WHEN WILL THE HALL OF FAME WRITERS STOP THEIR MORAL JUDGEMENT?

Alex Rodriguez has shown significant growth since retiring from baseball, and his maturity was on full display as he extended heartfelt congratulations to this year’s Hall of Fame inductees this week. While his graciousness is admirable, it’s hard to ignore that he’s likely feeling some disappointment over not being considered for the Hall of Fame himself. After all, Rodriguez is undoubtedly one of the greatest hitters in baseball history. However, his connection to performance-enhancing drugs has cast a long shadow over his career, and it’s evident that sportswriters are reluctant to honor athletes tied to scandals or controversy.

Rodriguez’s career stats speak for themselves: three AL MVP awards, 696 home runs, 3,115 hits, 14 All-Star Game appearances, and a 2009 World Series championship with the Yankees. Yet, despite these achievements, he remains on the outside looking in, even as he appeared on the ballot for the fourth consecutive year. His predicament isn’t unique, as history shows that Hall of Fame voters consistently penalize players linked to performance-enhancing drugs or other ethical concerns.

Take Mark McGwire, for instance. Despite his record-breaking home run season and an illustrious career, McGwire has not been elected to the Hall of Fame due to his admitted steroid use. Similarly, Roger Clemens—who dominated as one of the best pitchers in MLB history—fell short of the 75% vote threshold in his final year of eligibility in 2022, earning just 65.2% of the vote. This trend reveals a clear pattern: past transgressions, whether proven or suspected, continue to hold players back from baseball’s highest honor. 

And it’s not just players from the steroid era who face scrutiny. Even Carlos Beltrán, whose involvement in the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal tarnished his reputation, has found himself under the Hall of Fame microscope. Terry Collins, former Mets manager, recently spoke out about the situation, calling Beltrán’s treatment unfair. Collins pointed out that plenty of Hall of Famers likely benefited from knowing what pitches were coming, yet Beltrán seems to be bearing the brunt of the blame as one of the few players associated with the Astros scandal. Collins stated, “He wasn’t even a starting player, so it’s not like he gained much from what was happening.”

The broader question remains: when will this end? How long will Hall of Fame voters continue to blacklist players from the steroid era or those caught in controversial moments? At what point does the selective moral outrage stop? It’s worth questioning why certain players—such as Harold Baines, whose inclusion in the Hall sparked debate—are inducted while others with far more impressive resumes are excluded.  Think about it; even Jered Weaver tweaked this after Ichiro got in:

"1 writer said no on Ichiro?  another example of why Hall of Famers should vote on it and not writers"

He's not wrong. Why should these writers hold any power?

Barry Bonds, for example, is arguably the greatest hitter the sport has ever seen. Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, and even Pete Rose—all legendary players in their own right—remain outside the Hall due to scandals or suspicions, despite their undeniable impact on the game. Isn’t it time for voters, many of whom have never played baseball at the professional level, to reconsider their stance?

The Hall of Fame is meant to honor the greatest players in the history of baseball, yet it feels increasingly like a battleground for moral judgment. If the goal is to preserve the integrity of the game, perhaps it’s time to reflect on whether this rigid gatekeeping is achieving that—or simply rewriting history.

THE NEW YORK YANKEES CLINCH!

So, the Yankees have won the division.  Amazing.  

It's been a long road for a team I really like.  But I've been poisoned by this manager that just doesn't deserve to be there.  It's a me thing, not a Yankee team thing.  I sincerely cannot stand Aaron Boone, I feel like he's the dumbest guy in the room and when it comes to character for me, I cannot stand when a team in any profession carries a figurehead and they really didn't lead anything.  And again, that's a me problem. I take that stuff seriously.  Brought up in a hardworking middle-class family it comes down to earning your keep and common sense.  And that guy hasn't done a God damn thing.  And so yea, am I torn? It's one of those things where you want the Yankees to win, but you don't want THAT GUY to.  

That being said, the Yanks are in, they won the division.  And now the real season is about to begin.  They have one more series against the Pirates and then things fall into place.  Last night was a rout against the Orioles.

