It's January, and in the World of Baseball, that means it is time for the yearly Who Should Be Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame Shouting Match. And I like to shout. Mostly, this time of the year, I like to shout at that arrogant fuck, Tom Verducci. Verducci doesn't think any player who used PEDs should be allowed into the HoF. And, while I don't agree with that, I can still respect his opinion. But I wonder, how does he know who did and who didn't? How does he know? Like it or not, Derek Jeter will be a first-round Hall of Famer, but does anyone really know if he used PEDs? I have often said I wouldn't be surprised to one day read that Jeter got caught. Not because I think he did, but because he was part of a generation of baseball players who freely stuck needles in their asses in the privacy of their clubhouses. The whole generation is suspect—from the mid-eighties on. . . . Verducci can usually be found on the MLB Network flogging Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, ARod—always the guys who are so easy to dislike for reasons other than steroids. But what about the guys like Jeter, Cal Ripken, Barry Larkin, or Frank Thomas? These are all really likable guys—so no one ever questions the possibility that they might have used PEDs at some point in their careers.

I'm not too keen on the BBWAA using their Hall of Fame vote to showcase issues other than what their voting responsibility calls for. And I really can't stand it when someone like Verducci makes idiotic comments like "What do I tell my son?" Who cares what you tell your son? That's between you and him. Get off your high freaking horse, you buffoon. Or Cubs beat reporter Carrie Muskat says that after talking to a few Hall of Famers she is now convinced PED users do not belong in the Baseball Hall of Fame. They don't have a vote, Carrie, so don't abdicate your vote. Besides, who did you talk to, Kirby Puckett? And has anyone ever seen Carrie Muskat and Gary Busey in the same room at the same time?

I don't think anyone could make the argument that Tony Gwynn, who died at 54 earlier this year, does not belong in the Baseball Hall of Fame. I mean, he had a career similar to Derek Jeter's in that it was spotless. No Chad Curtis–like scandal, no Lenny Dykstra–like missteps; he never went all Alan Wiggins or Denny McLain or Pete Rose on anyone. Like Jeter, who was beloved in New York, Tony Gwynn was beloved in San Diego. Well, there was one small thing . . . When he was diagnosed with salivary gland cancer, he told reporters that it was a result of dipping tobacco, which, as most people know, can cause salivary gland cancer. He made this statement having already been told by his doctors that his salivary gland cancer was in his parotid gland and that there is no link between cancer in the parotid gland and dipping. There is, however, a link between parotid gland cancer and anabolic-androgenic steroids use.

"I have no idea who used and who didn't. And neither does anyone else. Rather than play a self-righteous guessing game, I tried to vote for the best players."
—Richard Justice

Mark gets 19 points with the death of Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn. Fourteen for the hit and five for the solo.

--Bill Schenley