standin' up for Slammin' Sammy

The eve of "Slammin'" Sammy Sosa's apparent retirement raises a fascinating question: Is he a Hall fo Famer? Here are the results of an ESPN.com poll today:

7) Does Sosa deserve to be in the Hall of Fame?

50.2% No
49.8% Yes

For me, that contradicts not only with Sosa's staggering career numbers, but also another question in the same poll:

12) Did Sosa and Mark McGwire's pursuit of Roger Maris' record in 1998 increase your interest in baseball?

36.5% Yes, and it hasn't faded yet
34.0% No
29.5% Yes, but only temporarily

Let's face it, he's getting into the Hall. He's fifth on the all-time home run list. He's had a historic impact on the game. He has huge blemishes on his record (steroids, corked bat, etc.), but unless they ban him from the Hall, a la Rose, his numbers will get him there.

Here are my thoughts on some other players who will have a shot at the Hall in the next few years, and whether they should make the cut:

YES
Mark McGuire: Same story as Sosa--ridiculous numbers, steroid issues. But he's more well liked than Sammy and transcended the game for a brief time.
Barry Bonds: Here's a question for fans who don't think Sosa should go--do you vote for Bonds, or disqualify his achievements too? I don't see how you can ignore seven MVPs, and the likely single-season and career record holder in HR.
Rickey Henderson: Biggest question is when he'll ever officially retire and start the clock on his eligibility.
Randy Johnson: Five Cy Young Awards, nine seasons with 290+ K, and my guess is he finishes with about 300 W.
Roger Clemens: Most surprising stat may be that he led the league in ERA seven times.
Roberto Alomar: .300 BA, 10 Gold Gloves at second base. Key part of two World Series champs and seven playoff teams.
Mike Piazza: Mostly because he's a catcher--less than 400 HR wouldn't be enough if he was an OF or 1B.
Ken Griffey: Easy to forget how great he was. Despites injuries, well over 500 HR and 10 Gold Gloves in CF.
Greg Maddux: Over 300 W, 3.00 career ERA in a hitters era, and four Cy Young Awards.
Tom Glavine: Will get to 300 W, two Cy Young Awards, along with Maddux led Braves to playoffs 11 straight seasons.
Pedro Martinez: Low win total (still not over 200), but easy to forget that he's just 33. Best argument is that his career ERA is about two runs below the league average.
Mariano Rivera: In 72 (!) postseason games, 8-1 with 34 saves and 0.81 ERA.

NO
Mike Mussina: 18 or more wins five times, but has never won 20--that's a good symbol of his career. Lifetime ERA of 3.64 doesn't impress.
Curt Schilling: Less than 200 W, less than 3000K. 2001 and 2004 seasons help, but not enough.
Kevin Brown: Only 211 wins, no Cy Youngs, overrated postseason pitcher (6-2 record, but 4.30 ERA).
Rafael Palmeiro: Tough call, but he'll be the one who proves that 500+ HR in the steroid era isn't enough. Never finished higher than fifth in the MVP voting.
Jeff Kent: Another close call--one MVP, eight seasons with 100+ RBI as a second baseman. But may not be enough in the juiced '90s.
John Smoltz: Despite diversion as a closer, only 177 W makes it tough to give him the nod.
Jim Thome: Only 34, but seems to be on the decline. Not enough home runs for the era to be considered an all-time great.
Frank Thomas: Two MVPs and a monstrous run in the '90s make a case, but injuries are a big factor here. If he bounces back and has a few more solid seasons and gets to 500 HR (he's at 448 right now) he'll have a decent shot.
Jeff Bagwell: Similar numbers than Thomas, but one less MVP.
Craig Biggio: Less than 3,000 hits, and more a compiler than a player who dominated for a long time.
Juan Gonzalez: Laugh if you want that he's on this list, but won two MVPs. Career 162 game average of .295-42-135. Like Thomas, injuries hurt him.
Trevor Hoffman: Almost 40 more saves than Rivera, but also has almost 20 more losses, and less postseason success.
David Cone: Less than 200 W, 3.46 ERA not enough despite playing in postseason in eight seasons, going 12-3.

More baseball stuff...

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/powerranking?season=2006&week=1&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab4pos1

ESPN's first Power Ranking inexplicably has the A's ranked second and the Indians fourth.

Elsewhere on ESPN, Peter Gammons makes this bold statement:

I offer this: If Chien-Ming Wang is healthy, he can be one of the 10 best pitchers in the American League, not to mention being the best on the Yankees' staff and the key to a 100-105 win season and a longer October run.

Say what?! I'm as much of a Wang fan as anyone, but that's a big leap of faith in a pitcher who was solid but not dominant--he had a 47/32 K/BB ratio in 117 innings.

That's it for now... feel free to post messages here debating my Hall thoughts, or bringing up any players I may have overlooked.