swing and a miss

One of the most intriguing numbers in today’s Hall of Fame voting was 11. That’s the percentage of the writers’ vote that Rafael Palmeiro received. The former Mississippi State star had 3,000 hits and 500 homers. But he was snubbed by 89 percent of the voters in his first time on the ballot. Intriguing, yes, but not a big shock. The enduring image of Palmeiro, unfortunately for him, is that finger-wagging episode in front of Congress. When he subsequently flunked a drug test, his Hall cred was severely damaged. He’ll most likely never get in. … And apparently Dave Parker won’t either. The Calhoun City native, in his 15th and final year on the ballot, got 15.3 percent of the vote, falling far short of election. No Mississippi native has been elected to the Hall by the writers. Parker was one of the state’s best hopes.