Fred McGriff elected to Cooperstown

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https://www.mlb.com/news/fred-mcgriff-elected-to-hall-of-fame-2023-class

Not only was he elected, he was unanimous, while people with PED clouds such as Bonds, Clemens and Palmeiro each received very low vote totals.

I got to say I’m pretty happy, felt McGriff should’ve been inducted years ago. I remember him with my Cubbies at the tail end of his career, also with Tampa and the Dodgers, a very underrated player who finally gets his due.

This vote tells me what a repudiation this was of PED users, both proven and alleged - not only to not give them much consideration but to unanimously elect a slugger known as an all-around good character and clean, too.

My personal opinion is no users should be in, but I also believe if you let some users in, you should let them all in, with clouds over Pudge and Papi while Bonds, Clemens, Palmeiro, Sosa, McGwire and Kevin Brown are all on the outside. Don’t cherry-pick and elect some users with HOF worthy numbers while others get left out. They all should, just don’t be hypocrites.

Curt Schilling got only six votes. I absolutely cannot stand Curt Schilling, but I have to admit that as a human being, Curt Schilling deserves to be in No Halls of Fame, the pitcher needs to be recognized with a plaque. He has said some pretty abhorrent things, but to be completely objective from a baseball standpoint, the numbers and metrics from his career tells me he should have a plaque in Cooperstown, as rotten of a person as he is.

So, congrats, Crime Dog, it was way overdue and congrats to the committee for correcting a BBWAA omission.

[JT45242]

1. Plenty of ped users in the HOF

Piazza. biggio. pudge Rodriguez...all linked to ped use.

The key is who was nice to the baseball writers of America.

Hard to say mcgriff is better than two times mvp dale Murphy...but, they would both be in the hall of very good of guys almost good enough. Which was the tag line for guys like Conception.

Macgriff is a baseball example of the problem with the NFL HOF, too many very good players from great teams and not enough great players from good teams. Which is why I would put Murphy ahead of mcgriff.

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2. Eh

I think great teams get recognized for Canton more than Cooperstown, at least more quickly. Look how long it took for the 1984 Tigers to have someone besides Sparky in Cooperstown - with Trammell deserving and Morris undeserving. Whitaker should’ve been in by now.


McGriff had a higher OPS+ and WAR than Murphy, who didn’t even break 50 WAR in his career. Murphy had an awesome leak, and might fit the fame bill better than Crime Dog, but McGriff had sustained excellence and consistency.

Murphy, like Mattingly and Strawberry, definitely looked like Hall of Famers at one point in their career, but fell off. Crime Dog, meanwhile, just quietly had a great career.

[303squadron]

3. Do you like my hat?

It used to be that if you hit 500 home runs you were automatically in the Hall. To be just seven short and not in was a crime to "The Crime Dogg!" Schurholz and Cox from that era were a pretty good team. They got McGriff in the middle of the 93 season to help a lackluster offensive and it changed the whole season around. He hit a home run in his first game for the Braves. He played 5 years for the Rays, 5 years for the Blue Jays and 5 years for the Braves along with time in L.A. and Chicago. Which hat does he wear at induction?

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4. Either

Atlanta or no logo at all.