I wouldn't say Edgar sailed in, it took 10 years after all. I've been on the fence about him but you're right, Lance falling off the ballot is disgraceful.
I was thinking this ballot only. He easily reached the 75%. But that's exactly why Berkman (or any number of other players) being gone after one is so disappointing. Voters obviously changed their opinion of Martinez over the course of 10 years, yet they're not even willing to entertain mulling over Berkman's qualification. And that's a shame.
Roy Halladay is in, lets be honest, because he died. If he was still alive, he would get in eventually I think but not this year. But like Edgar vs Berkman, Halladay is that much better than Oswalt, who got less than 1%.
I'm on the fence about Halladay too. Were he still alive, he's probably not in yet.
Mike Mussina has a pretty good case but he's definitely not an upper echelon HOFer.
Mussina's one of those guys who you think "he's not upper echelon, but someone has to be in the bottom half of HOFers". He certainly as worthy as Glavin and Smoltz, IMO. None of those are "upper echelon".
Lee Smith and Harrold Baines...... what the actual fuck happened here to let thos two guys in? Whose sucking whose dick to let that happen? I don't get it.
Both of those are a complete embarrassment to the HOFers who came before them and will come after them.
When you look at modern day comparisons to Lee Smith you end up with journeyman relievers. He has some good numbers but to be a reliever to make the hall, you gotta be otherworldly and he just isn't.
I think there are already far too many relievers in the Hall. Smith doesn't belong, Sutter doesn't belong, Hoffman doesn't belong, Fingers doesn't belong, Eckersley *maybe* belongs. At this point there should be only one or two relievers, and Rivera is one of them.
There is no and I mean no reason Harold Baines should be in the HOF. He had 38.7 career WAR in 22 YEARS, Berkman had 52.1 WAR in 15 years. Harold Baines doesn't even qualify for the hall of very good. Maybe he could be in the hall of kinda good.
Baines belongs in the "Hall of Mediocre".
I think you're seeing now the havoc wrought by the steroid guys. This ballot you have at least five guys who'd already be in (Bonds, Clemens, Ramirez, Sosa, Sheffield ,and Schilling would probably be in if he weren't such a wingnut douchebag [right or wrong]), and that left little room for guys like Berkman to stay on the ballot.
And on an even sadder note, I don't see any way Omar Vizquel doesn't make it. I'm shocked at how much support he has, but think a lot of that is backlash against the steroid guys too.