Page 46 - Florida Sentinel 2-4-22

Sports
Sports Media Rips
Roger Clemens
Barry Bonds’ Hall Of Fame
Baseball Hall Of Fame
Issues Statement
Snub Draws Passionate
For Barry Bonds Snub
By Hall of Fame
Performance-enhancing drugs are a non-starter for some Hall of Fame voters. “Some” in this case likely means about 34% of those with a ballot. It is the only explanation for Barry Bonds not getting in.
The Hall of Fame re- vealed its 2022 class on Tuesday night. David Ortíz got the nod from 77% of vot- ers. He was the only one to get more than the required 75% for induction. Bonds finished second in the voting with his name showing up on 66% of the ballots.
Bonds and Ortíz were amongst a group of candi- dates who were considered controversial. Based on numbers and on-field per- formance, they, along with Roger Clemens, Alex Ro- driguez, and Curt Schilling likely belong in the Hall of Fame. Bonds, Clemens, Ortiz, and Ro- driguez have all been tied to the use of performance en- hancing drugs and human growth hormone. Schilling has become something of a pariah in baseball due to his
Roger Clemens is-
sued a state-
ment on Twitter after learning he did
not make the
Hall of Fame
in what was his
final year of eligibility.
In his statement, the 7-time Cy Young winner downplayed the significance of the Hall of Fame.
“Hey y’all! I figured I’d give y’all a statement since it’s that time of the year again. My fam- ilyandIputtheHOFinthe rear view mirror ten years ago. I didn’t play baseball to get into the HOF. I played to make a generational difference in the lives of my family. Then focus on winning championships while giving back to my com- munity and the fans as well. It was my passion. I gave it all I had, the right way, for my fam- ily and for the fans who sup- ported me. I am grateful for that support. I would like to thank those who took the time to look at the facts and vote for me. Hopefully everyone can now close this book and keep their eyes forward focusing on what is really important in life. All love!” Clemens wrote.
BARRY BONDS
political extremism.
While cases can be made
for all five men, the sports media seemed to zero-in on Barry Bonds. His exclu- sion drew a series of damn- ing tweets and criticism of the Hall of Fame and its vot- ers.
A tweet from radio and TV sportscaster Adam Schein (@AdamSchein) reads: A disgrace. An em- barrassment. Pathetic. Dis- graceful. Again. Barry Bonds is the home run king. He’s the best player in his- tory. Bonds should’ve been in first ballot. Get over your- self gatekeepers. PED users in. Selig in. I can’t wait to go bonkers tomorrow.
Nathaniel Hackett Hired As Broncos Head Coach
After Being Denied
Reaction From Jim Leyland
In Last Try
The MLB world received some controversial – but per- haps not particularly surpris- ing – news when it was announced that former star Barry Bonds did not make it into the baseball Hall of Fame. Bonds’ snub prompted many in the sports world to react, with the latest being former longtime MLB manager Jim Leyland.
Leyland offered a pas- sionate response to Bonds’ Hall of Fame snub, via USA Today.
“You can make a case that he’s the best player to ever play,” Leyland told the De- troit Free Press on last Wednesday afternoon. “Barry is a very close friend of mine and always will be.
ROGER CLEMENS
BARRY BONDS AND JIM LEYLAND
My heart aches for him.” Former Detroit Tigers manager and friend of Barry Bonds not only feels deeply sorry for the Hall of Fame snub, but he also believes there’s a case for the former star as the “best player to ever play.” That is certainly not an outlandish take, especially given some of Bonds’ outra-
geous numbers.
The Denver Broncos have found a new head coach, and the hire is one that will likely excite their fans for a number of reasons.
The Broncos have hired Nathaniel Hackett as their next head coach. Hackett is the first to land a head coach- ing job from the NFL’s nine
NATHANIEL HACKETT
vacancies this offseason.
Michael Jordan’s
Ben Roethlisberger
'Broken Foot Game'
Officially Announces
Air Jordan 1s Sell
Retirement With Video
For $422,130
A pair of
Michael
Jordan’s
game-worn
Air Jordans
from an unfortunate time in his career have a new owner and the price tag to acquire them was steep.
Player issued Air Jordan 1s believed to have been worn by Jordan during a game against the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 29, 1985 recently sold for $422,130 through auction house Lelands. The date of that game is significant because it’s when Jordan suffered a frac- tured bone in his left foot, causing him to miss six months of action and derailing his sophomore season.
Ben Roethlisberger has been indicating for weeks that he will not play in 2022, and the quarterback has now made it official.
Roethlisberger shared a video on Thursday announc- ing his retirement. He thanked his family, coaches, fans and everyone with the Steelers organization for “be- lieving in me and allowing me to battle with you in the pur- suit of excellence.”
Roethlisberger had been hinting for quite some time that the 2021 season would be his last. He got to play in one last playoff game after a wild end to the regular season, though the Steelers
BEN ROETHLISBERGER
lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. The next stop for Big Ben will almost certainly be the Hall of Fame. His 64,088 passing yards and 418 touch- downs are both the most for any quarterback in Steelers history. The yardage ranks fifth among NFL quarter- backs all time and the touch-
downs place him eighth.
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