January 26, 2022
1. David Ortiz is the sole inductee to the Hall of Fame this year
There were some PED questions that still remain unclear, and perhaps he was entirely clean (perhaps not) —but in any case, a legendary, great career to have witnessed.
And so congrats, to Big Papi.
2. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens fall short in their last year on the Hall of Fame ballot
You’ve likely seen the news already, perhaps the biggest of the offseason other than the continuing lockout. For me, it’s the right choice, and doesn’t feel like a controversial one at all (cheaters should not be rewarded, it’s simple!) — but evidently there was a firestorm all throughout the media and social media yesterday.
I rarely include opinions in these newsletters, to keep it neutral and not alienate anyone who disagrees (and you’re welcome to disagree), but once in a while it’s worth saying:
Yesterday was a wonderful day for integrity in baseball.
3. Roger Clemens made a statement on Twitter yesterday, after the announcement
Surely he’d already made a “generational difference” in the lives of his family, money-wise, before he started with the steroid usage.
Here’s Clemens, on choosing money over integrity:
4. An update on the MLB lockout negotiations
Still not a ton of news to move the needle, but some details coming out.
From the article (link above):
More details from CBS Sports here:
5. Here’s Tim Kurkjian discussing the Hall of Fame news
On the difficulty of sorting out just who should get in and who shouldn’t.
6. How Alex Rodriguez fared on his first Hall of Fame ballot
It looks unlikely he’ll get in, if even this many of the pro-steroids-era writers who voted for Bonds and Clemens aren’t giving him the nod:
7. The player tweet of the day: Christian Yelich
He’s figured out the solution to all our problems.
8. The runner-up player tweet of the day: Brandon Guyer
Up there with Anthony Rizzo, as king of the hit-by-pitch.
9. A new extra innings format will be tried in the Pioneer League
Sudden-death baseball.
10. The great Brett Phillips helps out the local high school team
Rays legend, local area legend (Seminole High School alumnus).
11. Hyun-Jin Ryu is training with his former Korean league team
If no resolution to the lockout, maybe just stay and play?
12. And lastly — Happy 88th birthday to Bob Uecker
