The Doomsday Clock reveals how close we are to...doom | CNN

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The Doomsday Clock has been ticking for exactly 75 years. But it’s no ordinary clock.

It attempts to gauge how close humanity is to destroying the world.

On Thursday, the clock was set at 100 seconds until midnight – the same time it has been since 2020.

The clock isn’t designed to definitively measure existential threats, but rather to spark conversations about difficult scientific topics such as climate change, according to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, which created the clock in 1947.

“One hundred seconds to midnight reflects the Board’s judgment that we are stuck in a perilous moment – one that brings neither stability nor security. Positive developments in 2021 failed to counteract negative, long-term trends,” said Sharon Squassoni, co-chair of the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board, which sets the clock. Squasson is also a research professor at the Institute for International Science and Technology Policy at The George Washington University.

What is the Doomsday Clock?

The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists was a group of atomic scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project, the code name for the development of the atomic bomb during World War II.

Originally, it was conceived to measure nuclear threats, but in 2007 the Bulletin made the decision to include climate change in its calculations.

Over the last three-quarters of a century, the clock’s time has changed, according to how close the scientists believe the human race is to total destruction. Some years the time changes, and some years it doesn’t.

The Doomsday Clock is set every year by the experts on the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board in consultation with its Board of Sponsors, which includes 11 Nobel laureates.

Although the clock has been an effective wake-up call when it comes to reminding people about the cascading crises the planet is facing, some have questioned the 75-year-old clock’s usefulness.

“It’s an imperfect metaphor,” Michael E. Mann, climate scientist at Pennsylvania State University, told CNN, highlighting that the clock’s framing combines different types of risk that have different characteristics and occur in different timescales. Still, he adds it “remains an important rhetorical device that reminds us, year after year, of the tenuousness of our current existence on this planet.”

Theoretical physicist and former member of the Bulletin’s Board of Sponsors Lawrence Krauss said it can be difficult to take the clock’s results seriously since it’s been ticking dangerously close to the end of civilization in the last few decades. Each year, he said, as the clock nears midnight, scientists would have to gauge how much available “real estate” is left before deciding on how much farther to move the clock.

“Now, it ticks in seconds; it used to be minutes,” Krauss told CNN. “It is clearly not a quantifiable scientific assessment, more of a qualitative one. What has always been important is the movement of the clock, not its absolute value.”

Every model has constraints, said Eryn MacDonald, analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Global Security Program, adding that the Bulletin has made thoughtful decisions each year on how to get the people’s attention about existential threats and the required action.

“While I wish we could go back to talking about minutes to midnight instead of seconds, unfortunately that no longer reflects reality,” she told CNN.

What happens if the clock reaches midnight?

The clock has never reached midnight, and Rachel Bronson, Bulletin president and CEO, hopes it never will.

“When the clock is at midnight, that means there’s been some sort of nuclear exchange or catastrophic climate change that’s wiped out humanity,” she said. “So we never really want to get there and we won’t know it when we do.”

How accurate is the clock?

The clock’s time isn’t meant to measure threats, but rather to spark conversation and encourage public engagement in scientific topics like climate change and nuclear disarmament.

If the clock is able to do that, then Bronson views it as a success.

When a new time is set on the clock, people listen, she said. At the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson cited the Doomsday Clock when talking about the climate crisis the world is facing, Bronson noted.

Bronson said she hopes people will discuss whether they agree with their decision and have fruitful talks about what the driving forces of the change are.

It’s still possible to move the clock back with bold, concrete actions. In fact, the hand has moved farthest away from midnight with a whopping 17 minutes before midnight in 1991, when President George H.W. Bush’s administration signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with the Soviet Union. In 2016, the clock was at three minutes before midnight as a result of the Iran nuclear agreement and the Paris climate accord.

What can an individual do to turn back time on the clock?

Don’t underestimate the power of talking about these important issues with your peers, Bronson said.

“You might not feel it because you’re not doing anything, but we know that public engagement moves (a) leader to do things,” she said.

For climate change, look at your daily habits and see if there are small changes you can make in your life such as how often you walk versus drive and how your home is heated, Bronson explained.

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Doomsday clock reset to 100 seconds to midnight, world's destruction

The closer to midnight we are, the more danger we're in.

The clock has been maintained by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists since 1947.

"We are now expressing how close the world is to catastrophe in seconds – not hours, or even minutes."

The world is 100 seconds to "midnight," according to the Doomsday Clock, closer to destruction than at any point since the clock was created in 1947.

Each year, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a nonprofit group that sets the clock, decides whether the events of the previous year pushed humanity closer to or further from destruction. The clock “conveys how close we are to destroying our civilization with dangerous technologies of our own making," according to the group.

This year, the group moved the clock from two minutes to 100 seconds to midnight. The closer to midnight we are, the more danger we're in, according to the Bulletin.

“We are now expressing how close the world is to catastrophe in seconds – not hours or even minutes," said Rachel Bronson, president and CEO of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. "It is the closest to Doomsday we have ever been in the history of the Doomsday Clock.

"We now face a true emergency – an absolutely unacceptable state of world affairs that has eliminated any margin for error or further delay."

In a statement, the Bulletin said, “Humanity continues to face two simultaneous existential dangers – nuclear war and climate change – that are compounded by a threat multiplier, cyber-enabled information warfare, that undercuts society’s ability to respond.

"Civilization-ending nuclear war – whether started by design, blunder or simple miscommunication – is a genuine possibility," the group said. "Climate change that could devastate the planet is undeniably happening. And for a variety of reasons that include a corrupted and manipulated media environment, democratic governments and other institutions that should be working to address these threats have failed to rise to the challenge."

The furthest the clock has been from midnight was 17 minutes in 1991, near the end of the Cold War.

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The Doomsday Clock has moved closer to midnight in three of the past four years. The Doomsday Clock did not move in 2019 after its minute hand was set forward in 2018 by 30 seconds, to two minutes before midnight.

The clock has been maintained by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists since 1947. The group was founded in 1945 by University of Chicago scientists who helped develop the first nuclear weapons in the Manhattan Project.

The scientists created the clock in 1947, using the imagery of apocalypse (midnight) and a nuclear explosion (countdown to zero) to convey threats to humanity and the Earth.

The decision was made by the board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, along with input from a board of sponsors that includes 13 Nobel Laureates.

The announcement was made Thursday morning at the National Press Club in Washington.

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Doomsday clock 2022: Scientists say it's still 100 seconds to midnight

It's still only 100 seconds to midnight.

Ongoing nuclear risks, the threat of climate change, disruptive technologies and the seemingly endless coronavirus pandemic have brought us as close to doomsday as we've ever been, according to the annual Doomsday Clock announcement Thursday in Washington, D.C.

The countdown point is the same as last year's. The clock remains closer to destruction than at any point since it was created in 1947.

The 2022 Doomsday Clock statement explains that the “decision does not, by any means, suggest that the international security situation has stabilized. On the contrary, the clock remains the closest it has ever been to civilization-ending apocalypse because the world remains stuck in an extremely dangerous moment.”

Rachel Bronson, president and CEO of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists said the clock "continues to hover dangerously, reminding us about how much work is needed to be done to ensure a safer and healthier planet. We must continue to push the hands of the clock away from midnight."

Each year, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a nonprofit group that sets the clock, decides whether the events of the previous year pushed humanity closer to or further from destruction. The clock “conveys how close we are to destroying our civilization with dangerous technologies of our own making," according to the group.

The closer to midnight we are, the more danger we're in, according to the bulletin. The clock uses the imagery of apocalypse (midnight) and a nuclear explosion (countdown to zero) to convey threats to humanity and the Earth.

'HISTORIC WAKE-UP CALL' IN 2021: After a brutal 2020, Doomsday Clock is still 100 seconds to midnight

The furthest the clock has been from midnight was 17 minutes in 1991, at the end of the Cold War.

The clock has been maintained by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists since 1947. The group was founded in 1945 by Albert Einstein, J. Robert Oppenheimer and University of Chicago scientists who helped develop the first nuclear weapons in the Manhattan Project.

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And even though the Cold War ended three decades ago, nuclear risks remain a grave threat to humanity. "Signs of new arms races are clear," the Bulletin's Scott Sagan said Thursday.

“The clock is not set by signs of good intentions, but by evidence of action or in this case inaction."

Climate change, caused by the burning of fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal, is also among the major threats cited by the Doomsday clock authors.

Doomsday clock ticks closer to midnight, now two minutes away

Scientists moved the hands of the symbolic "Doomsday Clock" closer to midnight on Thursday amid increasing worries over nuclear weapons and climate change.

The clock is now two minutes to midnight. “Because of the extraordinary danger of the current moment, the Science and Security Board today moves the minute hand of the Doomsday Clock 30 seconds closer to catastrophe," said Rachel Bronson, president of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. "This is the closest the Clock has ever been to Doomsday, and as close as it was in 1953, at the height of the Cold War.”

Each year, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a non-profit group that sets the clock, decides whether the events of the previous year pushed humanity closer or farther from destruction.

The symbolic clock is now the closest it's been to midnight since 1953. It was also two minutes to midnight in 1953 when the hydrogen bomb was first tested.

"We've made the clear statement that we feel the world is getting more dangerous," said Lawrence Krauss, chair of the Bulletin's Board of Sponsors and director of Arizona State University's Origins Project. "The danger of nuclear conflagration is not the only reason the clock has been moved forward."

The announcement was made in Washington, D.C., at the National Press Club.

