Hall of Fame Election Suspense Builds On Eve of Announcement

 

After a decade of falling short, this is it. One last sleep for Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens to find out, unlikely as it is, if they'll be finally elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Two of the biggest faces of baseball's steroids scandal are teetering on the edge, as we await the final tally. 

As of Monday morning, Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz is the leader from the public ballots, with 84.2% voting for him. 75% is needed for admission to the Hall.

And while 7-time MVP Bonds and 7-time Cy Young Award winner Clemens sit at 77% and 76% respectively, they are unlikely to make it, as the private ballots have traditionally shunned steroid users. Last year, their totals dropped about 12% when the private votes were added to the totals. 

The question is, will that drop also affect Ortiz? He fell victim to a reported positive drug test back in 2003. 

Other performance-enhancing drug users like Alex Rodriguez, who's on the ballot for the first time, are much lower in the balloting. A-Rod has gotten only 40% of the public ballots, Manny Ramirez was at 37.7%, and Sammy Sosa 25%. 

USA Today baseball writer Steve Gardner had this to say about A-Rod's case: "Ultimately, Rodriguez seems destined for a Bonds-like slog for the entirety of his 10 years on the Hall of Fame ballot – with his greatness on the field acknowledged, but his transgressions off the field denying him entrance."

The other player who will be dropped from the ballot after failing for the 10th consecutive year is Curt Schilling. He has only 60% of the vote at this point. His transgressions are not PED, but rather espousing dangerous and hateful political and social views. He had even asked to have his name dropped from the ballot, saying he didn't care what the writers had to say. Tomorrow, he'll get his wish. 

Photo Credit: Robert Hanashiro, USAT via Imagn Content Services, LLC