The New York Post writes:

"The road back to the top of the division took much longer, following last year’s abysmal fourth-place finish that was billed as a “disaster” by Brian Cashman, but the Yankees officially climbed all the way back to the top of the AL East with a 10-1 win over the Orioles on Thursday night in The Bronx."

And Judges quote is priceless: 

"This team was hungry. It goes back to not making the playoffs last year. That was just enough fuel for this team to go out and say hey, we gotta make some changes, we gotta do better.”

This is a true leader, folks. This is a guy that has 58 homers and with his superhuman strength, it is not out of the question that he goes on a rampage potentially tying his homerun record for a single season. It will be hard, but I believe in this guy.  But he's not thinking about that, he's thinking about team first. How do you NOT love this guy.  

ESPN writes:

"Next week, the attention turns to ending the franchise's 15-year championship drought with World Series title No. 28.

"You can't take this for granted at all," Stanton said. "It's expected, for sure, but times like last year, they happen, so you got to appreciate it. We're here now, enjoy it, you never know if you ever get a chance again, so you got to go."

You can't take none of this for granted.  Baseball is hard work in itself, and so when you see players like our Yankees go out there and dominate, you really have to give the credit to them.  It's 162 game season, and they need to be on every game, it's hard.   If you get there, like the Yankees just did with the division, you can NEVER take it for granted.  

I leave you with this, ESPN again:

"Aaron Judge padded the lead in the seventh inning with his 58th home run of the year, a two-run moonshot that carried into the Orioles' bullpen beyond the left-center field wall.

With it, Judge became the fourth player in major league history with at least 58 home runs in a season twice, joining Babe Ruth, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa...

"I didn't realize that," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said when informed of Judge's streak. "That's the take it for granted part."

And this is why Aaron Boone may be the dumbest guy in the room.  NEVER TAKE ANYTHING FOR GRANTED. It's a life lesson.  Shows who this guy is.

Go Yanks! You deserve it! Keep climbing, keep fighting and go get 28.

AARON JUDGE AMONG THE GREATEST EVER

As I stated in AARON JUDGE IS JUST A GOLDEN GOD just a few short days ago, there is just something very special watching a player as incredible as Aaron Judge in the modern era.  You hear about the moments and stories about guys like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ty Cobb, etc.  But we never really see that in baseball today.  Sure, there are glimpses of true greatness and mammoth home runs, but it's a moment in time.  This year however we are seeing consistency with what I can safely say is the greatest player in the modern Yankee era and something you all will be speaking fondly off when you're old and gray like me.  It's special to see Aaron Judge not only lead with dignity and integrity, but to see his home run pace year after year is absolutely wild.

Now, he will no doubt be added to a list that only a few have seen.  It's just plain crazy and incredible. The New York Post writes:

"Aaron Judge stands a pretty good chance of becoming the fifth player ever to hit 50 homers in three different seasons.

Mark McGwire, Babe Ruth and Sammy Sosa did it four times each and Alex Rodriguez three. Thus, Judge is in line to join Ruth as the only players to achieve this feat who are not tied to illegal performance enhancers.

It is another sign — regardless of your baseball morality — that Judge is climbing all kinds of lists. Next year, he will be playing in a 10th season, which will make him — when the time comes — eligible for the Hall of Fame. The key part of that previous sentence is “when the time comes” because it seems reasonable that Judge is going to extend his prime longer and mount a no-brainer case for Cooperstown, in case you think he is not there yet."

Not to get ahead of ourselves, but how do you not talk about it?  Yes, there were guys like Mattingly, Mantle, DiMaggio and Jeter is our lifetime and all were dynamic.  But this is a whole new level.

I wish all the best to this role model and true leader.  Judge is very, very special.

THAT ALEK MANOAH VS GERRIT COLE FEUD JUST GOT INTERESTING AGAIN!

You don't have to be a Yankee fan (or a hater) to be drawn into this story, you just need to be a baseball fan. Do you remember the Alek Manoah and Gerrit Cole drama from last season? Well, it's back and Cole just might have the last laugh....maybe.