Scientists blamed a cocktail of threats ranging from dangerous political rhetoric to the potential of a nuclear threat as the catalysts for moving the clock closer toward doomsday.

The statement explaining the resetting of the time of the Doomsday Clock notes: “In 2017, world leaders failed to respond effectively to the looming threats of nuclear war and climate change, making the world security situation more dangerous than it was a year ago — and as dangerous as it has been since World War II.

"The greatest risks last year arose in the nuclear realm. North Korea’s nuclear weapons program appeared to make remarkable progress in 2017, increasing risks for itself, other countries in the region, and the United States," the statement continued.

"Hyperbolic rhetoric and provocative actions on both sides have increased the possibility of nuclear war by accident or miscalculation."

"On the climate change front, the danger may seem less immediate, but avoiding catastrophic temperature increases in the long run require urgent attention now. The nations of the world will have to significantly decrease their greenhouse gas emissions to keep climate risks manageable, and so far, the global response has fallen far short of meeting this challenge,” the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists said.

"Today’s Doomsday Clock announcement must serve as an urgent wake-up call — and could be the last one we get," said Derek Johnson, the executive director of Global Zero, a group that wants to eliminate nuclear weapons.

“Last year, the Clock ticked forward largely in response to candidate Trump’s alarming campaign rhetoric. But the reality of a nuclear-armed President Trump running loose in the world is worse than we feared, and that is clearly a central factor in this decision," Johnson said.

The closer to a setting of midnight it gets, the closer it's estimated that a global disaster will occur. The farthest it's been from midnight was in 1991 as the Cold War ended when the clock was 17 minutes to midnight.

The clock has been maintained by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists since 1947. The group was founded in 1945 by University of Chicago scientists who had helped develop the first nuclear weapons in the Manhattan Project.

The scientists created the clock in 1947 using the imagery of apocalypse (midnight) and the contemporary idiom of nuclear explosion (countdown to zero) to convey threats to humanity and the Earth.

Doomsday clock: It's still 100 seconds to midnight

The world is still 100 seconds to midnight after a punishing 2020 marred by mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic and continued fears over nuclear risks and climate change, according to the annual Doomsday Clock announcement Wednesday.

This is the same time as last year. The clock remains closer to destruction than at any point since it was created in 1947.

"The lethal and fear-inspiring COVID-19 pandemic serves as a historic wake-up call, a vivid illustration that national governments and international organizations are unprepared to manage the truly civilization-ending threats of nuclear weapons and climate change,” said Rachel Bronson, president and CEO of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

Each year, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a nonprofit group that sets the clock, decides whether the events of the previous year pushed humanity closer to or further from destruction. The clock “conveys how close we are to destroying our civilization with dangerous technologies of our own making," according to the group.

The closer to midnight we are, the more danger we're in, according to the Bulletin.

The furthest the clock has been from midnight was 17 minutes in 1991, at the end of the Cold War.

Even though the Cold War ended three decades ago, nuclear risks remain a grave threat to humanity. “Despite nuclear abolition being the long-awaited wish of all A-Bomb survivors, there are still more than 13,000 nuclear weapons in the world, with nuclear states continuing to modernize their nuclear forces," said Hiroshima Gov. Hidehiko Yuzaki in a statement. "Moreover, nuclear disarmament continues to stagnate, further exacerbating global tensions.”

The Doomsday Clock authors wrote that "by our estimation, the potential for the world to stumble into nuclear war – an ever-present danger over the last 75 years – increased in 2020."

Climate change, caused by the burning of fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal, is also among the major threats cited by the Doomsday Clock authors. "A pandemic-related economic slowdown temporarily reduced the carbon dioxide emissions that cause global warming," the authors said. "But over the coming decade fossil fuel use needs to decline precipitously if the worst effects of climate change are to be avoided.

"Instead, fossil fuel development and production are projected to increase. Atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations hit a record high in 2020, one of the two warmest years on record. The massive wildfires and catastrophic cyclones of 2020 are illustrations of the major devastation that will only increase if governments do not significantly and quickly amplify their efforts to bring greenhouse gas emissions essentially to zero."

The clock has been maintained by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists since 1947. The group was founded in 1945 by University of Chicago scientists who helped develop the first nuclear weapons in the Manhattan Project.

In December, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists marked its 75th anniversary.

The clock uses the imagery of apocalypse (midnight) and a nuclear explosion (countdown to zero) to convey threats to humanity and the Earth.

The decision was made by the board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, along with input from a board of sponsors that includes 13 Nobel Laureates.

Doomsday Clock ticks closer to apocalypse and 1 person is to blame

Mary Bowerman

USA TODAY Network

Scientists moved the hands of the Doomsday Clock closer to midnight on Thursday amid increasing worries over nuclear weapons and climate change.

Each year, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a nonprofit that sets the clock, decides whether the events of the previous year pushed humanity closer or further from destruction. The symbolic clock is now two-and-a-half minutes from midnight, the closest it's been to midnight since 1953, when the hydrogen bomb was first tested. Scientists blamed a cocktail of threats ranging from dangerous political rhetoric to the potential of nuclear threat as the catalyst for moving the clock closer towards doomsday.

“This year’s Clock deliberations felt more urgent than usual…as trusted sources of information came under attack, fake news was on the rise, and words were used by a President-elect of the United States in cavalier and often reckless ways to address the twin threats of nuclear weapons and climate change,” Rachel Bronson, the executive director and publisher of Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, said in a statement.

While many threats played into the decision to move the clock 30 seconds forward from where it was in 2016, one person in particular prompted the scientists to act.

"Never before has the Bulletin decided to advance the clock largely because of the statements of a single person. But when that person is the new president of the United States, his words matter," David Titley and Lawrence M. Krauss of the Bulletin wrote in an New York Times op-ed.

The Bulletin pointed to President Trump's careless rhetoric on nuclear weapons and other issues as well as his troubling stance on climate change.

“Current political situation in the U.S. is of particular concern,” Titley of the Bulletin Science and Security Board said. “The Trump administration needs to state clearly, unequivocally it accepts climate change caused by human activity…There are no alternative facts here.”

Last year, the clock remained at three minutes from midnight. It was moved to three minutes in 2015 where it was previously at five minutes to midnight.

Manhattan Project scientists, concerned about the first atomic weapons, founded the nonprofit Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists in 1945. They created the clock two years later, and update its minute hand each year.

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According to the group, the clock “conveys how close we are to destroying our civilization with dangerous technologies of our own making.”

The threat of nuclear warfare plays heavily into the time on the clock, as do the dangers of climate change the threat from cyber technology, according to the group’s website.

The decision is made by the board of the nonprofit Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists' along with input from a board of sponsors which includes 15 Nobel Laureates, according to the group.

Follow Mary Bowerman on Twitter: @MaryBowerman

2023 Doomsday Clock announcement Tuesday to warn of nuclear war

Follow USA TODAY's live coverage of Doomsday Clock announcement on Tuesday.

Each year for the past 75 years, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has published a new Doomsday Clock, suggesting just how close – or far – humanity is from the brink.

The next edition will be revealed Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 10 a.m. EST. It's the first update to the clock since Russia's invasion of Ukraine renewed fears of global nuclear war.

Historically, the clock has measured the danger of nuclear disaster, but that's not the only apocalyptic scenario being considered. Climate change, bioterrorism, artificial intelligence and the damage done by mis- and disinformation also have been included in the mix of possible cataclysms.

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Each year, the 22 members of the Science and Security Board are asked two questions:

Is humanity safer or at greater risk this year than last year?

Is humanity safer or at greater risk compared to the 76 years the clock has been set?

Here's what to know about the 2023 Doomsday Clock:

How did the Doomsday Clock start?

In 1945, on the anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, scientists who had worked on the Manhattan Project that built the world's first atomic bombs began publishing a mimeographed newsletter called The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

Two years later, as those same scientists contemplated a world in which two atomic weapons had been used in Japan, they gathered to discuss the threat to humanity posed by nuclear war.

"They were worried the public wasn't really aware of how close we were to the end of life as we knew it," said Rachel Bronson, president and CEO of the Bulletin.

Martyl Langsdorf, an artist and wife of Manhattan project physicist Alexander Langsdorf Jr., came up with the idea of a clock showing just how close things were.

It came to be called the Doomsday Clock.

"It gave the sense that if we did nothing, it would tick on toward midnight and we could experience the apocalypse," Bronson said.

Where does the Doomsday Clock stand now?

For the past two years the Doomsday Clock has stood at 100 seconds to midnight, closer to destruction than at any point since it was created in 1947.

What does midnight represent on the Doomsday Clock?

Midnight on the Doomsday Clock represents how close humans are to bringing about civilization-ending catastrophe because of the unleashing of human-caused perils either by nuclear disaster, climate change or other cataclysms.

Who decides where the Doomsday Clock is set?

The Doomsday Clock is set each year by the 22 members of the Bulletin's Science and Security Board in consultation with its Board of Sponsors, which includes 11 Nobel laureates.

Why does the Doomsday Clock exist?

At its heart, the bulletin's founders were asking how well humanity was managing the "dangerous Pandora's box made possible by modern science," Bronson said.

Though technology makes possible amazing and wonderful things, it can also pose risks. In 1947 the biggest of those was nuclear war. Since then the bulletin has added others, including climate change, bioterrorism, artificial intelligence and the damage done by mis- and disinformation.

Why is the Doomsday Clock so prominent?

Over the years the clock has been referenced by the White House, the Kremlin and the leadership of many other nations. Robert Oppenheimer and Albert Einstein were on the bulletin's Board of Sponsors, and John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon wrote pieces for the magazine.

