Where do we go?

Where do we go from here? That’s the question from baseball fans on a day when nobody was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
July 10, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; National League manager Tony La Russa before the 2012 MLB All Star Game at Kauffman Stadium. Image Credit: Peter G. Aiken/USA TODAY Sports via USA TODAY Sports
Nobody is going to be inducted this summer by the BBWAA. The last time that this happened was in 1996. The three highest candidates from that year were eventually inducted.

We know that this will not be the case next summer. The writers would have to be crazy to vote against the likes of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and Frank Thomas. They were never associated with performance-enhancing drugs. There is no doubt that Craig Biggio gets in on the second ballot.

A case can be made for Mike Mussina and he will get in down the road but more than likely, it will not be next year.

When he retired, Lee Smith was the career leader in saves. He has yet to be inducted into the Hall of Fame and only recorded 47.8% of the vote.

Larry Walker, a former Cardinals outfielder, received 21.6% of the vote. While he had a solid career, the home-road splits during his time with the Rockies is turnoff to voters.

Mark McGwire, as expected, did not get much support this time around. He got 16.9% of the vote. I’m not surprised at all.

Reggie Sanders, who was briefly with the Cardinals, was dropped off the ballot after receiving zero votes.

There should be at least two people associated with the St. Louis Cardinals going in next summer. They are retired managers Tony La Russa and Joe Torre. The Expansion Era Committee will be voting on candidates this fall. It’s a good bet that they will induct those two along with retired Braves manager Bobby Cox.

Matt Morris is on the ballot for the first time next year. I expect that it will be his only year on the ballot, too.