In case you forgot, in an interview Manoah was asked who the worst cheater in baseball history was, and his response was Cole, you can read more and even listen to his interview HERE. If you don't want to listen to the whole clip or even read about it all you really need to read is one sentence:

“He used a lot of sticky stuff to make his pitches better, and he kind of got called out on it." --Alek Manoah

Okay, Manoah you have the right to your opinion but for the record you were asked who the worst cheater is in baseball history and your answer just sounds like you have a chip on your shoulder. There are some much bigger names that cheated in baseball's extensive history. Cole doesn't even crack my top 10 names. I guess he forgot about Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodriguez and Jose Canseco just to name a few. What about the 2017 Houston Astros? Talk about a large-scale cheating scandal.

But I digress. I was looking forward to 2023 because I was really hoping to watch these two try and outpitch each other in a division race this year, but that never happened. Even if the Yankees did not tank this season and let's pretend the Yankees were in the hunt.... we wouldn't see Manoah take the mound because he quit!

Manoah has left the stadium ladies and gentlemen, read more HERE. Manoah has regressed since last season, and his 3-9 record and 5.87 ERA has earned him two demotions this season down to Triple-A Buffalo. He was demoted to Triple-A after his last start on August 10th and failed to report for two weeks. He had physical testing done before returning to Buffalo to make sure he was healthy, but then had some additional testing done last week. No concerns were found in any of his tests, but he has not been throwing since his last start. With only 2 weeks left in the Triple-A season, he will not be able to ramp back up again and be available, if he were to be called back up to Toronto.

So basically, homeboy quit. He quit on his team. He had a lot to say last year when he was on the top of his game. So after one year of success, he is back down in Triple-A and can't handle it. Typical. The guy who finished third last season in Cy Young voting has crumbled, while Cole could very well be this year's winner. Funny how that works out.

I wish we would've had the pitching duel I mentioned earlier, so we could see this play out where it mattered but I guess we will have to wait for next season. The baseball fan in me wanted to see two potential Cy Young candidates settle this on the mound. It would be more enjoyable to see though with Cole as the reigning winner.

So, Manoah... you quit, and you definitely got called out on it. You can think about that as you sit and watch from your couch.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

MCGWIRE BACKS AARON JUDGE FOR THE YANKEES HOME RUN RECORD & BEYOND

It's not exactly a glowing endorsement. I mean Mark McGwire was a cheater... why should we care what he has to say, right? Well... he actually makes alot of sense here, and it's provocative, and that's why I'm sharing it with you all. In the end, Big Mac believes that Judge is on the right path to break Maris's home run record, but thinks he could even go further.

Clutch Points writes:

"McGwire stated that he believes that Judge would break Maris’ record this season, which isn’t exactly bold. But what is bold is that McGwire also predicts that Judge will be able to surpass Bonds’ number in the future, and he thinks that his desire to achieve that historic feat could influence which team he signs with in free agency this offseason.

“He’s definitely going to break Maris’ Yankee record, but I truly believe he’ll break Barry’s record, too. I think he’ll finish with at least 65 home runs this year, and then position himself to hit, get to 73 to 74 in the next five to eight years. I really believe he’ll have that opportunity. He’s going to get close to it, and say, ‘Where can I bunch in nine more homers?’ God willing that he stays healthy, he’s going to do that, too.’’

Now look, as a Yankee fan, my biggest wish is that the Yankees can turn their season around and win the whole damn thing this year. I think that would be great for New York.  At the same time, I want Judge to break Maris's home run record because it shares baseball history with a whole new generation of baseball fans. But Judge's record is not the priority... and even he will tell you that.

Look... after Maris, the whole home run record was tainted anyway. I don't consider McQwire, Sosa or Bonds as true home run leaders. I know the record books say otherwise, but as far as I'm concerned it's Maris.  But to wipe that whole steroids scandal clean and to show a clean record... I would love to see Judge break Bond's tainted record one day.  It would be good for baseball and great for the New York Yankees as we move forward in history.

Enjoy your Tuesday.

