Justice Served on a Pizza

Mets fans can finally rejoice in welcoming Mike Piazza into the baseball Hall of Fame. On Wednesday it was announced that Piazza had received 83% of the vote (365 votes total) in his fourth year on the ballot. The fact that it took four years to elect him has had some fans irate, and to show you why, here are some of the legend's accomplishments:

credit: USA Today

• 427 career HRs and most by any catcher in MLB history
• unanimous NL Rookie of the Year in 1993
• 10 consecutive Silver Slugger awards, most by anyone at any position (and most by any catcher)
• 7 time top-10 finisher in MVP voting (two 2nd place finishes)
• career .308 batting average
• "the HR that healed New York" (video)

analysis of 2013 HOF voting, credit: NY Times

On paper Piazza was a shoe-in for the Hall and is considered by most the best-hitting catcher in history, but speculation of steroid use blocked his entry for three years. Now that he's been elected journalists have speculated that Bonds and Clemens will gain more votes, but there's a stark difference between those names and Piazza. As Bill Shaikin of the LA Times said, "Piazza...is not known to have failed a drug test. His name did not appear in the Mitchell Report. He never faced federal perjury charges. Bonds and Clemens did. Both beat the federal government in court."

Those who don't know better cite an excerpt from Piazza's book as proof he used PEDs, but what he acknowledges is briefly experimenting with amphetamines, a substance not banned at the time. He writes of the accusations, “Apparently, my career was a story that nobody cared to believe. Apparently, my success was the work of steroids. Had to be. Those were the rumors.”

The issue of steroid use is one the Baseball Writers Association of America continues to grapple with and without a unified front on the issue it's been left to speculation and debate. Opinion aside, Piazza's victimization shows how tainted the game was by PED scandals.

[Reaction] How Deadspin got a Hall of Fame Ballot

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ESPN Radio host and long-time Miami Herald columnist Dan Le Batard has admitted to giving away his Baseball Hall of Fame ballot to sports-blogging website Deadspin. According to Le Batard himself, Deadspin attempted to buy his ballot but he refused in an attempt to abide by the rules. (ESPN)

Upset with the voting process, Le Batard allowed Deadspin to poll its voters as-to which players they would elect to the Hall. The ten players who received the most votes in the poll were the ten he voted for. 

His motivation for the controversial move was specifically his view that steroid-users with qualifying numbers should be voted into the Hall despite cheating. Aside from that main reason, Le Batard said "I always like a little anarchy inside the cathedral we've made of sports." (Deadspin)

The journalist's actions have left many astounded and with questions. Why does he think he knows best? Why couldn't he have raised his concerns in some democratic and less controversial? What does this mean about the integrity of the system?

ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz made clear in a statement that Le Batard recieved his voting right while still at the Miami Herald, and that ESPN "wouldn't have advocated his voting approach". (ESPN)

In a statement posted on--of all sites--Deadspin.com, the "hero" wrote that he is aware of the likely consequences for his actions. He stated he knows his vote will likely be stripped but wouldn't want to vote in this system without its being "reformed". (Deadspin)

This scandal has personally angered me. It seems a narcissistic and immature jerk tried to play hero and single-handedly change a system which has regulated the greatest honor a baseball player could ever have. Dan Le Batard just showed the entire baseball world how highly he thinks of himself and how desperate for attention he is. While I'll admit the system has its flaws and needs to be changed, there are respectful and systematic ways to do that. Le Batard should've added his opinion to the plethora out there and found a different path to intense and legitimate debate.

"Hall-of-Famer" Mike Piazza

Former New York Met and Los Angeles Dodger Mike Piazza has often been called the "best-hitting catcher of all-time," so why is it he wasn't voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame last year?

In the 2013 voting, Mike Piazza received 57.8% of approval from the writers at the BBWAA (Baseball Writers' Association of America)--a number considerably short of the 75% needed for admission (Baseball Reference). Not a single other player obtained the necessary number, and 2013 marked only the eighth ballot in history to not send a player into the Hall. While it brought up many questions, mine solely involves the legendary catcher Piazza.

(AP Photo)

Growing up a die-hard Mets fan at the turn-of-the-century, it's not hard to see why I became Piazza's biggest fan. His towering home runs over everything from Shea Stadium's visitor's bullpen to its "Home Run Apple" seemed a regular occurrence, and many of his shots came at exactly the right time (Post-9/11). 

However, it is thankfully not only my sentimental values which determine a player's eligibility for baseball immortality. It is rather a reflection of one's statistics and overall performance, a realization which should put Piazza straight-through to the Hall. 

In examining his career hitting numbers, Mike ranks among some of the all-time greats and certainly Hall-of-Famers. And when compared to other catchers such as Carlton Fisk and Johnny Bench, his stats look even better. Piazza's 427 career HRs (Baseball Reference) would rank 24th among all Hall-of-Famers--above both Fisk (26th) and Bench (30th)--should he be elected. His slugging percentage, marked at .545, would tie him for 15th among all Hall-of-Famers (Baseball Reference). 

Roger Clemens (left), Barry Bonds (center)
and Mike Piazza (right) (photo: WIRES)

A broader look at Piazza's career will reveal the greater scope of his success. Over 16 seasons he amassed 10 Silver Slugger Awards, was voted-into 12 All Star Games, and finished among the top-14 in Most Valuable Player voting 9 times (including placing 2nd in 1996 and 1997) (Baseball Reference). 

Many cite Piazza's non-stellar fielding as reason for his ineligibility, but that just doesn't add-up. He held a career .989 fielding percentage which would rank among the best in Hall-of-Fame Catchers. And after all the comparison with other legendary catchers, Fisk passed with 79.56% approval and Bench did so with 96.42% (Baseball Almanac). 

The only other possible reason the BBWAA doesn't believe Piazza deserves this honor, is because his play happened to coincide with what's known as the "Steroid Era." Some of the game's biggest cheaters such as Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds committed their crimes against baseball at the same time he put-up his numbers. 

As a result of that coincidence, and though there is nothing but speculation based on Piazza's muscle-mass and body size. Rumors based on those minuscule things have existed for years, but while many other stars were caught and penalized for cheating, his record remains squeaky-clean. It upsets me that because of a bunch of cheats and liars one noble and morally-straight baseball great cannot be recognized for his achievements. 

What's even worse is that Piazza isn't alone. Not a single player was admitted into the Hall last year. Players like Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell were also denied and some were probably deserving. While Piazza's being denied last year may give me a chance to attend his induction, I disagree with and think it's unfair. Should Piazza be elected in this coming round of voting, while I don't believe "justice will be served," it will definitely be the right decision.