Though not everyone agrees with the clock's settings, it is generally respected for the questions it asks and for its science-based stance.

Does the Doomsday Clock always go forward?

The setting of the clock has jumped forward and back over the past 75 years, depending on world events.

The furthest from midnight it has ever been was in 1991, when it was set at 17 minutes to midnight after the U.S. and the Soviet Union signed the first Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, followed by the dissolution of the USSR.

"People would go to sleep every night worried about were they going to wake up," said Daniel Holz, a professor of physics at the University of Chicago and co-chair of the Bulletin's Science and Security Board. "That threat was definitely reduced at the end of the Cold War."

The most pessimistic years have been 2021 and 2022, when it was set at 100 seconds to midnight, in part because of global nuclear and political tensions, COVID-19, climate change and the threat of biological weapons.

The first clock, announced in 1947, was set at 7 minutes to midnight.

What will the Doomsday Clock be set to on Jan. 24, 2023?

The Doomsday Clock will be reset Jan. 24 at 10 a.m. EST in an announcement that will be livestreamed on the bulletin's website.

Exactly what time the scientists who make up the board have chosen is a closely held secret. But one hint is this: For the first time, the statement is being translated into Russian and Ukrainian.

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Hate to break it to you, but humanity is doomed. That's at least according to a clock keeping track of how close the world is to catastrophe. Cool cool cool.

It's Ashley and everything's fine. Let’s dive into some news, shall we?

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Stop the world, we want to get off

Hide your kids, hide your wives: The world is 100 seconds to "midnight," according to the Doomsday Clock. That’s closer to destruction than at any point since the clock was created in 1947. The clock “conveys how close we are to destroying our civilization with dangerous technologies of our own making," according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a group that sets the clock. The closer to midnight we are, the more danger we're in, the Bulletin said. "It is the closest to Doomsday we have ever been in the history of the Doomsday Clock,” said Rachel Bronson, president and CEO of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. 😯

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At least we (maybe) won't die of the coronavirus

Americans face little risk from the coronavirus spreading across China, according to health officials. The World Health Organization on Thursday declined to categorize the coronavirus as a global health emergency, saying there is no evidence of human-to-human infection outside China. Some airports in America aren't taking any chances: Officials in some cities stepped up health checks for passengers arriving from China. The coronavirus, which originated in the central city of Wuhan, China, has infected more than 540 and killed at least 17, according to Chinese authorities.

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Toxic 'forever chemicals' found in drinking water

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This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network.

Doomsday Clock: 'Three minutes' left until the apocalypse

Josh Hafner

USA TODAY

The Doomsday Clock, a symbolic countdown to the world’s end, stands still at three minutes until midnight, scientists announced Tuesday.

It remains at the position it moved to one year ago.

That the clock moves no closer to midnight, the indicated end of humanity, remains "grave" news, its makers stressed.

"Unless we change the way we think, humanity remains in serious danger," said Lawrence Krauss of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the nonprofit that sets the clock.

"Action now can reduce these threats," he said at an announcement in Washington, "but only if we recognize them honestly and face them head-on."

Manhattan Project scientists, concerned about the first atomic weapons, founded the nonprofit Bulletin in 1945. They created the clock two years later, and update its minute hand each year.

Just how the minute hand moves is determined by the Bulletin’s boards of directors and sponsors, which include environmental scientists, physicists and 18 Nobel Laureates, its site notes.

Krauss, a physicist who chairs the group's Board of Sponsors, said Tuesday that progress over the past year including America's nuclear deal with Iran and the Paris accord to slow climate change balanced out negative developments including tension between the U.S. and Russia and North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weaponry.

The clock remains at the closest it has pointed to mankind’s doom since 1984 amid the Cold War. The reasoning for its move there last year: rampant climate change and an ongoing threat of nuclear weapons.

“The probability of global catastrophe is very high,” Kennette Benedict, the Bulletin’s publisher at the time, said. “This is about the end of civilization as we know it."

The closest point it had been as of Tuesday morning was two minutes, in 1953, when the U.S. and Soviets had tested hydrogen bombs.

But the Doomsday Clock isn’t bound by time, and as such, can move backwards.

In 2010, an optimistic Bulletin did move the minute hand backwards, from five minutes to midnight to six, citing improved relations and nuclear talks between the U.S. and Russia and small advancements to address climate change.

In 1991, with the Cold War over, the clock moved back a full 17 minutes from midnight.

Follow Josh Hafner on Twitter: @joshhafner

Half Moon Bay shooting, Oscars and Monterey Park: The Short List

Authorities said evidence suggests the second mass shooting in California since Saturday was an "instance of workplace violence." Classified documents were found in former Vice President Mike Pence's home in Indiana. And this year's Oscar nominations have been announced.

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Another mass shooting in California leaves at least 7 people dead

Seven people were dead and a suspect was in custody Tuesday after two shootings at plant nurseries near the Northern California community of Half Moon Bay, just days after a rampage in Southern California killed 11. The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office said four victims were found dead at the first shooting scene and a fifth person was transported to the Stanford Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. Three victims were found at the second scene a short time later. The suspect was employed at Mountain Mushroom Farm, the location of the first shooting, and all evidence points to the attack being an "instance of workplace violence," Sheriff Christina Corpus said Tuesday. Follow the latest updates on Half Moon Bay.

More classified docs found – this time at Pence's house

Classified documents were found at Mike Pence's home, representatives for the former vice president wrote to the National Archives in letters this month. This is the latest in a series of discoveries involving classified documents at the homes of current and former elected officials. Pence’s lawyer characterized the documents as “a small number of documents bearing classified markings that were inadvertently transported to the personal home of the former vice president at the end of the last administration." The Department of Justice “requested direct possession” of the documents on Jan. 19, and FBI agents went to Pence’s home that night to collect the documents from a safe, according to letters from Pence’s lawyer. Read more about the latest document discovery.

What everyone's talking about

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Doomsday Clock signals world is closest it's been to human-caused catastrophe

The world is closer to annihilation than it has ever been since the first nuclear bombs were released at the close of World War II, The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists said Tuesday. The time on the Doomsday Clock moved forward from 100 seconds to midnight to 90 seconds to midnight. Between Russia's nuclear brinkmanship in its war on Ukraine, the real threats of climate change becoming increasingly dire and ongoing concerns about more possible pandemics caused by humans encroaching on formerly wild areas, the Bulletin chose to set the clock to the closest midnight yet. Learn more about the Doomsday Clock.

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All 11 Monterey Park shooting victims identified

After notifying relatives, authorities on Tuesday released the complete list of the 11 people killed in the Monterey Park, California, mass shooting. The victims ranged in age from 57 to 76. The six women who perished were: My Nhan, 65; Lilian Li, 63; Xiujuan Yu, 57; Muoi Ung, 67; Hong Jian, 62; and Diana Tom, 70. The five men who died were: Yu-Lun Kao, 72; Chia Yau, 76; Valentino Alvero, 68; Wen-Tau Yu, 64; and Ming Ma, 72. Authorities said the gunman fired 42 shots at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio. In addition to those killed, nine were wounded. Read more.

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Real quick

Oscar nominations are here 📽

"Everything Everywhere All at Once" ruled Tuesday when nominations for the 95th Academy Awards were announced, scoring 11 honors including best picture and screenplay. Star Michelle Yeoh was nominated for best actress, Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu earned their first Oscar nominations and Ke Huy Quan garnered a nod for supporting actor. Not far behind "Everything Everywhere" were Martin McDonagh's "The Banshees of Inisherin" and Edward Berger's "All Quiet on the Western Front" with nine nominations each. Cate Blanchett ("Tár") also made the cut for another standout performance, along with comeback kings Quan and Brendan Fraser ("The Whale"). See all of this year's nominees.

A break from the news


Texas Rangers' Adrian Beltre retiring from Major League Baseball

Adrian Beltre's baseball career began as a teenager, a skinny third baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers who made his debut in the summer of Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire.

Two decades later, Beltre's major league career has ended - with a final stop coming, in Cooperstown.

Beltre, 39, announced his retirement Tuesday morning, concluding a 21-year career in which he amassed 477 home runs and 3,166 hits, establishing himself as the greatest third baseman of his era.

He's the lone third baseman in major league history with at least 3,000 hits and 400 home runs.

In an announcement through the Texas Rangers, his team for the final eight years of his career, Beltre said his decision came after "careful consideration and many sleepless nights."

His retirement leaves Rangers teammate Bartolo Colon, 45, as the last remaining player who began his career in the 1990s.

Beltre left an impact on all four franchises for which he played, producing the second-greatest home run season in Dodgers history with 48 in 2004, capping a seven-season run there in which he hit 147 home runs. He struggled offensively during five seasons in Seattle, but emerged as a two-time Gold Glove winner.

He spent just one season - 2010 - in Boston, but it was a year that charted a new course in his career: Beltre hit an American League-best 49 doubles, boosted his OPS to .919, made his first All-Star team and hit the free agent market a third time, entering his age 32 season.

Beltre's decision - Los Angeles Angels or Texas Rangers? - would alter the fate of the AL West for years to come.

He opted for Texas, signing a five-year, $80 million deal, and neither club nor player were ever the same.

For the next six seasons, he'd finish in the top 15 in MVP voting, and the Rangers flourished - coming one out away from their first World Series championship in his first season, 2011. They made the playoffs in four of his first six seasons in Arlington - and the world got to know what a sublime and entertaining player he was.

