Right or wrong -- and we may never, ever know -- the Baseball Writers of America spoke yesterday and it's going to be a quiet day in Cooperstown, New York come induction day. For the eighth time ever and the first since 1996, the BBWA elected no player into baseball's Hall of Fame. This didn't come as an utter shock although there were many that were hoping Dale Murphy - after an intriguing campaign by his kids - would get the nod. Perhaps Biggio. Or Jack Morris.

But on the soiled coattails of Bonds, Clemens, Piazza et al no player received the requisite 75% of the ballots required for election. Bonds and Clemens, both in their first year of eligibility (although the Rocket did make a half-assed attempt at extending his 5-year retired status which was quickly deemed exactly what is was: a desperate move by a crazy man to prolong the memory time of the writers) didn't come close as both received less than 40% of the vote.

And as much as I have enjoyed seeing one of my personal favorite player's name dragged through the debate, Gaylord Perry's cheating at least was something visible. Despite his coming-clean in his book, "Me & the Spitter" Perry was more psych-out than out-and-out cheater. He bent the rules and he fucked with the heads of opposing batters for twenty seasons -- he needed the pitch less than he needed the head game.

But speaking of heads -- and in both cases -- head cases -- Bonds and Clemens would have most likely put up stats that garnered them enough votes for HoF election. Possibly not as 1st time electees as their numbers alone and as the men who won more MVPs and Cy Young awards respectively than any other player in the history of the game. But it's their attitudes - both serious assholes - that are counting against them and the invocation of the integrity clause that kept them out this year and may very well keep them out forever unless the HoF and the BBWA re-vamp, nay overhaul, the voting system. And if you pay attention, no change happens terribly quickly in the grand old game. Baseball IS its history. More asterisks? Only time will tell.

The amusing thing about the HoF's integrity clause was that it was added to help get some guys - notable war heroes - enshrined despite less than HoF statistics. In the cases of Bonds and Clemens, who have the stats and then some, it worked against them ... and very well may continue to do so until the writers come to grips about the actual effects of PEDs on game play and stats.

And with the bumper crop of players coming eligible in 2014 - Maddux, Glavine, Frank Thomas, Jeff Kent - the writers may just dismiss the class of 2012 and let the many years pass for the Veteran's Committee to decide what to do with the overly-amped statistics of the late 1980's - early 2000's players who may have - or not - been using PEDs to inflate their numbers as well as the seasons in which they were able to accrue them. If I had a vote, none of the aforementioned guys get in although I would vote for Pete Rose. Go figure...

What says you?

Cheers,
B.