This would seem to be the perfect time to discuss almost everything you need to know about baseball's Hall of Fame -- and maybe try to explain why so often it's tough to get there.
For openers, it's supposed to be tough. If it wasn't, any discussion would be a waste of time. And before going any further, I'd like to dispute the notion raised by some critics of the system that "it's only a museum." The building that holds the plaques is, indeed, a museum, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum to be precise, but let's dismiss the idea that's all we're talking about.
As of press time, the announcement of the 2018 class headed to Cooperstown, N.Y., hadn't been made, so we can't comment on anything official. But, based on the tracking of early public ballots, we can be assured it will be a crowded classroom, which will include a pair of first-time eligible players, Chipper Jones and Jim Thome -- which addresses one of the most frequent complaints about the Hall of Fame's voting system.
