As is customary, I am going to complete my hall of fame ballot and forget to mail it in. When scanning through the list, I note many names of guys that I either owned in fantasy or battled against. I am also pretty sure I have seen all of them live; for some admittedly late in their career. It is a sign that I am truly getting old. I will also take this opportunity to salute Carlos Baerga and that magical performance where he hit homers from both sides of the plate on route to a 571 point season (for those who remember the pre-triumph days).

Every person I am analyzing, I have also had the pleasure of enjoying most of their career as opposed to relying on statistics and heresy. Having said that, my first vote is one that I only saw towards the tail end of his  career.

Bert Blyleven

We can argue this one until the cows come home. Yes, I agree that his individual seasonal stats may not warrant hall of fame consideration. I know of the fact that he never finished higher than third in Cy Young votes, and only made three all star appearances in his 20 year career. However, my vote here goes for his entire body of work and to maintain the ability to remain and compete in baseball at a high enough level to make his career numbers amongst the best of all time. I almost rescinded my vote due to the fact that he is actually campaigning. Notwithstanding, I have voted for him every time and will continue to do so.

Robbie Alomar

Forget about enjoying him from afar, we watched his best days as a Jay. From his homer off Eckersley, the tomahawk chop as he crossed home in game three to pure jaw-dropping defense, he had it all. I even met him at a hotel in Detroit as he surrounded himself with teenage groupies. Regardless of anything he did on the field, his performance was hall of fame caliber.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnu9DCLJtRE&feature=related

Jack Morris

While we are on the Jays theme, here is a guy who I couldn’t stand to face but once he was a Jay, I couldn’t stand to watch him. Yes, I realize that being the best pitcher of the 80’s is simply an arbitrary 10 year period, but its quite a long period. There wasn’t a better pitcher in the AL than Morris in the mid-80’s. Plus, Game 7 of the 1991 WS was one of the best pure pitching performances I could remember. There wasn’t a guy you would rather have than Morris in a big game situation. He simply knew how to win – even in his first season with the Jays when he had a 4 something ERA. The argument about his 3.90 ERA is also a bit mind-boggling. is 3.90 that bad? Take away a couple of the brutal years after 1991 and I am sure his ERA is more in line with some of the big names. I understand the argument that he, like Blyleven never finished higher than 3rd, but he had the “it” factor. To me, he was hall of famer.

Tim Raines

He made an all-star team every year from 1981 through 1987. He was the first expo I remember watching. 5th all-time in steals, 50th in runs scored, 35th in walks, 4th in LF assists. What more could you ask from your lead off hitter. All that plus he always slid head first into second so he wouldn’t crack the vile of cocaine in his back pocket. A hall of famer in my books.

Fred McGriff

I admit this one is a bit sentimental. I loved the crime dog. He was one of my favourite Jays. He won me over the minute he launched that rocket ship into the upper upper deck at Yankee stadium. 7 homers shy of the once magical 500 and I still feel he was one of the most feared power hitters in baseball. His longevity also played for him. Is he a true hall of famer? Maybe not, but he is better than Dawson or Rice, so he has my vote.

Mark McGwire

I don’t care about the steroids.

Rafael Palmeiro

I care about the steroids. I am not putting him on my ballot. I will likely put him on next year. My ballot is getting full.

Notable Omissions:

Jeff Bagwell/Barry Larkin/Alan Trammell

I debated these ones for a bit, but in the end I left them off my ballot. I do see arguments for them and against. I have too many names as is. But, that’s not my fault; a lot of the names on my list should have been off years ago.