The "Doomsday Generation"

In a generation that has yet to be defined, I believe I have a suggestion. The "Doomsday Generation." In the 1940s there was the "Greatest Generation" and in the 1960s you have the "Flower Power Generation", but the current generation is a lot more gloomier...and they like it.

In a Reuters poll, 15 percent of people worldwide, believe that the world will end in their lifetime. In a separate Newsweek poll, up to 71 percent of Evangelical Protestants believe the world will end in their lifetime. Out of that 71 percent, 28 percent are "looking forward" to the end of time.

Nearly one in four people who identified themselves with a religion, are happy because they believe the world will end while they are alive. Why? Presumably, many of these people have kids and grandkids. Don't they want their relatives to enjoy a full life? It's one thing to believe in a glorious afterlife, but why rush it?

In another Newsweek poll, in the November 1st issue, 47 percent of people who believe in the  Armageddon prophecy from The Bible, believe that the Anti-Christ is already walking this planet and is setting his plans in motion.

Large majorities of believers in the second coming of Christ believe that current events such as natural disasters (83 percent), epidemics like AIDS and Ebola (66 percent) and outbreaks of violence like shootings (62 percent), are a sign that it will happen soon.

This doesn't even count the people out there that believe in a more science-based ending to humanity and/or our planet. This demographic believes that the world will end via climate change, nuclear weapons, asteroid, or disease/famine.

In the past 15 years alone, there have been two major dates that passed, that were believed to be the end of the world. Y2K was supposed to be the end of the world because many people believed computers would reset themselves to 1900, instead of 2000. One in five people actually believed that Y2K would produce at least some tragic accident.

For those that are into the Mayans, they believed that on December 21, 2012, that the planets would align, ripping the planet apart, or that an asteroid would connect with Earth and send us into the fourteenth b'ak'tun . The day passed just as any other would, and some people were actually depressed that nothing major occurred.

Even the head of one of America's largest churches, John Hagee of the Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, which has 20,000 followers, announced that he believed that the world would end in 2005 when Islamic and Russian states invade Israel and be destroyed by God. This would allow the head of the European Union, who he believed to be the Anti-Christ, to create further confrontation over Israel, between China and the West.

It just seems absurd that people of this generation, seem to welcome some sort of end to our world. Has this generation become so jaded, that they don't care about the future of humanity, let alone the future of their own family? Whether it's simple curiosity or some sort of dislike for one's fellow man, there are too many people out there, literally hoping for the worst.

This is why I term this generation, "The Doomsday Generation." Even with all the advancements in culture, science, and human relations, people are more negative than ever. Instead of looking for ways to end the world and even encourage it, people should be finding ways to preserve it and even preserve the human race.

15 Artists/Groups That Have Been Snubbed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

With the recent announcement of the latest inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, there leaves a long list of music artists and groups that have been snubbed. The 2015 inductees include Green Day, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and Bill Withers. To be voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a music group or artist had to released their first album 25 years prior to nomination.

Here's a )))))))) groups/artists that have been snubbed, despite having waited the appropriate 25 years.

1. Nine Inch Nails: Having released Pretty Hate Machine in 1989, this Cleveland band's first album had four hit songs. Head Like a Hole, Sin, Something I Can Never Have, and Down in It. Since then the industrial metal band has poured out more hits that most bands will ever have in a lifetime. Other hits include Closer, The Perfect Drug, The Hand That Feeds, and Only.

Singer and writer Trent Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails (pictured above) and has been at odds with the corporate music world for years. He formed his own record label called Nothing Records in 1992, to release his own music without the interference of a major label telling him what he could and could not do. Under Nothing Records, he not only released the Nine Inch Nails albums, but also fellow industrial metal artist, Marilyn Manson. Nothing Records became defunct in 2004, but Reznor then formed Null Corporation in 2008 to release more Nine Inch Nails albums.

Reznor and Nine Inch Nails have not always been a favorite of the music industry. After giving away flash drives containing his music, for free at select concerts, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) sent cease and desist notices out to the fans who spread the music on the internet, despite the permission of the band and label. Reznor also found himself in a battle with Fox News, when on multiple occasions, they used Nine Inch Nails music on their programming, despite being told they weren't allowed to use any of Reznor's music.

