BBWAA Left with Tough Task with Hall of Fame Voting

Under the Rules For Election To The National Baseball Hall Of Fame by Members Of The Baseball Writer's Association Of American, specifically rule five, it is stated:

"Voting shall be based upon the player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team on which the player played."

Knowing now what the Mitchell Report has laid out for us, specifically in regards to players like Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Roger Clemens, the voters are left in a quandary that will test three of the above attributes. Let's take a look at each of these attributes and discuss the difficulties each voter will have judging candidates on each going forward.

Player's Record and Playing Ability

Although listed separately, these two attributes essentially ride hand-in-hand. They are, and most likely will be, the two features that most players receive the largest amount of consideration on. By the crudest terms, this comes down to the statistics each player puts up during their career and how they compare against other players, either already in the Hall of Fame or a group of peers during their respective time period.

This sounds as if it should be easy, but it isn't. First of all, voters are left without the ability to compare against previous members of the Hall, as the inflation of statistics over the last 30 years have changed the curve on which they can be judged. 450 home runs or a lifetime .300 batting average are no longer what they used to be. This especially hurts those candidates that have been lingering on the ballot from year to year, as they don't statistically match-up with the new candidates coming down the line and as such, will most likely continue to be overlooked.

Integrity

Here is where voters really need to choose a path to walk. The integrity of the game will forever be soiled by the deeds undertaken by the players of the 1980's, 1990's, and 2000's. Voters will have to look at each player and then pass judgment on them, fairly or not, based either on fact or speculation.