ROGER MARIS JR. & THE HOME RUN RECORD

Records are made to be broken. But when guys who make records die, and the steroid era comes barreling in full steam and breaks records, you really have to think about what the hell's going on here.

Roger Maris hit 61 home runs in 1961, one more than Babe Ruth. It was a stressful, exciting and crazy year for Mr. Maris who received threats and ripping because of the fact that at the time Babe Ruth was sacred in sports. But he did it because his abilities let him.

I have never felt as though that single season home run record was ever broken since Maris did it, meaning to me, Maris still holds the record. I'm probably the only one, but when you talk about steroids in the same conversation, it's clear that hitting the ball further is definitely part of the equation. 

In 1998, Mark McGwire hit 70 home runs, and Sammy Sosa hit 66. At the time, everyone knew what was going on. Even Roger Maris Jr. But do you think for a second he was going to expose that when the mic was in his face about his father's record and legacy? The guy was too classy. He was quiet. These days however he is talking. Why, because since the record was tainted by Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, the record was broken again by Bonds with 73. At this point is was a ridiculous circus.

Now, with some seperation between that Bond record and the arrival of Aaron Judge, perhaps the record can be revisited with a legit New York Yankee who does it clean.

The Spun writes:

"Aaron Judge is currently on track to hit 63 home runs this year. If he manages to maintain this incredible pace, he'll break the New York Yankees' record for the most homers in a single season...

Earlier this week, Roger Maris Jr. spoke about his father's record. Believe it or not, he would be "very happy" if Judge breaks the record.

“You don’t want to see anyone get it, but I’d be very happy if Judge did do it,’’ Maris told the New York Post. “Dad always said records are meant to be broken. You don’t want to see Dad’s record go, but if it happened, I can’t think of a better guy to do it. He’s a great Yankee. To do it in New York, how cool would that be? "

For me, I'm not sure Judge can do it, but I hope he does. There are so many variables and situations that can knock him off the pace. Judge would have to be near perfect. Yes, I hope he does, but it's unclear right now.

I do love that Maris Jr. spoke out. I have always appreciated Roger Maris. I loved him as a Yankee. I think his story is wild and he in my opinion never got the true recognition of being a solid Yankee as he should. 

Anyway... I love this story, and yes, ultimately I hope it happens for Judge, for Jr and for the Yankees.

BOONE DISAPPOINTS IN LAME REACTION TO SOX PUNISHMENT

On Wednesday, the Red Sox received their penalty resulting from the investigation into their sign-stealing during the 2018 season. The punishment was nothing but a slap on the wrist, Rob Manfred explaining that what Boston did was not as bad as what the Houston Astros did in 2017.

After hearing of the punishment, Aaron Boone was asked if the punishment fit the crime.

"I don't know. Who knows exactly what went down," Boone told Meredith Marakovits of YES.. "I do trust that MLB thoroughly investigated and got to the bottom of things as best they can. And (I) feel like if that's what was come up with then so be it. It's time to move on, and I'm glad we're kind of through those situations."

Boone is ready to move on from all this drama, but should he? I mean, if you've read anything about all these cheating investigations its that Major League Baseball didn't do enough.

Bleeding Yankee Blue has been leading the charge with facts and information that just make everyone involved look like a bunch of turds. As fans, as baseball people you really need to fight for what's right here and Boone's response kind of sucks.

Deals should NOT have been made. Punishment of players SHOULD have happened. And while Boone wants to move on, his only reason is because there is literally nothing he or anyone else can do about it.

I mean, what are we gonna do at this point, get Congress involved and see a big dog and pony show like we did when McGwire and Sosa and Canseco were on Capitol Hill denying steroid use? If you remember, it did come out that they all used. What a joke.

It's ridiculous.

The bottom line is Manfred did everything wrong, he clearly didn't want to cross a powerful man like Jim Crane who owns the Asstros, and didn't want to look too deeply into the Red Sox situation because it would just cause too much of a headache for him and taint Major League baseball worse than it already is. Alex Cora is guilty, and only suspending him for the 2020 season makes no sense. Why?

