The Hall's Rule 5 Strikes Again

Major League Baseball just announced its Hall of Fame inductee for 2022. According to the rules that govern the voting of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, this year, only David Ortiz was tapped. And, as usual, more is being said/written about who didn't get named than who did.

Meanwhile, the rule that has been preventing some of the baseball writers from voting to induct Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and several others -- and, of course, Pete Rose -- is an old rule that has been around for ages. Yes, Ortiz is much better liked than Bonds and of course that's part of it. But rules are still rules, both during the games and during the voting.

Note: "The National Baseball Hall of Fame Rules for Election": Rule 5: Voting shall be based upon the player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.

So, maybe MLB needs to change its HoF rules to allow for some of the best players ever who don't measure up, Rule 5-wise? Like, maybe words such as integrity, sportsmanship and, character are old fashioned and should no longer matter. That's obviously true in some realms of endeavor these days.

Or, maybe MLB needs a new hall that fits an age that tolerates cheating to win -- MLB's National Baseball Hall of Great Statistics, No Matter How They were Achieved. Pete Rose wouldn't hesitate to accept such a dubious "honor"