Whether he was engaging in an ongoing "feud" with shortstop Elvis Andrus, imposing his leadership on the clubhouse or making highlight-reel plays at third base, Beltre was as quietly charismatic as he was subtly dominant on the diamond.

His numbers are Cooperstown-worthy by a long shot - oh, he also ranks 14th all-time in total bases and 11th with 636 doubles - but modern metrics are also very kind. According to Sports Info Solutions, Beltre has nearly double the number of Defensive Runs Saved than any other third baseman since the statistic was developed in 2003. He also ranks 10th all-time in defensive Wins Above Replacement - for any position.

As baseball continues to grapple with honoring its past while ushering the game into an occasionally jarring modern era, consensus is elusive. Be it whether games are too long or too short, whether a player is Hall of Fame worthy or even what constitutes a most valuable player, it's inevitable factions will take sides.

There will be little debating Beltre's legacy, however. And that will make for a glorious day five years from now, when his sustained brilliance is honored in the game's ultimate shrine.

Scott Rolen elected to Hall of Fame, joins Fred McGriff in 2023 class

It took six tries and one harrowing result, but Scott Rolen is forever a Hall of Famer.

Rolen was named to baseball's Hall of Fame Tuesday night earning a vote on 76.3% of ballots - just five more than needed to vault the 75% required for induction.

Rolen's election averts a Hall of Fame shutout for the second time in three years and just the 10th time in nearly a century in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Assn. of America.

Rolen was named on 297 ballots, five more than the 292 required for election among the 389 submitted. Colorado Rockies first baseman Todd Helton wasn't quite as fortunate: He was named on 281 of 389 ballots - just 11 shy of induction. Helton's 72.3% vote total in just his fifth year on the ballot all but cinches his eventual election, with five more shots at it to come.

Relief pitcher Billy Wagner also knocked on the door – garnering 265 votes, or 68.1%.

Rolen's nod means slugger Fred McGriff will have company during annual induction ceremonies in Cooperstown, New York on July 23. McGriff, whose highest vote total on the writers' ballot was 39.8%, was voted in by the Hall's Contemporary Era Committee in December.

What's next for ballot holdovers?

Like McGriff, Helton and Wagner will have 10 chances to earn induction from the writers and although they came up short Tuesday, should earn induction in one of their final shots on the ballot. Rolen received just 10.2% of the vote in his first year on the ballot, but it doubled to 35.3% in his third year and reached 62% in 2022, all trends pointing toward his eventual induction.

Helton (five more attempts) and Wagner (two more shots) should be similarly heartened. Center fielder Andruw Jones - who hit 434 home runs and claimed 10 Gold Gloves - also saw a nice bump, leaping from 41.4% to 58.1% in this, his sixth year.

Rolen had just one top 10 MVP finish - fourth in 2004 - but was a seven-time All-Star and eight-time Gold Glover for the Phillies, Cardinals, Blue Jays and Reds. He was a World Series champion with the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals.

Rolen's 70.1 career Wins Above Replacement ranks tied for 69th and puts him ahead of several Hall of Famers, the high number a testament to modern metrics' ability to better quantify Rolen's all-around value to his teams.

Oddly enough, Rolen is tied in career WAR with Carlos Beltran, who made his ballot debut and received 46.5% of the votes, a somewhat discouraging but not crushing first effort. Beltran, a switch-hitting center fielder who hit 435 career home runs, is one of just five players with at least 400 career homers and 300 steals. But his role as the ringleader in the 2017 Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal - Beltran's final season - was expected to be at least a slight drag on his candidacy.

Helton, who hit 369 home runs with 2,519 hits over 17 years while playing home games at Denver's Coors Field, should see his number called in 2024. The same can't be said for infielder Jeff Kent, who was the 2000 NL MVP and finished with 377 home runs, a .356 career on-base percentage and .855 OPS.

Kent matched Beltran's 181 votes and received 46.5% of the votes in his 10th and final year on the ballot. Slugger Gary Sheffield earned 55% of the vote on his ninth ballot.

Hall of Fame shutout averted

This could have been the third time in 11 years that no players were elected on the writers' ballot. In 2013, a gaggle of stars who played through the heart of baseball's so-called steroids era - such as Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mike Piazza, Sammy Sosa and Craig Biggio - debuted on the ballot and collided with five holdovers in at least their 11th year.

The resulting gridlock in part inspired the Hall of Fame to reduce the number of eligible years from 15 to 10, hastening exits for Bonds, Clemens and McGriff but also, ostensibly, enhancing the chances for others.

That lane should be plenty clear for Helton next year, along with a Cooperstown rarity - the surefire candidacy of third baseman Adrian Beltre.

Carlos Beltran deserves to be in baseball's Hall of Fame

This is really how it’s going to be?

We are actually going to keep Carlos Beltran out of the Hall of Fame simply because he played on the 2017 Houston Astros World Series champion team that was embroiled in a sign-stealing cheating scandal?

We are going to continue to praise A.J. Hinch’s vision in Detroit, worship Alex Cora’s managerial skills in Boston, but still punish Beltran six years later by keeping him out of the Hall of Fame?

Come on, hasn’t he already endured enough?

The statistics will show that Beltran is one of the finest center fielders who ever played the game, but behind the scenes, the man was even greater. His reputation was nothing short of impeccable. He was the 2013 Roberto Clemente Award winner for his humanitarian work off the field. He was revered and idolized by his teammates as one of the great clubhouse leaders. When the St. Louis Cardinals won the National League pennant in 2013, the entire team gathered around Beltran to toast him, thanking him for what he meant to the organization.

HALL OF FAME: Beltran's power, speed a rare combo, but sign-stealing scandal complicates case

COOPERSTOWN: Scott Rolen is inevitable. Will 2023 be the third baseman's Hall of Fame year?

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When Beltran retired after the 2017 season, the only question was who’d be fortunate enough to hire him as a manager or front office executive. The New York Yankees hired him as a special adviser to GM Brian Cashman, and he was hired after the 2019 season to manage the New York Mets.

And was fired two months later.

Beltran was the only player who was cited in MLB’s investigation, and days after the report was released, the Mets fired him before he even stepped onto the practice field.

“Over my 20 years in the game, I've always taken pride in being a leader and doing things the right way, and in this situation, I failed," Beltran said in a statement the day of his dismissal. “As a veteran player on the team, I should've recognized the severity of the issue and truly regret the actions that were taken.

“I hope that at some point in time, I'll have the opportunity to return to this game that I love so much.’’

Well, to this day he remains the only Astros player who was punished in the scandal, and still remains on the outside looking in after Mets manager Buck Showalter’s attempt to hire him as a coach last winter was rejected by his bosses.

Now, the Baseball Writers' Association of America is taking its turn punishing Beltran, too. He will not be elected in this year’s Hall of Fame class. Beltran is gathering only 56.1% of the votes, according to Ryan Thibodaux's Hall of Fame tracker, with five other players actually attracting more votes.

Beltran is the only center fielder in baseball who accumulated at least 70 WAR, and is not in the Hall of Fame. He’s the only switch-hitter in baseball history to reach 2,500 hits (2,725), hit 300 homers (435), and steal 300 bases (312). He has the best stolen-base percentage (86.45%) among any player who stole at least 200 bases. He is a nine-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner and Silver Slugger winner. He led five different teams to the playoffs. He was one of the greatest postseason players in history with a .307/.412/.609 slash line, eclipsed only by Babe Ruth.

But we’re really going to ignore all of that and admonish him for participating in the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal.

Really?

Are we going to do the same with everyone who played for the Red Sox and Yankees during those years, too, when they were fined and disciplined for the illegal use of Apple Watches and dugout phones to relay signs?

Should we hold that against future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander, who obviously didn’t benefit from the sign stealing as a pitcher, but didn’t tell his teammates to stop it?

Enough already.

We’re not talking about performance-enhancing drugs here. Sign stealing has been going on for the past 100 years. There are teams who have used hidden cameras for years. Team employees flashed signs from outfield seats and scoreboards.

We have steroid users in the Hall of Fame now, dozens of pitchers who illegally doctored baseballs, and plenty of managers and executives who looked the other way when players cheated.

Beltran’s wrongdoing was helping develop a system in which a center-field camera intercepted the opposing catcher’s signals, viewed on a monitor behind the dugout, and relayed to a hitter by banging on a trash can. Everyone had the option of accepting the signs, or disregarding them.

Really, it was just Beltran trying to help his teammates. It’s not as if it was designed simply for his personal use. In fact, he might have prospered the least by the technology. He had the worst year of his career with a slash line of .231/.283/.383 in 2017, and promptly retired after the season.

Besides, he was not the Astros manager who could have stopped it. Not the bench coach. Not the GM. Not even a groundskeeper.

He was just a player, and if anyone in the entire Astros organization wanted to shut down the elaborate sign-stealing operation, it would have been over.

“If the organization would’ve said something to us,’’ Beltran told the YES Network last year where he was employed as an analyst, “we would’ve stopped it for sure.’’

So, here we are, six years later, and the only man still being penalized by the scandal is Beltran.

It is not only brutally unfair, but egregiously cruel.

Enough already.

Beltran received my Hall of Fame vote, and will continue to do so as long as he remains on the ballot.

Outfielder Gary Sheffield, the most feared and intimidating hitter of his generation outside Barry Bonds – one of only 12 players in history to win a batting title and hit at least 500 homers – once again got my vote, too.

So did Jeff Kent, who simply was the greatest power-hitting second baseman in baseball history – record 377 homers among second basemen, record .500 slugging percentage, eight 100-RBI seasons, an MVP award, four top-10 MVP finishes, four Silver Sluggers.

