Jose Mesa, 1991 Bowman #91

It's Hall of Fame ballot day! There are a whopping 37 players vying for enshrinement in Cooperstown in 2013, including 24 first-time nominees. Nine, count 'em, nine, former Orioles will be on this year's ballot. The holdovers are Rafael Palmeiro, Tim Raines, Sr., Lee Smith, Curt Schilling, Sammy Sosa, and David Wells. The newcomers are Jeff Conine, Steve Finley, and Jose Mesa.

Yep, Jose Mesa.

Good ol' Joe Table might not be the worst player on the ballot (Todd Walker?), but it's tough to make a case for a guy with a 4.36 ERA just because he hung around long enough with enough good teams to rack up 321 saves. Naturally, Mesa will probably be one of several one-and-done players, dropping off the crowded ballot after receiving little to no consideration. But it tickled me to see his name juxtaposed with Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mike Piazza, and the like.

As for the louder-than-ever Big Bad Steroids debate, my views line up pretty closely with Craig Calcaterra's. It's odd that baseball writers have suddenly decided to become morality police. I hope common sense prevails in this year's vote, but I will not hold my breath.