Why is Bert Blyleven Not in the Hall of Fame?

As spring training approaches baseball fans are watching ESPN and again hearing talk about steroids. Enough is enough. People are wondering if Mark McGuire will be voted into the Hall of Fame. Others are asking what information will come of the BALCO investigations. Is Barry Bonds guilty?Should they be let in the Hall of Fame if they used steroids? Some say no, other say pitchers are using steroids too and baseball should let the records stand. I wish people would just forget this issue, the steroid stuff has been way overdone. Baseball fans should not worry about the steroid issue, let the courts and lawyers figure that one out. However baseball fans should be asking one question when it comes to the Hall of Fame. Why is Burt Belyleven not in the Hall of Fame?

Every baseball fan I have ever talked to agrees that any pitcher with 3000 strikes outs or 300 wins should be a shoe in to the hall of fame. After all, only 14 men have ever recorded 3000 strikeouts. Blyleven is the only member of the club that is not in the Hall of Fame. He ranks 5th in baseball history on the all time strike-out list with 3701 career strikeouts, only behind Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens, Steve Carlton and Randy Johnson. Have you ever heard of those guys?

Blyleven did fail to win 300 games. That feat has only been accomplished by 22 men in baseball history and Blyleven fell just short finishing his career with 287 wins. The fact is he played on several last place teams through out his career. Although he played on several terrible teams he still managed to rack up more career wins than Hall of Fames Jim Palmer, Don Drysdale, Catfish Hunter, Fergie Jenkins and Bob Gibson. As a matter of fact he had more strikeouts than all of those guys too!