The annual ritual of discussing the merits of recently retired baseball players is one of my favorite periods on the baseball calendar. And it’s a relatively new delight for me. I’m of the age now that I can clearly remember the entire careers of the players who are showing up on the ballot. I hardly had an opinion on Jack Morris because I don’t think I ever really watched him pitch. But I’ve followed Jim Thome since I was a kid. It’s sentimental, but it makes a difference.
The stupefying hypocrisy of the BBWAA blackballing the likes of Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and all of them is a monumental shame that has had plenty of ink spilled over it at this point.