success as a potential barrier to the Hall.
via mlbreports.files.wordpress.com (And who doesn't want a reason to use this picture over and over?)
We'll get Jack Morris' one last go at the Hall. He went the distance in Game 7 of the World Series; will he successfully go the distance on his fifteenth try and get the votes he needs?
But the thing that struck me most are some of the first timers. Maddux, Glavine, Frank Thomas, Jeff Kent, and others make for a less complicated, (as a whole) less standout ballot of solid, not always spectacular core who played at a high level for a long time. I'll admit that I was surprised when J.T. Snow and Richie Sexson were thrown on the ballot. But truly, the most amazing part of this ballot?
San Diego's own Jacque Dewayne Jones.
A second round draft-pick in the midst of a run in the 1996 Olympics, Jacque spent three seasons in the minor leagues before a 1999 call-up to the Twins. After shifting from centerfield to left field to accomodate for Torii Hunter, Jacque was a staple at the corner outfield positions for six years. He averaged twenty home runs and over 100 strikeouts from 2000-2005, and played solid defense despite a shaky arm. A career .277 hitter, Jacque also played in stints for the Reds, Marlins, and Tigers, but truly, nothing was more exciting than Jones leading off a game with a homer over the baggy.
He never made the All-Star Game. He made the playoffs twice. And now he could represent your Minnesota Twins in Cooperstown!
This was my first FanPost on this blog. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.
http://youtu.be/WZWpjBRznyA?t=1m12s
