"Baseball has been very, very good to me."

Last night, after the Vikings were unsuccessful to stop Donovan McNabb and the Eagles (and landed me with goose egg in the playoffs this weekend), I watched Saturday Night Live's sports special. Later, a friend posted his choices for the Baseball Hall of Fame, which will be announced later this month. Coincidence? I think not...

He had some good insight, but missed the ball on a couple of others. Firstly, I agree wholeheartedly on Ricky Henderson's election this year. This man was great, no matter where he played, and his stats back it up. Even if you don't believe in real statistics, and opt for the old "BA, HR, RBI, SB" line - which is completely outdated, Henderson's numbers are beyond measure for entry into the HOF.

I also think Alan Trammell would make a wise choice, as well, and not just for sentimental reasons. It's rare to see a ball-player spend his entire career with one team anymore. Even Kerry Wood, who finally started showing some resemblance of promise last year, parted ways with the Chicago Cubs after 10 seasons. But Trammell also has been rated as one of the 10 best shortstops in baseball and has offensive and defensive accolades to back him up. I doubt he'll get in this year, given his numbers are notoriously low to jump up to the requisite 75 percent from voters to enter.

With these good choices, and strong arguments, it is no wonder many turn to him for conscientious baseball advice in the spring and strong conversation as the season rolls on. However, my friend overlooked two glaring issues in the remainder of the ballot. First is a personal one; his exclusion of Andre Dawson from the ballot. While his batting can be considered average in some degree (.278 Career BA), his HOF Monitor is about the 100 mark for the average HOFer and his stats are highly comparable to many other members. His age comparisons rate with Dave Winfield for his later years and to Reggie Smith during his youth. His overall stats are not all that off from Billy Williams and Tony Perez. But while his offensive stats are hurting him, his defensive stats are what should put him through. An eight-time Golden Glove winner should never be ignored during HOF voting and I hope that most of the BBWAA will see this, as well.

Taking obvious bias off the shelf not - because even I am willing to admit a lot of the previous argument was made simply because Dawson was a Cub - I need to look at another problem I have with my friend's ballot. I am in complete disagreement with him over the election of Steroid-Era ballplayers into the HOF. This soon after the era has, hopefully, passed, there will be a higher degree of scrutiny over who should be elected into the Hall of Fame from the array of players who spent most of their career during this time. Mark McGwire is Suspect No. 1 in this regard, since his testimony to Congress during the investigations of 2005 pretty much implicated his steroid use during his career (even though he never outright stated so).

True, he had a couple of amazing years as a slugger, breaking Roger Maris' seemingly insurmountable 61 home run record in 1998. But despite his 583 homers, he managed fewer than 1,500 hits and a low-263 Batting Average. I'll grant his high OPS+ numbers, since he hit so many home runs during the end of his career. His high slugging numbers, however, are linked to serious questions about his use of performance-enhancing drugs that not only cause irreparable damage to the body but also send the worst kind of message to aspiring athletes from little league on up to the minors. Why should we celebrate those who decided to jump ahead of the line to steal a few moments of glory towards the end of a celebrated career as a defensive giant? Instead, we should use him, and all the others who bulked up on the sly, as an example of what happens when you don't follow the right path. If we ban Pete Rose and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson from the Hall of Fame, then we should do the same to the likes of Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and, regrettably, Roger Clemens. Well, maybe not Clemens since he had crazy numbers before steroid use, but we'll see in a few years.

I think McGwire will increase his numbers from last year as many writers will move on from their one-year protest. But I don't see his election coming so quickly. Maybe in another two years, or 2010 if he's lucky, but I doubt 2009 will be the year of McGwire for the HOF.

So, my ballot this year for the Hall of Fame, if anyone from the BBWAA wants to know, includes:

1. Mark Grace - He didn't put up crazy numbers for a short time, nor did he lead the league in "flashy" statistics. But you cannot argue against his consistency. No one hit more than he did throughout the 1990s, connecting for 1,754 times during the decade. No one also doubled more than he did during the same time period, with 364. Rose is the only other player to achieve the decade hit's title without entering the HOF. (I'll even grant the obvious Cubs-bias factor a bit for this, but you can't argue against consistency.)

2. Bert Blyleven - When your numbers compare to Don Sutton, Gaylord Perry and Ferguson Jenkins, your place in the Hall should be assured. Throw in your ERA+ and your WHIP and I'll treat it like a Chicago Election (vote early and often).

3. Ricky Henderson - For reasons stated above.

4. Andre Dawson - See No. 3.

5. Alan Trammell - See No. 4.

6. - Dale Murphy - His numbers in the 1980s made him Mr. NL in my book. He led the Senior Circuit in runs, hits, RsBI, runs created, and total bases throughout the Reagan Era - and all without use of illegal substances. Despite playing for the Braves, he is a quality player and deserving of entry into the HOF. To add on top of that, he has the character and integrity deserving to gain entry into Cooperstown (something they actually ask people to consider on the ballots).