Baseball Hall of Fame

For the first time in history, readers will get a chance to have a say in a single vote (at the very least) for the Baseball Writers' Association of America Hall of Fame vote.

According to Deadspin, the website has officially bought a ballot from a voting member for the annual elections:

Hall of Fame voting results won't be announced until Jan. 8, but this year's ballot was announced by the Baseball Writers' Association of America on Tuesday afternoon.

Headlining this year's class of first-time eligible players are former Braves pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine and White Sox slugger Frank Thomas. Starter Mike Mussina and second baseman Jeff Kent also figure to get a decent amount of support in their first go-around.

Careful: The question posed above might just be a trick one. But we'll get to that in a bit.

First, let's remind readers what Carlos Beltran and David Ortiz have done so far this October in helping get their respective teams, the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox, to the 2013 World Series.

MLB icons can't evaluate their baseball careers objectively until after retirement, but we sure can. Barring debilitating injuries, scandals or abrupt deterioration of skill, these accomplished individuals will eventually call themselves Hall of Famers.

First-ballot inductees are a very rare breed. Future members of that fraternity were identified as such.

And keep in mind that this sport wouldn't survive without innovative coaches, umpires and executives. Many were considered for inclusion and, as you'll read, several are undoubtedly Cooperstown-bound.

When composing this lineup, there were some selections that caused some second-guessing and hesitation before the final decisions were made—not just whom to include, but where to place them in the field for those who played multiple positions.

There was some internal debate on where to play Ernie Banks on the Chicago Cubs’ All-Time Team.  He played parts of nine seasons at shortstop and 11 at first base, with some time at third base and in the outfield sprinkled in.

In an era where every player who has Hall of Fame-worthy numbers is scrutinized under the harshest of microscopes, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa have become the steroid era figureheads, examples of what happens when your career is tainted with suspected or proven use of performance-enhancing drugs—but that shouldn't deny them access to the hallowed grounds of Cooperstown, NY.

Atlanta Braves fans should be mad that a former player is not getting enough votes to be elected to the Hall of Fame.

However, that player is not Dale Murphy.

While he had good numbers, Murphy's numbers aren't worthy of the Hall.

Instead, fans should be looking at the numbers put up by former first baseman Fred McGriff and wonder why he isn't getting more consideration.

For years, we all have known the day was coming when the stars from the steroids era would be on the Hall of Fame ballot. They all should get in. None of them should ever get in. Believing there is one answer that will resolve this problem in a way that makes complete sense is reserved for the Skip Baylesses of the world. The rest of us know this situation is far too complicated and that there is just no easy way to make it right.

Dale Murphy has once again been left out of baseball’s Hall of Fame, and this time for the Atlanta Braves great, it’s for keeps.

Or, well, sort of.

Five years ago when I was still living in sunny San Diego, I once sat in a bar watching Josh Hamilton hit like 124 home runs in the All-Star Home Run Derby. It was a pretty awesome thing to see, and it ended up keeping me around well after I finished sipping my Vanilla Coke.