Good going on sticking to your principles and not putting Mike Piazza in the like of Bonds, McGwire, Clemmens and others of their ilk. I am sure had there been even just circumstantial evidence, the New York press would have uncovered something – even from those famous un-named sources.

Know what I think is proof that Mike did not take anything? One is that by the age 36 his career was all but shot. For steroid users that age means more years ahead performing feats impossible for most players at any age. Also, he had nothing left on his throwing arm. On the other hand, steroids allowed Pudge Rodriguez to throw out base stealers while on his knees!

You are 100 percent correct about Campy.

Sure, he had only had seven elite seasons. How many seasons when he was younger did he lose due to racial discrimination? Did that happen to Berra? Did that happen to Bench? Of course not.

So regarding only having seven elite seasons, all we can say is “what might have been” about the more productive years taken away from him simply due to the color of his skin. To deny him worthy of being in the top echelon of all-time backstops because of that is a shame. And had the America of his times been anywhere close to the myth that people wanted to believe of it, then Josh Gibson could very well have been the all-time greatest.

Baseball columnist Bob Klapisch of the Bergen Record does include Mike Piazza on his Hall of Fame ballot. Klapisch writes:

Here’s another example of the witch-hunt mentality that wants to bring down the greatest-hitting catcher of all time. Huge offensive numbers in an age when almost everyone was juicing? Piazza might’ve fit the profile, but he never failed a drug test, nor was he even named in the Mitchell Report. We’ll take his career numbers at face value: a .308 average and more home runs (396) than any other catcher. Worthy of first-ballot induction if there ever was one.

Klapisch’s ballot also includes: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Jeff Bagwell, Edgar Martinez, Alan Trammel and Tim Raines.

John you non reply to me is very disappointing. All I ask is to defend your position or state that it was an omission not intended by you for not mentioning Campy as an elite catcher.

Thumbs up to you, Delcos.

I saw him with my own eyes and he was more awesome than Johnny Bench. I know I will get arguments but that is ok. But Berra was like a .270 hitter on who hit .320 in the clutch. The HOF did in fact think Campy was elite and he was voted in 1969. John D I would like to hear from you. Was it an oversight or a deliberate omission?