And also Billy Wagner, who put up insane numbers as a closer – .187 career opposing batting average (lowest since 1900), 11.92 strikeouts per nine innings (best in history) – striking out hitters in record fashion back when hitters were actually embarrassed to strike out.

That was it.

Four players.

None will make it in this year.

Fred McGriff, who was voted in by the Contemporary Era Committee, should have the stage all to himself at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony this summer.

Third baseman Scott Rolen is the only one who has a shot to join him, and if not, this will be the third time since 2013 that the Baseball Writers Association did not elect a candidate.

If Rolen doesn’t make it in this year, he’ll certainly be in the 2024 class along with first-time eligible third baseman Adrian Beltre.

Beltran deserves to be proudly standing right alongside them.

He has suffered long enough.

Captain Trout

Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout thought long and hard about it, and nearly played in the World Baseball Classic in 2017, and then spent the next five years kicking himself for not playing on Team USA’s gold medal team.

“Last WBC, I was on the fence of doing it or not doing and when I decided not to do it,’’ he said. “Watching the games, it looked like they were having so much fun, making the plays and winning. That’s what I regretted.

“I should have been out there.’’

This time, he’s all in, captain of Team USA, and boldly declares it’s WBC gold medal or bust.

“That’s the whole reason I signed up, trying to win this thing,’’ said Trout, who’s playing in the WBC for the first time in his 13-year career. “There is nothing else. Anything else is a failure.’’

Team USA is the defending champions of the tournament, and Trout made sure that he wants an encore, busily recruiting players, with his first call to Bryce Harper. Harper can’t play as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, but the U.S. squad is a Who’s Who of baseball’s greatest American players with former MVPs Mookie Betts, Paul Goldschmidt and Clayton Kershaw on the team.

Their greatest competition for a repeat could be coming from Japan, which could have its greatest collection of pitching talent in the tournament’s history, led by Trout’s teammate, Shohei Ohtani.

“I get a front-row seat every time he pitches,” Trout said. “It’s pretty nasty. Every person I talk to that faces him says they don’t want to be in the box. It’s going to be interesting. He’s one of my good friends, so it’s going to be fun.”

Oh, and the trash talk has already started with Ohtani telling Trout that he’s not even the best player on the Japanese team.

“There’s no way,” Trout said, laughing, “that there’s somebody better.”

Around the basepaths

► Dana Brown, Atlanta’s vice president of scouting, has emerged as the clear front-runner to become the Astros' next general manager.

Brown, 55, who has been with Atlanta the past four years, is one of the game’s shrewdest talent evaluators. He has been responsible for Atlanta’s fabulous draft success, recently selecting outfielder Michael Harris and starter Spencer Strider, who finished 1-2 in last year’s NL Rookie of the Year voting.

Brown would become baseball’s lone Black GM, and join vice president Ken Williams of the Chicago White Sox as the only Black executives in charge of baseball operations.

► There was no one happier than the White Sox with the news that the Minnesota Twins traded batting champion Luis Arraez to the Miami Marlins for starter Pablo Lopez and two prospects.

Arraez was a White Sox killer last year, hitting .373 with a 1.273 OPS against them, and has a career .327 batting average against the White Sox.

“That should be good for a couple of wins,’’ one White Sox official said. “He was such a pain for us.’’

While the Twins were ecstatic with their return, including No. 5 prospect Jose Salas, several scouts and executives believe the trade could hurt the Twins’ chances to win the AL Central this year.

“Let’s see how that lineup fares without Arraez batting leadoff,’’ one AL executive said. “He helped those guys so much. This game values starting pitchers so much, but is a No. 4 starter more valuable than a great leadoff hitter?’’

The Twins badly need Byron Buxton to stay healthy to take over the leadoff spot.

► Free agent first baseman Yuli Gurriel is expected to sign with the Marlins on a one-year contract even after the trade for Arraez, but no deal has been consummated. The Astros offered a contract to bring him back in a reserve role, but Gurriel, 38, still wants to be a full-time player.

► While it’s wonderful that the Chicago Cubs honored Mark Grace and Shawon Dunston by electing them to their Hall of Fame, it’s a travesty that Sammy Sosa isn’t in the Cubs Hall of Fame.

The Cubs say they still want him to apologize for allegedly using PEDs, even though an admission could bring charges of perjury considering he testified under oath to Congress that he never used PEDs.

“What the hell does he have to apologize for?’’ said one former Cubs official, “for saving the franchise?’’

Barry Bonds still is idolized in San Francisco.

Mark McGwire is adored in St. Louis.

And yet, Sosa is shunned by the Cubs.

► Sandberg, who was part of the Contemporary Era Committee, on electing Fred McGriff and passing on the likes of Bonds, Rafael Palmeiro and Roger Clemens:

“He (McGriff) followed the rules and integrity and played the game the right way. Integrity is on the seal of the Baseball Hall of Fame.’’

► Now that the Toronto Blue Jays are spending $300 million for a facelift of Rogers Centre, it’s time to reward them with the 2025 All-Star Game, or at least in 2027. The Blue Jays have hosted only one All-Star Game, and that was 32 years ago in 1991.

► MLB's new umpire crews include Adrian Johnson and Alan Porter becoming only the second and third Black crew chiefs in baseball history.

“I was very happy,’’ said Kerwin Danley, MLB’s first Black crew chief, “hopefully I paved the road for others.’’

► The White Sox, who picked second baseman Nick Madrigal in the first round of the 2018 draft and traded him to the Cubs in 2021 for veteran closer Craig Kimbrel, now have a chance to get him back.

The Cubs no longer have room for Madrigal in the starting lineup after signing shortstop Dansby Swanson and shifting Nico Hoerner to second base, and guess who desperately needs a second baseman?

Yep, the White Sox.

► The Marlins now will be starting a second baseman at third base in Jean Segura; a second baseman at shortstop in Joey Wendle; a first baseman at second base in Luis Arraez; and a second baseman in center field in Jazz Chisholm.

► In the past two off-seasons, eight shortstops have signed free-agent contracts worth a grand total of $1.737 billion.

Corey Seager (10 years, $325 million)

Trea Turner (11 years, $300 million)

Xander Bogaerts (11 years, $280 million).

Carlos Correa (six years, $200 million)

Dansby Swanson (seven years, $177 million)

Marcus Semien (seven years, $175 million)

Javier Baez (six years, $140 million)

Trevor Story (six years, $140 million)

► You want a feel-good story in the WBC?

Red Sox minor-league reliever Rio Gomez will be pitching for Team Colombia in the WBC.

Rio is the son of the late Pedro Gomez, the beloved ESPN reporter, who passed away two years ago.

► The Yankees’ trade for starter Frankie Montas at last year’s deadline is looking worse by the day. They sent four prospects to Oakland for Montas and reliever Lou Trivino, but Montas has been a bust. He went 1-3 with a 6.35 ERA in eight starts with the Yankees before shut down with shoulder inflammation, and now is expected to miss at least the first month of the season with shoulder woes.

Their top trade target was Cincinnati Reds ace Luis Castillo, and they put Jasson Dominguez in their trade proposal, but refused to include prized shortstop prospect Anthony Volpe. The Yankees’ loss was the Seattle Mariners’ gain, with Castillo now their ace.

► The Yankees once again stayed out of the marquee shortstop market, and are now a year closer to seeing if their evaluations that Volpe or Oswald Peraza will be everyday shortstops in 2023, or will again turn to veteran Isiah Kiner-Falefa.

Meanwhile, the Yankees continue to let teams know that third baseman Josh Donaldson (who is owed $29 million) and outfielder Aaron Hicks (owed $30.5 million) are still very much available as they’re willing to eat part of the contracts.

► Hard to believe that the Dodgers let nine players walk in free agency, earning $462.5 million, while signing six free agents for just $45.4 million, as ESPN pointed out. Their $296.6 million payroll has been cut to about $235 million this season.

► Cardinals bench coach Joe McEwing, who was drafted in the 28th round by the Cardinals in 1998, and was a mentee of legendary infield coach George Kissell, is honored to now be their bench coach.

“There’s not a day that I go through where I don’t think about that man,’’ McEwing said of Kissell at the Cardinals’ Winter Warmup event. “As a teacher, as a mentor, as a friend. I feel like he’s on my shoulder when I’m teaching, and it’s like, ‘Oh, OK,’ you know. It’s every word that he expressed to me or expressed to others that I learned from, and it’s just the passing down of generation to generation.”

► MLB says that 46% of the current 40-man roster players have firsthand experience with the pitch clock.

► Hard to believe that Atlanta spent less money in free agency this winter than any team in the major leagues, just $1.4 million on outfielder Jordan Luplow.

Of course, they did trade for All-Star catcher Sean Murphy and promptly signed him to a six-year, $73 million contract.

► Aroldis Chapman went from earning $16 million a year to $3.75 million in his new deal with the Kansas City Royals.

The Royals are banking on him having a good first half so they can trade him.

► The Baltimore Orioles are the first team in 20 years to have consecutive No. 1 prospects from the same draft since Baseball America began its rankings in 1990. Catcher Adley Rutschman was the first round pick in the 2019 draft and infielder Gunnar Henderson was the second pick in the draft. The Orioles have a major-league high eight players listed among Baseball America’s top 100 prospects.

► There were six teams who wound up paying a luxury tax with their payrolls last season, led once again by the Dodgers with a $32.4 million bill. The others: Mets ($30.8 million), Yankees ($9.7 million), Phillies ($2.9 million), Padres ($1.5 million) and the Red Sox ($1.2 million).