I find it hard to comprehend how Cora’s punishment is that he can’t come back to baseball until after the 2020 season, yet no one is playing baseball. A real punishment would be ‘20 and ‘21. Or of course, banning him for life which is what should happen. #FireManfred #byb

— Robert Casey (@BleednYankeeBlu) April 23, 2020

Because baseball isn't happening yet in the 2020 season. So what is he really being punished for? Our BYB chief highlighted that on Twitter yesterday. I mean, what is Cora missing out on if there isn't anything going on?

And why the hell wouldn't MLB reprimand Steve Pearce for just being a bitch and attacking MLB calling the whole thing a joke? (Read HERE.) It's a pretty serious matter. Cheating like this damages the integrity of the game.  He probably needs to shut up.

But let me ask our readership... our BYB fans and freaks... is Boone right? Is it time to move on from all of this and focus on what is ahead?

Comment. Let us know.

--Missy O'Rourke
BYB Contributor
Twitter: @missy_orourke

JENRRY MEJIA, THE STRUGGLE & THE MLB SHELL GAME

When the Yankees do well, or were expected to do well and don't, they are crucified by the New York press.  The Mets skated for years, and that's because they weren't terribly good, but that changed last season.  The Mets were very, very good.  And I wondered to myself... "When do they get slammed like the Yankees have been?" Well... with the lifetime suspension of Jenrry Mejia... thank God for John Harper of the New York Daily News:

Titled By keeping Jenrry Mejia around, Mets flunked test of their own

"The Mets had to know that Jenrry Mejia was a rockhead when he was suspended twice last season for using PEDs, so even if they were stunned on Friday to learn he’d done it again, getting banned for good this time, they should have known better.

That is, they should have cut him loose on the spot rather than hope to still get something out of him in 2016 and beyond. Yes, theoretically Mejia could have added bullpen depth late in the season, but two suspensions should have been enough for them to realize they couldn’t trust him.

And if you can’t trust him, what’s the point?"

And it's so true, but here's the thing;  The Dominican Republic has always been rumored as a PEDs haven for a long time. Not only the D.R., but many Latin countries. We've mentioned it here on BYB.  No excuses, what Mejia did was wrong, but hear me out;   Many kids from the D.R. grow up playing ball all their lives from a very young age.  In fact, my friend, a Dominican, told me once, 'Yeah, there's American age, and then there's D.R. age'... meaning, 'that kid may be 13 year old in American age, but he plays like he's 16'.

The Dominican Republic players play more and are less educated.  Many D.R. players are extremely, EXTREMELY talented because they grow up playing baseball every single waking moment.  Great, great players are made at a much younger age than American players, because the hope is to make a Major League team one day and most of them do.  Here's the concern though; With that hope and dream comes the cloud of PEDs. NOT ALL PLAYERS, but that is the perception. In the process, some might take what they need to get there, not caring or not even knowing of the consequences.

BYB writer Mike O'Hara has touched on this in THE PEOPLE VS. DAVID ORTIZ,  writing:

"The unfortunate fact seems to be that athletes from the Dominican Republic have what appears to be unlimited access to PEDs.  It’s almost as if the “D.R.” stands for DAMN RIGHT they’re using.  That is not an accusation on Dominican people.  NOT. AT. ALL.  There are countless players that hail from the Republic that NEVER took or would ever take HGH, Steroids and the like.  But many do…Manny, Alex, Sosa (Those rumored to a possible link like Cano, Pujols and Bautista)."

I echo this.  For players in the Dominican and other Latin countries, it's about getting out of the struggle, and that's the mentality and it is my opinion that that's where Jennry Mejia's head was and probably still was.  But there's alittle more to it.  Teams know this... and teams turn their back on it.

If you ask retired players today if they'd use now, guys like Don Mattingly, Johnny Bench, they said they would have, because it would have given them an edge or it would have helped with their injuries and furthered their career.  Andy Pettitte did it during injury.  He's still the Golden Boy in New York.  Remember when everyone hated Alex Rodriguez? He came back with a solid season and all was forgotten and in the end, as dumb as Jennry Mejia was... perhaps he was hoping to get back to that point.