2. Bon Jovi: The second biggest New Jersey rock act behind Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi released their first album in 1984. They have been snubbed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the past five years.

With hits such as Livin' On a Prayer, In and Out of Love, Wanted Dead or Alive, and It's My Life, Bon Jovi has racked up a total of 100 million-plus record sales world-wide. Members Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora were elected to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2009, but as a band, have yet to reach that distinction. The pop/rock group has been nominated for nine Grammy awards total.

3. The Cure: The English Goth-emo band has been snubbed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for over a decade now. Releasing their first album in 1979, it wasn't until 1982, when The Cure released Pornography, that they finally started to gain momentum. Pornography was listed number 83 out of the top 100 "albums that changed the world" by Mojo Magazine.

Later on, they released some of the biggest hits of the '80s and '90s, including Boys Don't Cry, Just Like Heaven, Lovesong, Pictures of You, and Friday I'm in Love.

The Cure was one of the first alternative rock bands to chart, before alternative rock went mainstream. With the amount of hits they cranked out, they are still one of the best selling alternative rock bands of all-time.

4. Depeche Mode: The English electronic rock band first released Speak & Spell in 1981, which contained hit single Just Can't Get Enough. For the past eight years of eligibility, they have yet to even been nominated. Having sold over 100 million albums, they are one of the best selling rock bands in history.

Depeche Mode hits include Never Let Me Down Again, Personal Jesus, Enjoy the Silence, Policy of Truth, and Precious. They have been nominated for five Grammy awards and have released 53 singles that have charted on US and/or UK music charts. Q Magazine listed them as one of the top 50 bands "that changed the world."

Despite their success, that still continues 'til this day, Depeche Mode has received no love from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

5. Ozzy Osbourne: Formerly the lead singer of Black Sabbath, the band that laid the foundation for heavy metal, Ozzy has never been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, despite having success in his solo years. Since leaving the hall of fame band in 1979, Ozzy recorded 11 studio albums that resulted in 34 singles.

Hits of Osbourne's include Crazy Train, Mr. Crowley, Bark at the Moon, Mama I'm Coming Home, and I Don't Wanna Stop. The Grammy award winning solo artist has earned the nickname "Godfather of Heavy Metal."

Despite his success, Ozzy will be forever known for his antics including biting the head off a dove after signing a record deal and biting the head off a bat on stage. He also has been accused by various Christian groups for promoting Satanism through his music, despite the fact that he's a practicing member of the Church of England.

6. Steve Miller Band: Forming in San Francisco in 1968, the acid-rock band has released 30 singles from their 18 studio albums. Their album Steve Miller Band's Greatest Hits 1974-1978 sold 13 million copies alone.

Steve Miller Band hits include The Joker, Rock'n Me, Fly Like an Eagle, and Jungle Love.

Despite their success, they have yet to be nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame despite being eligible for the past 21 years.

7. Deep Purple: Despite being eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the past 21 years and selling over 100 million albums worldwide, the band has only been nominated twice.

In 1975, Deep Purple was listed in The Guinness Book of World Records for being "the globe's loudest band" for a concert they played in 1972. They have been credited as one of the pioneers of hard rock and heavy metal along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath.

Deep Purple hits include Hush, Smoke on the Water, and Kentucky Woman.

One of the two years they were nominated, they were second place in the fan vote, with over a half of million votes. Various members of other legendary rock bands including Slash, Lars Ulrich, Geddy Lee, Gene Simmons, and Steve Lukhather have all lobbied unsuccessfully on behalf of Deep Purple.

8. Dick Dale: Achievements such as the hall of fame status, should have been a "no brainer," but 27 years after his being eligible, Dick Dale has yet to even have been nominated. The "King of Surfer Rock" was born out of Boston and comes from Lebanese descent.

The lefty guitarist, was known to string his guitar upside-down and has played with his original reverb and Showman amps since 1960.