► Just in case the Red Sox front office had any questions about how their fanbase feels about their moves this winter, boos echoed from the rafters as their Winter Weekend, directed at owner John Henry and GM Chaim Bloom.

They remain furious over letting Xander Bogaerts walk away, and may never get over trading away Mookie Betts.

The Red Sox, who continues to seek patience from their fanbase while waiting for their prospects to arrive, will have one of the oldest teams in baseball once again, with a projected pitching staff averaging 31.8, according to the Boston Herald. They also are expected to have an everyday lineup averaging at least 29 years of age.

► Well, Detroit Tigers catcher Eric Haase isn’t shy about his views of the pitch clock this season, telling Detroit reporters: “I really don’t understand the need for it, honestly. A couple of years ago, they wanted us to take more time between innings to make sure we got the commercials going and everything. Now, they’re trying to speed it up. I just don’t think the game needs it. We’re growing revenues every single year. There’s no shortage of fans. There’s no shortage of young fans at the games. I just don’t see the need for it.”

► Fabulous story from Al Leiter, who was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame, on being traded to the Mets in 1998 as part of the Marlins’ firesale.

“Dave Dombrowski [the Marlins GM at the time] called me the day before the trade,’’ Leiter said, “and said, ‘I’m not promising you anything, but I have comparable prospect offers and I’m wondering if you had a preference.’ He said, ‘I’ve got an offer from the St. Louis Cardinals, and I’ve got an offer from the New York Mets.

“I said, ‘Dave, are you kidding?’ Then I go through the whole thing, ‘I was a Mets fan, I grew up in New Jersey, and that’d be amazing.’”

A day later, Leiter was traded to the Mets.

“I couldn’t have been more grateful for Dave Dombrowski to do such a thing,’’ Leiter said, “to call reach out to a player.’’

► Quote of the Week: Marlins second baseman Luis Arraez, when asked what he will miss most about leaving Minnesota: “The cold. I started liking the cold when playing my first time in Minnesota. The cold is really good for watching movies with my family.’’

Follow Nightengale on Twitter: @Bnightengale

As Starling Marte exits after PED bust, Pirates, McCutchen aim to ...

Bob Nightengale

USA TODAY Sports

ST. LOUIS - The Pittsburgh Pirate clubhouse was quiet Tuesday afternoon, with no music, no laughter, little chatter, just players inwardly pondering their thoughts and feelings toward a teammate.

Starling Marte, their All-Star outfielder, and centerpiece of their organization, was suspended 80 games for performance-enhancing drug use, and his teammates still were trying to wrap their minds around it.

It’s only the third week of a promising season, coming off the heels of a three-game sweep over the World Series champion Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, and this felt like a sledgehammer to their ribs.

“When you make a mistake you have to pay for it; it’s that simple,’’ says Andrew McCutchen, who was moved out of his starting center field job at the start of spring training for Marte, and now shuffles back into it. “Guys make mistakes, and the last thing I need to be doing is distancing myself away from him. There are some things he’s going to have to battle, some things he’s going to have to overcome.

“We’ll have to move on.’’

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The Pirates, a small-market team that can ill afford major blows like this, particularly to a man so valuable to their future, have no choice.

They know this stinks. Even when they get him back after 80 games until at least July 18, who knows if he’ll be the same player after sitting out for so long. He’s restricted to working out only at their Dominican Republic academy and Pirate City spring training facility in Florida without playing in games.

Even if the Pirates are able to hang on without him for the next three months, and reach the playoffs for the fourth time in five years, Marte won’t be eligible for the postseason.

“This is where organizational depth comes in,’’ Pirates GM Neal Huntington says, “and we’ll be tested. If we’re able to do what we think can do, and get through these 80 games, and be able to finish on a good run and make the playoffs, we’ll be OK.

“We are going to miss him for 80 games, no question about that, but this is a tremendous opportunity for various guys to step up, keep pushing forward, and battle through this, as we expect and believe this club will do.’’

Still, no one is going to fool anyone here. You’re talking about an All-Star center fielder and two-time Gold Glove winner who hit .311 last season, stole 47 bases, and was the first Pirates player to produce 40 steals and 30 doubles in a season since Barry Bonds in 1990.

They already were left with a gaping hole in their lineup with third baseman Jung Ho Kang still in South Korea battling visa problems while facing DWI charges, and now their two most productive hitters from last year are gone.

The Pirates called up Jose Osuna as a stop-gap until prized prospect Austin Meadows is ready, but he’s hitting just .162 at Class AAA Indianapolis. They will keep Gregory Polanco in left field, and use Adam Frazier for the majority of the time in right field.

If they choose, they could reach into the free agent market and grab Angel Pagan, but they likely will pass. Trades are off the table, Huntington said. So they will wait.

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“It’s an unfortunate circumstance,’’ Pirates ace Gerrit Cole said. “But we have a lot of games left. We have a lot of season left. It’s next man up.’’

While Pirates management quietly seethed with the news, no player publicly showed his contempt toward Marte. He’s a popular teammate, who has been with the organization for 10 years, and is tied up to a long-term contract potentially through 2021.

Marte tested positive in spring training, was awaiting results of an appeal, and his early performance reflected that of a man in limbo. He batted just .241 with a .288 on-base percentage, striking out a team-leading 17 times in 54 at-bats.

He could have left the team hotel early in the morning, sneaking out without saying a word, but after apologizing to manager Clint Hurdle and Huntington, he made a request. He asked to speak to the team. Hurdle cleared reporters from the clubhouse early in the afternoon, and for nearly 15 minutes, Marte talked to his teammates, tearfully apologized, and vowed to be back.

“When something like this happens, it’s a shock,’’ says Pirates infielder Josh Harrison. “It’s emotional. But it’s harder on him than us. It takes a lot of courage to step up. The easiest thing to do would be to hide behind closed doors and not want to be seen.’’

It’s unknown what Marte specifically told his teammates, but he informed the Pirates front office that it was simply a careless mistake, and issued a statement reflecting those sentiments to the media.

“Neglect and lack of knowledge have led me to this mistake,’’ Marte said in his statement, “with the high price to pay of being away from the field that I enjoy and love so much. With much embarrassment and helplessness, I ask for forgiveness for unintentionally disrespecting so many people who have trusted in my work and have supported me so much. I promise to learn the lesson that this ordeal has left me.’’

It’s hard to believe that Marte wasn’t aware what he was taking, considering that Nandrolone is classified as an anabolic steroid.

“We want to be respectful of Starling’s statement that he unknowingly …that he’s not sure how this substance got into his body,’’ Huntington says, “so we want to be respectful of that.’’

The Pirates are left with no choice.

All they know is that one man’s actions may have left a season in ruins before it really got started.

Gallery: Notable MLB suspensions

MLB rule changes cut mound visits in half; time of game dips slightly

BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees averaged 3 hours, 23 minutes a game during their first three-game series in 2018, complete with two brawls, a near no-hitter and two routs, and although the games lasted longer than Major League Baseball desires, the good news is that no one came close to violating its new rule.

Yep, mound visits.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred decided not to implement a pitch clock this year, but in exchange, got the player union’s approval to limit teams to six mound visits a game in the latest attempt to speed up the pace of play.

Two weeks into the season, the behavioral changes are drastic, even if it hasn't resulted in a huge change in pace of play.

Major league games are averaging 3.78 mound visits per game this season, down nearly half from 7.41 visits a year ago, according to MLB data.

Meanwhile, the average time of a nine-inning game has decreased to 3 hours, 1 minute, a tad quicker than last year's record 3:05 mark but still about 10 minutes too long for Manfred's desires.

The mound visit totals do not include pitching changes, but rather visits by coaches, managers and teammates that do not involve a new pitcher or pinch-hitter. Extra visits are allowed for extra innings, and any team that exceeds the limit will be forced to remove its pitcher.

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“I like it,’’ says Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who took over a team notorious for its constant kibitzes on the mound. “It forces people to be more button-up, and have the ability to communicate without necessarily having to go to the mound. We still encourage (catchers) Gary (Sanchez) and (Austin) Romine, even early in the game, not to be afraid of a visit. If there’s something significant early, go.

“In our first game here, we used four visits in the first five innings. Sometimes, you feel like you’re holding back, but we tell our guys that if it feels important enough, go. I think you’re seeing a real difference.’’

Yet, that feel-good sentiment certainly is not shared by every pitcher and catcher, saying there already have been repercussions.

Several home-plate umpires have been hit with errant pitches this season simply because of cross-ups in communication between the pitchers and catchers, including Wednesday night, when home-plate umpire Hunter Wendlestedt was hit around the face.

“That was a cross-up that probably doesn’t happen if you take a mound visit,’’ Red Sox starter David Price said. “I’ve seen that happen a number of times this year where a runner gets to second base, a pitcher or catcher forgets what sign you’re using, and the umpire gets hit. It puts more pressure on catchers just trying to remember all of the signs people are using.

“So, I think it’s going to be like the [ballpark] netting. It’s not going to change until one of those umpires get hurt. Once that happens, they’ll say, OK, let’s go to nine visits.’’

Red Sox manager Alex Cora also is wary about the increase in times pitchers and catchers may get crossed up going over signs with runners on base, saying it’s nearly impossible for catchers to retain all of the changes in revised sign systems.