What I'm saying is I see where Mejia's head may have been at. He just did it way too many times and that's just dumb.

Look, I'm not softening my stance on PEDs in baseball... it despicable. But it's very curious as to just how big this epidemic is.  Now, I will tell you, Major League Baseball could easily come out and say, "Hey, 1 offense and you're banned for life", but they won't ever do that.  That's because in the end, baseball is a business.  And so, if a player is tested and caught, the thinking is, "That player wouldn't be stupid enough to do it again, and so we'll just keep up with this charade. He's banned for 50 games... the game won't be affected. We'll keep making money."

It shows the fans that MLB is trying to clean up the game, and at the same time, it keeps the business rolling.  But for a guy like Mejia... for Manny Ramirez and I'm sure more... they just don't think any other way... because they were brought into America with a different mentality... it's about the struggle for these players.  My opinion of course.

Look, I like what baseball has done to clean up the game, but this is the extent of it. They will not do it much stricter than they already have and that's because if a black eye is on MLB for suspending everyone for life, they lose a ton of money and the system breaks down.  And so this is what we know... the D.R. and other Latin countries work to get out of their poorer countriles and these countries are the ones that a rumored to be havens for PEDs. In turn, many players that come out of there either are users or RUMORED to use.  Mejia may have been a product of that.

And by the way, this is not a racist slap at the D.R. people.  This is about understanding what the struggle means for some of these kids. It's about being able to make it and go back to their homeland and say, "I made it, you can too". Not all Dominicans are users. Not all Latin players are users.  Not all Latin players are criminals.  I'm saying to you, I think I understand how this is unfolding.

And this goes for all players by the way. Ryan Braun is a perfect example of trying to get ahead.  It's about the struggle for some, but it's also about the edge and many players, even talented ones want that edge.  Sometimes they just get caught.  Jenrry Mejia got caught.  Alex Rodriguez got caught.  Ryan Braun got caught.  But there's more to it... everyone... EVERYONE knows this is happening including MLB, but the job is to just tamp it down... not truly fit it.  That's where we're at.

I hope you understand my concerns, as well as my editorial. It was a tough one for me to write.  Questions or concerns or comments... let's have a dialog. I'm here.

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THE PEOPLE VS. DAVID ORTIZ

I’ll go on the record; I really like David “Big Papi” Ortiz…off the field.  I don’t remember too much about my days at the MLB Fan Cave, but I will fully admit that my time with the Red Sox slugger was something I’ll remember with a smile.  David was not only friendly, but also funny and down to earth.  He was up for the sketches we wrote for him and even roamed the streets of the Big Apple looking for hugs.


Towards the end of the year, at the World Series in fact, I ran into David at a MLB event and he greeted me like an old pal.  I was surprised he remembered me.  Basically I have nothing bad to say about what I know of Ortiz.

Unfortunately I can’t support the New York Yankee announcement that the organization will give Big Papi a big sendoff this year at the Stadium.  Look, I understand and really admire the way the Boston Red Sox (Organization, players & fans) said goodbye to Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter.  The whole operation was a first class act!  It was done perfectly for both Yankee Greats and deservedly so.  Should the same respectful ceremony be given to David?  No.  No, I don’t believe so at all.

There is no question that David Ortiz is an outstanding, clutch hitter and YANKEE KILLER.  There is NO QUESTION that he has meant more to the Red Sox winning ways than any other player.  In short David is an impact player and the Sox will miss him. 

However Ortiz is NOT a Jeter or Rivera type.  Papi has always been a “Me First” guy on the field and shown as much numerous times (The Baltimore dugout phone incident that got him a talking to by Pedroia).  The countless bat flipping jogs to show up another team’s pitcher.  The way he was not shy about ripping another player…name a time Jeets or Mo did ANYTHING like that…I’ll wait.  No?  That’s what I thought.

Look, I was never one to hold my tongue or not let emotion get away from me when I played competitive sports.  I am not saying that guys/gals that do so are bad.  All I’m saying is that that type player shouldn’t get honored.  That should be saved for truly transcendent athletes who played the game the right way with class and selflessness.  Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera are not just Yankees that are examples of what Big Leaguers should be.

