January 9th, 2013
02:10 PM ET

Baseball writers elect no one to Hall of Fame

For only the eighth time in their annual elections and the first time since 1996, baseball writers have elected no player to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

The 2013 ballot marked the first year of eligibility for several players who have been named in the probes of performance-enhancing drug use in the Major Leagues, including all-time home-run champ Barry Bonds and seven-time Cy Young winner Roger Clemens. Several of the voters said the results were a reflection of the sport's "steroid era."

Seven-time All-Star Craig Biggio came closest to induction, getting votes on 68.2% on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballots. To get inducted into the Hall of Fame, players need votes on 75% of ballots.

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Filed under: Baseball • Sports
soundoff (86 Responses)
  1. John H

    These baseball writers are a joke. Lee Smith not in? Craig Biggio? Mike Piazza? What's the case for them NOT being in?

    January 9, 2013 at 2:17 pm | Report abuse |
    • Mr. Hand

      Maybe they were juicing too.

      January 9, 2013 at 2:31 pm | Report abuse |
    • Rob-Texas

      Biggio and Bagwell never juiced! I don't think Bagwell will make the hall. I don't see why the left out Biggio. If you look at his body of work, its a no brainer. Seems writters with no brains can't even do that.

      January 9, 2013 at 2:37 pm | Report abuse |
    • Jim

      It wouldn't surprise me at all if Bagwell juiced.

      January 9, 2013 at 2:44 pm | Report abuse |
  2. AlongTheWay

    Excellent. Perhaps now CHEATING will not be the popular and money-making thing and the sport will be.

    January 9, 2013 at 2:18 pm | Report abuse |
    • Mark

      unfortunately, probably not. Most players would forgo the HOF to tack on years and tens of millions to their careers. Not so mention players who would be mediocre without them, and All-Stars making millions with (Aaron Boone).

      January 9, 2013 at 2:31 pm | Report abuse |
  3. Andrew

    I love it. It's a bad day for cheaters, and a good day for sportsmanship.

    January 9, 2013 at 2:21 pm | Report abuse |
    • dan

      You're an idiot. It's Cooperstown not the Vatican. These men deserve to be in – players in every generation looked for some advantage. Why punish an entire decade of players? Everyone was doing it and everyone knew it (owners/coaches/writers/commisioners) and they did nothing to stop it. Not having some of the greatest players of all time in a hall of fame is a travesty.

      January 9, 2013 at 2:37 pm | Report abuse |
  4. Kdawgg60

    Baseball HOF is a joke. Clemens and Bonds, without question, should be in..... where is Pete Rose? Baseball writers and the commissioners office need to look at the on-field performance. Sure these guys are liars and cheats....they're human.

    January 9, 2013 at 2:22 pm | Report abuse |
    • Andrew

      This was a test of your character and you failed it.

      January 9, 2013 at 2:24 pm | Report abuse |
    • The Truth

      Um, Pete Rose is banned for life, including the Hall of Fame. Clemens and Bonds cheated so they do not deserve to be in the Hall.

      January 9, 2013 at 2:25 pm | Report abuse |
    • Mark

      Ha, I think anyone with "Dawg" in their name would fail most character tests!

      January 9, 2013 at 2:32 pm | Report abuse |
    • Matt

      Wow Andrew... too far. I know the internet anonymity is vexing, but show some class partner.

      January 9, 2013 at 2:32 pm | Report abuse |
  5. endpoliticalparties

    Time to restore true sports heroes to the record books as well, the REAL home run records are still held by Hank Aaron and Roger Maris. Let there be a separate book for the steroid boys.

    January 9, 2013 at 2:25 pm | Report abuse |
    • edpeters101

      I totally agree. No cheaters and you have to be really outstanding to get in...

      January 9, 2013 at 2:29 pm | Report abuse |
    • Jim

      And while you're at it, you must also adjust stats to take into account differences in ballparks, pitching mound height, dead-balls-vs.-live-balls, etc.

      January 9, 2013 at 2:39 pm | Report abuse |
    • Matt

      What about all the people that cheated before we tested for cheating? Or are you assuming steroid testing started the day steroids hit the market? We treat these people like horses... parading them around for our entertainment, then we get mad when they do anything they can to be better. Yay society.