“Oh yeah, you’re going to see it happen,’’ Cora said. “Everyone is so worried about stealing signs and whatever, and the systems are getting more complicated. Guys want to be so creative, and it backfires. You see the cross-ups at least once a week.’’

The biggest fear in game management, Boone and Cora say, is making sure their catchers aren’t afraid from going to the mound because of the limitations. If there’s a critical situation, or confusion, they’re encouraging their catchers not to worry about how many visits are left in the game.

“Sometimes, the catchers don’t want to go out there because we have only six,’’ Cora said. “I tell them, “Guys, if you have to go, just go.’ If it’s a game-changing thing, mechanics, or signs, you don’t want them to be cautious. I’ve told them if you don’t go out there and do what you’re supposed to do, and all of a sudden they hit the ball off the wall and score, it’s on you.’’

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Louisville Slugger losing grip as bat of choice

Ray Glier

Special for USA TODAY Sports

Iconic bat maker struggles amid crowded field and changing times

Marucci Bat Company%2C founded in 2002%2C challenges Slugger as top choice in majors

Players say bat choice all about feel and not brand name

ATLANTA -- The Louisville Slugger was the house bat of baseball for more than 100 years, as iconic a piece of hardware as there is in the history of the game. It has been whipped through the strike zone by Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron, among other immortals, but suddenly, surprisingly, the Slugger has lost some of its grip on the game.

Hillerich & Bradsby, the maker of the Louisville Slugger wood bat, has been losing major leaguers to other bat companies for several years and no longer is the undisputed king of swing. The Marucci Bat Company, created out of a backyard shed by LSU athletic trainer Jack Marucci in 2002, has emerged as Slugger's biggest rival in an increasingly crowded field of manufacturers.

Marucci says it's the No.1 bat when it comes to usage by major leaguers, a claim difficult to verify given the day-to-day fickleness of hitters and their bat selection. But Louisville Slugger does acknowledge it has lost significant ground to Marucci and others.

"It fluctuates every game," spokesman Rick Redman says when asked if Louisville Slugger is No.2 in use among major leaguers. "I think there are days when they're No.1 and there are days when we are No.1. It's neck and neck."

GALLERY: INSIDE LOUISVILLE SLUGGER

IT'S ALL ABOUT FEEL

Players are as protective of their bats as they are impulsive. If a certain model bat feels good, go with it until it runs out of line drives. And never say never when it comes to returning to an old favorite.

"The first bat I used in my career was a Louisville Slugger," San Francisco Giants outfielder Angel Pagan says. "They were the wood pioneers. They're widely respected in the major leagues. They have good wood and they treat us really well, but sometimes you may say, 'I want that bat in a Louisville Slugger model,' and they bring it to you and it's not the same, so you put it aside.

"There's a bunch of companies now, so you try them all and go with the bat that feels comfortable in your hands. If you have a weapon in your hands and you don't have the right feeling, you're not going to swing well."

When discussing their bat choices, players almost always talk about "feel," a rather nebulous description, and one that can be maddening for a bat maker.

Atlanta Braves rookie switch-hitter Joey Terdoslavich, for example, swings Marucci from the left side and Louisville Slugger from the right.

"There's nothing wrong with Louisville Slugger, it's all about feel," says Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy, who uses B45, a Canadian-manufactured bat. "Louisville makes birch bats, just like B45, but I just like the feel of the B45.

"I don't know why people are not using Louisville Slugger as much. Maybe it has to do with so many choices out there."

There are 32 companies licensed to make bats for major league and minor league players. That's up from 10 in 1993, according to Major League Baseball.

In a competitive environment, many players say a bat maker's responsiveness means something.

"I think the guys want to have the personalized product and the consistency and the quality," says Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista, a board member and investor in Marucci.

Bill Deane, a baseball historian who has done research for the Hall of Fame and the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) and was the editor of the encyclopedia Total Baseball, is as surprised as some players that Louisville Slugger is no longer dominant.

"I would think, for the last 100 years, Louisville has been No.1 and has been challenged by Spalding, Adirondack, among others, but those competitors came and went," Deane says. "Just from a superficial look, perhaps they could not keep up with the 21st century marketplace demands."

That is part of it. Hillerich & Bradsby is a 129-year old, family-owned company that also makes youth, amateur and softball bats, and as it lost market share in recent years, it has tried to adjust to increased competition and changes within the industry.

Although bats used by major leaguers are still manufactured at the company's revered home in downtown Louisville, it started to outsource work to China in 2006, and thousands of softball bats made there were recalled in 2013 because of issues with barrels separating from the handle, Redman says.

There was bad publicity and financial repercussions. Hillerich & Bradsby's banker, PNC Bank, raised interest rates on a line of credit, but H&B found more agreeable terms from Wells Fargo in August.

"We were forced to push and innovate," Redman says. "We needed to get better. We have been in the process the last 3-5 years of improving our major league wood and offering the same wood to retail customers."

TUG OF BAT WAR

Blue Jays first baseman Edwin Encarnacion was the beneficiary of the simmering bat war between Louisville Slugger and Marucci.

The nine-year veteran has used both bats, although he has relied mostly on Marucci in recent years. When he showed up to the All-Star Game at Citi Field in New York in July, he was greeted by a representative of Louisville Slugger offering to donate money or equipment to a charity of Encarnacion's choosing if he swung a Louisville Slugger bat in the game that would draw baseball's largest TV audience of the regular season.

Reed Dickens, a Marucci board member who raised the growth capital for Marucci and is in charge of brand building, is ready to take his hacks at Louisville Slugger over this practice.

"We have a huge amount of respect for Louisville Slugger, but they are manipulating the facts to pretend they are No.1, and they're not No.1," Dickens says. "Baseball would not be what it is without Louisville Slugger, that's a fact. They have made huge contributions, but the game has shifted, and the players expect a perfect bat and we deliver that."

Redman says a donation of equipment was made to Encarnacion's charity.

"As we have done for many years, we did reach out to Edwin to gauge his interest in swinging Louisville Slugger in the All-Star Game," Redman says.

"Edwin has swung our bats in the past. He agreed to swing our bat in exchange for Louisville Slugger making a charitable donation on his behalf. This is not anything new. This is a program we've done for decades, long before their company existed."

Encarnacion, on the disabled list, returned to his home in the Dominican Republic before the Blue Jays' season ended and could not be reached for comment. His agent did not return calls or e-mail requesting an interview.

Marucci held a party in New York during the All-Star break to trumpet its milestone of passing Louisville Slugger. Hillerich & Bradsby, meanwhile, sent out a press release, which said, "The Official Bat of Major League Baseball is still being manufactured in Louisville, Ky., and despite what competition has recently said, Louisville Slugger is still the #1 choice among the best players in the game."

Says Dickens: "We can get into arguments all day about how to count numbers, but the crux of this story is that we have never paid a player and they do pay players. You are talking two different philosophies. From five years ago to today, we have taken half their market share without paying a player."

For years, Louisville Slugger was accused of shuffling its lesser quality wood to players who are not stars, but Erik Kratz, a catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, says he can pop open a box of six Sluggers and get six good bats.

So how much does he get paid to swing the Slugger? Kratz's eyes open wide.

"If you find out they pay everybody else, come back and see me," he says. "I'm not getting paid."

As for the players, you won't get some of them in the middle of the war.

"I swing both bats, and I will swing Tucci," Cleveland Indians first baseman Nick Swisher says. "It all depends on the feel that day, that game. The guys in here don't care who is No.1. Our goal is to get the hardest wood out there to take up to the plate."

Contributing: Jorge L. Ortiz in San Francisco

Nightengale's Notebook: Will Hall of Fame stage be empty next year ...

NEW YORK — If it wasn’t for the pandemic that wiped out last year’s Hall of Fame ceremony, we would have had an empty stage this past week with no one being inducted into Cooperstown.

Remember, there wasn’t a soul elected this past January, with Derek Jeter, Larry Walker, Ted Simmons and the late Marvin Miller actually elected a year ago.

So the question everyone in Cooperstown wants to know is whether the Baseball Writers' Association of America will be pitching consecutive shutouts for the first time in Hall of Fame history.

You don’t think it can happen?

Go ahead, and take a hard look at the incoming ballot of newcomers:

Curt Schilling narrowly misses election to Baseball Hall of Fame

Associated Press

NEW YORK – The baseball Hall of Fame won’t have any new players in the class of 2021 after voters decided no one had the merits – on-the-field or off – for enshrinement in Cooperstown on this year’s ballot.

Curt Schilling, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens were the closest in voting by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America released Tuesday, and the trio will have one more chance at election next year. It’s the first time the BBWAA didn’t choose anyone since 2013.

Schilling, a right-handed ace who won three World Series titles, finished 16 votes short of the 75% threshold necessary for enshrinement. He got 71.1% percent this time after coming up 20 votes shy at 70% last year.

Schilling’s on-field accomplishments face little dispute, but he has ostracized himself in retirement by directing hateful remarks toward Muslims, transgender people, journalists and others.

“It’s all right, the game doesn’t owe me anything,” Schilling said during a live video stream on his Twitter account.

He later wrote on Facebook that he has asked the Hall of Fame to remove his name from next year’s ballot. Hall of Fame Board Chairman Janes Forbe Clark said in a statement that the board “will consider the request at our next meeting.”

MORE:Curt Schilling says he would represent Diamondbacks, not Red Sox, in Baseball Hall of Fame

MORE:Curt Schilling slams writers after missing out on Hall of Fame: 'Morally bankrupt frauds'

MORE:Your take: Curt Schilling's Capitol rioters comments should keep him out of Hall of Fame

Bonds (61.8%) and Clemens (61.6%) made minimal gains and joined Schilling in falling short on their ninth tries. Both face suspicions of performance-enhancing drug use – Clemens has denied using PEDs and Bonds has denied knowingly using PEDs.