And then there is the looming shadow of PED use when it comes to Big Papi.  Do I know for certain that he used?  Nope.  But the only reason nobody is taking a closer look is because David uses his “Pap-ularity” to bully the league.  He shouts down rumors and frankly was protected by the Selig Regime.  The unfortunate fact seems to be that athletes from the Dominican Republic have what appears to be unlimited access to PEDs.  It’s almost as if the “D.R.” stands for DAMN RIGHT they’re using.  That is not an accusation on Dominican people.  NOT. AT. ALL.  There are countless players that hail from the Republic that NEVER took or would ever take HGH, Steroids and the like.  But many do…Manny, Alex, Sosa (Those rumored to a possible link like Cano, Pujols and Bautista).

The bottom line is that David Ortiz is NOT in the same class with Jeter and Mo. Now, when Dustin Pedroia hangs them up I could see a nice goodbye from the Yankees. 

Pedy is a leader, not a showboat and always said he takes so much from watching his friend Jeter on and off the field.

Is this a biased post? Sure, I guess so.  But remember, I really do like Ortiz.  I mean that.  It isn’t personal in any way shape or form.  He has made the rivalry better.  He is an exciting player to watch. If I were a Sox fan, (LAWD HELP ME) I’d be a huge Big Papi fan, BUT I’d still think he didn’t deserve a farewell from the Bronx Bombers…and they Yankees should KNOW that too.

Sorry David.  I wish you the best man.

** Here’s what should play over the Stadium PA when Papi takes his last AB in the Bronx **




 

--Mike O'Hara Senior "Features" Writer
Twitter: @mikeyoh21






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THE VILLAINS WHO SAVED BASEBALL

The Hall of Fame vote continues to make me lose it.  This year’s class UNBELIEVABLY deserves their trip to Cooperstown.

The sweetest swing I’ve ever seen in Ken Griffey Jr., and the best hitting catcher ever to play the game in Mike Piazza.  Make no mistake these two men were no brainers.

What really gets me fired up is to see that Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa get 7 and 12 percent respectively.  Do these guys deserve to be in the Hall?  I’m not sure they do.

Even without PEDs I’m not certain they are worthy, especially Sosa.  But what they symbolize is the class of players who will NEVER be inducted and may actually have the numbers worthy of the honor.

I am IN NO WAY a Bud Selig fan.  In fact, I deplore the man for what he did to the game.  He is more at fault for the ills in baseball than anyone in recent memory…and that includes Pete Rose, Barry Bonds and the like.

Bud FLAT OUT used McGwire and Sosa to bring the money back to baseball after the 1994 greed driven stoppage in play.  He and his regime, which includes Baseball Writers make no mistake, KNEW that the sluggers weren’t playing clean.  They KNEW and did NOTHING!  They touted their monster dingers and road the wave of prime time popularity to the bank.  Mark, Sammy, Barry, Alex and so on are now left holding the smoking guns while Bud left claiming he CLEANED UP THE GAME.  Sorry gang, Bud is a criminal in my eyes.  He is corrupt and the hypocrite of all-time hypocrites.  That is a FACT.

The Hall of Fame is great for some.  Piazza and Junior are wonderful additions.  I wish I could just focus on 2 amazing players getting their just due…but I can’t.

I’m not saying that the juiced up players whom KNOWING took PEDs are somehow the victims…but REAL crooks are vilifying them if you ask me.  These players were USED to SAVE baseball from becoming like the NHL in the early 2000s…ya know when the games were on the Outdoor Network.

 And then, like mutts that roll over on friends to avoid jail time, Bud and his regime played dumb about the drug use.  The Black Sox of 1919 have more credibility in my opinion.

The Hall of Fame should have a special wing built on it called the BUD SELIG PED SECTION.

I want to congratulate Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza.  Two class acts and All-Time Greats during a time when Villains Were Saving Baseball on and off the field.

** Here one for Bud Selig, aka Public Enemy #1 **





 

--Mike O'Hara Senior "Features" Writer
Twitter: @mikeyoh21















 
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