the smell test

i grew up going to mets games but really didn't become a fan of baseball until '95 when the 'iron man' saved baseball. he certainly did for me. then in '96 the yankees won the series and although i was/am not a yanks fan i am from new york so it brought baseball to the forefront. then in '98 i got pulled into the mcgwire/sosa hr chase and was hooked. the mets were finally competitive in '99 with their "best infield defense ever" and in '00 with their world series appearance. i read moneyball sometime in '04 and my love/interest/respect for baseball has grown exponentially ever since. fantasy and the rays have kept my interest level high even while my mets disappointment year after year.

i present my short history of fandom simply to say that i have not followed baseball closely for all that long. but in '95 when i started to become a true fan, manny ramirez had his first full season of abs for the cleveland indians. since then he's been an offensive force,with a career triple slash of 312/411/585. we don't need to go into his career accomplishments or shortcomings in great detail because others have done that with far greater success. i simply believe that based on the smell test (and i've been told i have the power of super smell - true) manny is one of the greatest hitters i have ever seen and is a clear hall of famer.

my list, off the top of my head, includes bonds, arod, chipper jones, pujols, and frank thomas as the most feared hitters in the league over the past 15 years. whether it was getting on base, driving in runs or hitting in the 'clutch' these players could do it all at the plate. you dont' need to be a sabermetric nerd or a jeter-intangibles nut to appreciate their value. it was never a question of whether they were great but of how great...and this is a sign of a hall of famer. when you start comparing players to jimmie foxx is there really a question of their candidacy?

i don't fault anyone who feels cheated by those caught using peds (i have neutral feelings) but i don't believe that the clear cut hall of famers (bonds, clemens) should be left out for suspicion or even failed drug tests. plenty of players used and never put up numbers like they have. players like manny were too good for too long to be simply dismissed as a ped enhanced cheater. for the rest of time i will think about manny and be reminded of his ferocious bat, disinterested look and 165 rbis in 1999 (the most since the aforementioned jimmie foxx in 1938).