      January 9, 2013 at 2:40 pm | Report abuse |
    • Chris

      What a joke. Aaron has admitted to using speed, as have several men in the HOF. It was the PED of their generation. Illegal? Yes. Enhanced performance? Yes. Different than steroids? Yes. Gimme a break, the guys in the HOF have NEVER been held to this kind of crazy standard. This has gotten totally out of hand. The writers have lost their way, and this does more damage than good to the HOF...

      January 9, 2013 at 2:41 pm | Report abuse |
  6. Jerrod S.

    It's not about cheating. This was the steroid era. There have been many era's prior to this one. In the 70's it was the use of amphetimines and other illegal narcotics. We have had the dead ball era, flat mound era. Bseball is loosing to other sports because it refuses to come into the modern times. There were several canidates, Mike Piazza and Curt Schelling, to name a couple that were deserving of the honor. Baseball needs to revamp alot, to include how one gets into the Hall of Fame.

    January 9, 2013 at 2:26 pm | Report abuse |
    • Chris

      This makes no sense at all. How is baseball a joke? How does it need to modernize itself? The fact that the sport is refusing to allow cheaters (proven no doubt) into the HOF does not show they're "losing" anything. Your moral compass may sit low, but that doesn't mean the sport needs to sink with you.

      Baseball is fine the way it stands. It's one of the most popular sports in the world (America isn't the only place to think of), and your advice to modernize isn't shared by many. Don't like it? Then watch football or basketball and leave the fans be.

      January 9, 2013 at 2:34 pm | Report abuse |
    • Matt

      @Chris You should do a little research on the numbers for attendance at games in recent years. The numbers for baseball have consistently been falling for more than 30 years. Both live attendance, and tv viewers. You might be thinking of the new American past time... NASCAR.

      January 9, 2013 at 2:43 pm | Report abuse |
    • urouttolunch

      @Matt. I would gnaw off both my own arms rather than watch anything NASCAR.

      January 9, 2013 at 2:58 pm | Report abuse |
  7. organically

    I went to the Hall of fame in 2012 with my teens. I had not gone since I was a teen, out of protest that the greatest hitter of all time, Pete Rose, is not enshrined. If Bonds, Sosa, Clemens, and all the other skin peeling little ball cheats get in and Rose does not, then the Hall becomes irrelevant.

    January 9, 2013 at 2:29 pm | Report abuse |
  8. dnokc

    Perhaps someone should found a "Hall of Shame"?
    Pete Rose maybe?

    January 9, 2013 at 2:30 pm | Report abuse |
  9. foggy in Ak

    The writers got it right, trying to send a message that cheaters won't be acknowledged !

    January 9, 2013 at 2:32 pm | Report abuse |
    • JAFO

      WRONG! What about Biggio? Of course he will get in but no, no, no reason it should not have been immediate. Voters missed it. Period.

      January 9, 2013 at 2:40 pm | Report abuse |
  10. D-Mac

    A game is nothing BUT rules. Pete Rose broke the rules. The steroid boys broke the rules.

    The HoF is to honor the players who performed brilliantly within the rules. It's that simple and the baseball writers are to be commended for maintaining the standards of good sportsmanship.

    January 9, 2013 at 2:36 pm | Report abuse |
  11. Reality Check

    How many of the same writers who failed to vote for Bonds or Clemens made money off of writing about each player? Double standard.

    January 9, 2013 at 2:36 pm | Report abuse |
  12. JAFO

    Craig Biggio and Mike Piazza not getting in is an utter embarressment for baseball. No excuse, for what they did at their positions. Biggio all star at 2 positions (C and 2B), top 20 hits EVER. Not bad at 3rd position (OF). You idiot voters missed it big time.

    January 9, 2013 at 2:37 pm | Report abuse |
  13. Duc749

    I find it amusing that in a four sentence article, the "first time since 1996" was written twice.

    Way to go writer/editor...

    January 9, 2013 at 2:37 pm | Report abuse |
  14. humanevolunteers

    GOOD. Let this be a lesson to cheaters.

    January 9, 2013 at 2:38 pm | Report abuse |
  15. Marek

    It's okay for racist owners to be in the HOF but players suspected of stereoids are held to a different standard it appears.

    January 9, 2013 at 2:39 pm | Report abuse |
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