His song Misirlou is one of the most famous rock songs in history. Let's Go Trippin' is often regarded by music experts as the first official surf rock song in history.

9. Duran Duran: Since 1981, the English new-wave band led the "second British invasion" and have sold over 100 million albums world-wide. They have won two Grammy awards and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the MTV Video Music Awards.

One of the lead bands to fully grasp the potential of the music video, Duran Duran filmed videos at exotic locations such as Antigua and Sri Lanka. They even had future movie director Russell Mulcahy shoot their videos for them.

Duran Duran hits include blockbusters such as Girls on Film, Hungry Like a Wolf, Rio, and The Reflex. In total, they released 39 singles and sold over 70 million albums. Despite their success, they have been eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 8 years, but have yet to be nominated.

10. Soundgarden: Forming in Seattle in 1984 and releasing their first album in 1988, Soundgarden became one of the giants to form the grunge rock movement along with Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Alice in Chains.

Their album Superunknown produced five hit singles, 2 Grammy's, and a "Best Metal/Hard Rock Video" for Black Hole Sun at the MTV Video Awards. Superunknown debuted number one on the Billboard 200 album chart and has been certified five times platinum.

Soundgarden hits include Black Hole Sun, Spoonman, Burden in my Hand, Blow Up the Outside World, and Live to Rise.

They have been nominated eight times total for a Grammy and their involvement with Sub Pop Records, is what inspired Kurt Cobain to convince Nirvana to sign with the legendary grunge label.

11. Dolly Parton: The country pop artist has been recording since 1959 and has released 106 singles over the years. Despite being in the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, she has yet to have been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Parton's hits include Jolene, I Will Always Love You, 9 to 5, and Islands in the Stream.

She has earned eight Grammy's out of 46 nominations. Parton has had 25 RIAA certified gold and/or platinum albums, 25 songs that landed the number one spot in the Country Billboard charts (record for a female artist), 41 top 10 country albums, and over 100 million albums sold.

A multi-faceted performer, she has translated her music career into a stage, film, and a philanthropic career as well.

12. Dire Straits: The blues rock band from England, that released their first album in 1978, has been eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the past 11 years, but has yet to receive a nomination.

Their hit Sultans of Swing is a song that can be heard in any baseball stadium across America before and during games.

Brothers in Arms sold over 30 million albums alone and was the very first CD to sell over a million copies. They are one of the world's most commercially successful bands, with over 120 million albums sold.

Dire Straits' hits include Sultans of Swing, Money for Nothing, Walk of Life, Lady Writer, and So Far Away.

Over the years, they have won four Grammy's and have been nominated 9 times total.

13. Jan and Dean: Pioneers in the surf rock craze, over an eight-year period they released 26 hit singles. In collaboration with the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson they released hits such as Surf City and The Little Old Lady From Pasadena.

They have been eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the past 29 years, but have yet to receive one nomination. Despite this, they were elected to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008.

14. The B-52's: Releasing their first album in 1979, the B-52's ushered in the new wave scene into the mainstream. Their "guys vs. gals" vocals and the "call and response" style of music, has been a trademark of theirs over the years.

Their hits include Rock Lobster, Funplex, Love Shack, Roam, and Private Idaho.

15. Massive Attack: The first trip hop group to go mainstream, Massive Attack has two albums that are listed on Rolling Stone Magazine's "500 Greatest Albums of All-Time."

Eligible for their first nomination this year, Massive Attack was unable to gain a nomination for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Massive Attack hits include Unfinished Sympathy, Protection, Angel, Inertia Creeps, and Teardrop, which served as the theme song for the hit TV show House.

Without Massive Attack, artists/groups such as Portishead, Tricky, and the Sneaker Pimps would have had a harder time making it to the mainstream.

3 TV Characters That Deserved Their Own Spinoff

Throughout television history, there have been characters that captured the TV viewers attention. Most of the time this is the starring character, but occasionally a supporting character steals the show. Sometimes these characters develop into the starring character, such as Jaleel White's Urkel on Family Matters. Sometimes these characters get a spinoff of their own, such as Frasier from Cheers.