Bonds also has been accused of domestic violence and Clemens of maintaining a decade-long relationship with a singer who was 15 when they met.

Schilling, Clemens and Bonds will be joined on next year’s ballot by sluggers Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz. Rodriguez was suspended for all of the 2014 season for violating MLB’s PED policy and collective bargaining agreement, and Ortiz’s name allegedly appeared on a list of players who tested positive in 2003.

Omar Vizquel, an 11-time Gold Glove winner, dropped from 52.6% last year to 49.1% after his wife accused him of repeated domestic abuses in December. Braves star Andruw Jones, arrested in 2012 on a domestic violence charge, got 33.9% in his fourth year. Rockies slugger Todd Helton, who pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and was sentenced to two days in jail last year, got 44.9% in his third time on the ballot.

Some players missed out over old-fashioned baseball disagreements, too. Slick-fielding third baseman Scott Rolen moved from 35.3% to 52.9% and hard-throwing closer Billy Wagner from 31.7% to 46.4%.

It’s the 19th time the BBWAA has failed to elect a Hall member and just the third time since 1971. With the Hall of Fame’s Era Committees postponing their scheduled elections until next offseason because of the pandemic, there won’t be a new Hall class for the first time since 1960.

MORE:Curt Schilling tweets support for U.S. Capitol rioters: 'A confrontation that matters'

Cooperstown won’t be without celebration next summer, though. After the 2020 ceremony in the upstate New York village was canceled due to the pandemic, Yankees great Derek Jeter and five-tool star Larry Walker will take center stage on July 25, a year later than planned. They’ll be honored alongside catcher Ted Simmons and late players’ association chief Marvin Miller.

BBWAA members are instructed to elect Hall members “based upon the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.”

At a time when social justice movements are pushing for a broader reckoning on sexual misconduct and racial inequality, character evaluation took on an outsized role in this election cycle. While the Hall’s inductees already include racists, cheaters, philanderers and criminals, the current voting bloc has – narrowly, in many cases – taken a stand against candidates they think have insufficient integrity.

A record 14 voters sent blank ballots, topping the 12 sent in 2006.

Schilling – a six-time All-Star over 20 seasons with Baltimore, Houston, Philadelphia, Arizona and Boston – has been embroiled in controversy throughout his retirement.

He launched a video game company, 38 Studios, that went bankrupt shortly after receiving a $75 million loan guarantee from Rhode Island, then was fired as an ESPN analyst after he sent a tweet comparing Muslim extremists to Nazi-era Germans and posted a derogatory Facebook comment about transgender people.

Months later, Schilling was again criticized after using social media to applaud a T-shirt calling for journalists to be lynched.

On Jan. 6, the day of the attack on the U.S. Capitol, he said the following in a message on his Twitter account:

“You cowards sat on your hands, did nothing while liberal trash looted rioted and burned for air Jordan’s and big screens, sit back …. and watch folks start a confrontation for (expletive) that matters like rights, democracy and the end of govt corruption.”

That tweet was sent a few days after Hall of Fame ballots were due.

MORE:Curt Schilling seems headed for Hall of Fame election, but does he deserve it?

Schilling wrote on Facebook that he would like the veterans committee to review his Hall case. That panel – comprised of former players, managers and others in the game, along with some writers – is tasked with evaluating players who don’t get election via the BBWAA vote.

“I’ll defer to the veterans committee and men whose opinions actually matter and who are in a position to actually judge a player,” Schilling wrote. “I don’t think I’m a hall of famer as I’ve often stated but if former players think I am then I’ll accept that with honor.

“In my heart I am at peace,” he also wrote. “Nothing, zero, none of the claims being made by any of the writers hold merit.”

Bonds’ ex-wife testified in 1995 during divorce proceedings that he beat and kicked her. Bonds said he never physically abused her but once kicked her after she kicked him.

In 2008, the New York Daily News reported that Clemens had a decade-long relationship with country singer Mindy McCready that began when she was 15 and he was a star for the Boston Red Sox. Clemens apologized for unspecified mistakes in his personal life and denied having an affair with a 15-year-old. McCready later told “Inside Edition” she met Clemens when she was 16 and that the relationship didn’t turn sexual until several years later.

The BBWAA recently voted overwhelmingly to remove the name and imprint of former Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis from MVP plaques. Landis became commissioner in 1920, and there were no Black players in the majors during his more than two decades in charge.

Further down the ballot, outfielder Gary Sheffield jumped from 30.5% to 40.6% on his seventh time on the ballot and Jeff Kent improved from 27.5% to 32.4% in his eighth year.

The 2022 ballot also will include Phillies stars Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard, switch-hitting slugger Mark Teixeira and two-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum.

MORE:Arizona Diamondbacks face dilemma if Curt Schilling makes Baseball Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame countdown: Gary Sheffield has credentials, but strikes ...

USA TODAY Sports is counting down the top 24 candidates on the 2018 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot in advance of the Jan. 24 election results. The countdown is based on voting by our power rankings panel, which includes five Hall voters.

No. 12: Gary Sheffield

He debuted before Wrigley Field even had lights, slugged his way through - and then became a part of - the so-called steroid era and finished with a home-run total that once guaranteed Hall of Fame induction.

Now, Sheffield's candidacy resides in a purgatory of sorts as it hits its fourth year, with demerits from both schools of voters.

The new-age voter will ding him for allegedly being a "compiler," that he was a well-below average defender and that he may skew closer to Jim Edmonds than Edgar Martinez among borderline candidates.

And a significant amount of old-school voters will avoid checking his box due to his relatively iron-clad connection to performance-enhancing drugs: Grand jury testimony that, through his connection with Barry Bonds, he unknowingly used BALCO's "cream" and "clear."

The case for: All that said, Sheffield checks an awful lot of boxes. He slugged 509 home runs, had a career .292 batting average and .907 OPS (equaling Ken Griffey Jr.) and received MVP support in seven seasons, finishing third twice and runner-up in 2004.

He made his major league debut at 19, barely two years after the Milwaukee Brewers drafted him out of the same Tampa high school that produced his uncle, Dwight Gooden. By 23, he was a batting champion and an All-Star, and at 27 had a career year for the Florida Marlins befitting a Cooperstown inductee, slamming 42 home runs and leading the National League in on-base percentage (.465), OPS (1.090) and OPS-plus (189).

The countdown

In a testament to his skill set, Sheffield debuted as a shortstop, spent six years as a third baseman and 16 more as an outfielder.

That he played for eight teams might be considered a negative, but his value was always strong: Sheffield was the centerpiece of deals that sent future/likely Hall of Famers Mike Piazza and Trevor Hoffman back to his old team.

The case against: Sheffield occasionally exited on contentious notes, most notably when he clashed with Milwaukee Brewers management, leading to a 1992 trade to the San Diego Padres. While his versatility was a plus, he was never known as a great fielder and in 1993 led NL third basemen with 34 errors. Seven years later, his 10 errors led all NL left fielders; every advanced metric rates him a below-average fielder over the course of his career.

Sheffield spent a portion of the winter before the 2002 season working out with Barry Bonds, who Sheffield said provided him with a cream for a bad knee. Only later, Sheffield claims, did he realize they were banned substances from BALCO and not, as he testified, "like you could go to a store and find something like that."

Sheffield's production actually dipped that season - to 25 home runs from 36 - and he severed ties with Bonds after things got weird between them. However, from 2003-2005, in his age 34-36 seasons, Sheffield enjoyed three of his most productive years, averaging 36 homers, 125 RBI and a .947 OPS.

While it's more challenging to contextualize Sheffield's late-career exploits compared to Bonds and other PED users, his BALCO testimony is more than enough to scare off anti-PED absolutists within the voting bloc.

X-factors: There's no metric for "most feared hitter of his era," but Sheffield would finish near the top of any such list over two decades. Sheffield won a World Series championship with the Florida Marlins, and while 1997 wasn't one of his greatest seasons in Miami Gardens, he did perform capably in all three of the Marlins' postseason series.

And the man could hit anytime, anywhere, any league. He finished third in NL MVP voting for the 2003 Atlanta Braves, hitting 39 homers and driving in 132 runs.

A year later, he switched leagues and joined Alex Rodriguez on perhaps the most star-studded team in baseball history - the 2004 New York Yankees - and nearly won the AL MVP, slamming 36 homers and posting a .927 OPS. He was runner-up to Vladimir Guerrero.

Consensus: Sheffield enjoyed a small bump in voting last season, to a three-year high of 13.3%. But it's clear a climb to 75% is likely futile. He's polling 40 points behind Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, who are similarly linked to PEDs, and even further behind slugging contemporaries like Edgar Martinez. Sheffield should make it to the end of his 10-year ballot run, but will likely never top 50% - let alone the 75% he'd need for induction.

GALLERY: 2018 Hall of Fame candidates

Why Al Kaline's HOF induction highlights Detroit Tigers struggles

Gene Myers

Special to the Detroit Free Press

As a longtime member of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, Gene Myers has one of the roughly 400 ballots that will determine the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2021. Myers retired in late 2015 after nearly a quarter-century as sports editor of the Detroit Free Press. His BBWAA ballot was due Dec. 31; the election results will be announced Tuesday. Players must appear on 75% of the ballots to be elected. The Free Press, as it does each year, asked Myers to comment on his ballot.