I hate suburban Chicago.....

No one in their right mind could mount a worthwhile argument that Gwynn and Ripken shouldn't be the first unanimous Hall of Famers in history. However, this jacka** from Chicago clearly is jonesing for some attention and will prevent these two greats from achieving that honor.

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Of the 178 members of the BBWAA who answered the question about Ripken's induction, only one, Paul Ladewski, a columnist for the Daily Southtown in suburban Chicago, said he didn't vote for Ripken. "In an attempt to uphold the Hall of Fame standards established by their predecessors, I will not vote for anyone who played in the 1993-2004 period, which I consider to be the Steroids Era," Ladewski wrote in an e-mail to The Sun last month. "That includes Tony Gwynn, Mark McGwire and Cal Ripken Jr."The San Diego Union-Tribune did a similar poll as it applied to Gwynn's candidacy, and of the 233 responses it received, only Ladewski said he would have reservations about voting for the Padres' eight-time batting champion.Ladewski, a BBWAA member since 1984, confirmed last week that he submitted a blank ballot, which, in effect, will be counted as a "No" vote for all candidates."It's not an anti-Cal Ripken vote or an anti-Tony Gwynn vote; it's a vote about not knowing enough, in my opinion, of the Steroids Era and performance-enhancing drugs to make the kind of decision that needs to be made," Ladewski said."From my dealings with Cal Ripken Jr. in the past, he was very pleasant, a good ambassador for the game, and his numbers speak for themselves," Ladewski said. "But I don't have enough information on the [steroids] subject to make a decision."
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NOT an anti-Ripken vote? NOT an anti-Gwynn vote? Sure, you're punishing two of the greatest, most respected, most revered players in baseball history for the sins of that steroid-pumping cheater McGwire...but that's not anti-Gwynn or anti-Ripken. I knew I hated suburban Chicago...and anyone from there.