During shows with longer runs, many of the supporting characters are so well written and gain such a following of their own, they deserve their own show.

Here is a list of five characters that deserve their own show...

1. Willow Rosenberg: The quirky sidekick to Buffy in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Willow developed into a major player in the final seasons. She learned witchcraft and within several seasons, became one of the most powerful people on the planet--especially when she was angry. Any doubt to how powerful she could be, was erased after her girlfriend, Tara, was murdered. She even brought Buffy back to life after she died during the final battle against Glory.

Willow also appeared in several episodes of the Buffy spinoff, Angel. And why not? She was powerful enough to restore Angel's soul into his body, making him the only vampire with a soul--for a while. She was a likeable character, but also showed hints of kicking ass and even hints of having a dark side. When she met her alternate universe self, her evil alternate who happened to be a vampire, was turned on by seeing the good version of her self.

Surviving the fall of Sunnydale, she could foreseeably have a continuing storyline. While she has one in comic book form, a television version would have made Buffy fans excited. Unfortunately with the success of How I Met Your Mother, Alyson Hannigan would probably never reprise her role as Willow.

2. Worf: The lone Klingon serving in the Federation, Worf went from the lowest ranked member on the bridge of Star Trek: The Next Generation to a lieutenant who was head of security on the Enterprise-D, to lieutenant commander on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine to Federation ambassador on the Klingon home world.

Worf's story continued in the pocket books, when he eventually replaced William Riker as commander on the Enterprise-E. There was a motion to film another generation of Star Trek on television, with Worf as the captain of his own ship, but this apparently has been delayed or killed off.

A spinoff with Worf as a captain could have been captivating. It could have been the first Star Trek universe show or movie that centered around a Klingon ship. Not only would this have given Worf more of a backstory that has been developed so well through two Star Trek series, but clever writers could have added more to the backstory to the Klingon race.

3. Jack Bristow: Now you're probably flashing back to the Alias episode when Jack died. Jack had years of experience as a covert agent of the CIA and infiltrating the crime syndicate, SD-6. In his years before the Alias storyline, he had partnered with former CIA agent Arvin Sloane to run SD-6, married a Russian spy named Irina, and did this all under the cover of a airplane parts supplier, during the Cold War era.

There's a lot of possible storylines that can be featured in a prequel series. Fans of the Alias series would even get a kick out of seeing how a young Arvin Sloane turns evil, a young Irina Derevko seduce Jack, and how a young Sydney Bristow grows up.

Sony Pictures Lacks Backbone in Pulling 'The Interview'

Setting a dangerous precedent, Sony Pictures The Interview from movie theaters, in fear of retaliation from the North Korean government. The Seth Rogen and James Franco movie, features a possible CIA assassination attempt on North Korea's Kim Jong Un.

Michael Lynton, CEO to Sony Pictures, backed out in fear of terrorist actions by North Korea or further by their ominous Unit 121, a cyber hacking unit that operates in North Korea or in cities within the borders of China, but near North Korea. Lynton blamed movie theater chains for backing out of showing the movie.

The problem with that is, that there are movie theater chains, including independent ones that are still publicly saying they are willing to show the movie.

Even if all movie theaters backed out, Sony Pictures would still have avenues to distribute the film, but at this point, have ruled them all out as well. While they wouldn't recuperate all their costs in making the film, they could still recuperate some of their $44 million costs by releasing the film on video-on-demand.

If they are scared that terrorist attacks could happen in individual theaters, let movie spectators view the movie in the safety of their own homes. North Korea can't attack every home in America.

The movie was originally slated for a Christmas release date. Imagine all those families that join together over the holidays, watching the movie at home for $10, which is a steal of a discount for the movie spectators and still a way to lessen Sony Pictures' loses.

"To date, we don't have any takers — neither on the video demand side nor on the e-commerce side," said Lynton. "People have been generally fearful about the possibility of their systems being corrupted, and so there have been a lot of conversations about the robustness of various systems to be able to make sure they're not hacked, if and when we put the movie out digitally."

This is another falsehood by the Sony Pictures CEO. While a small percentage may side with him on this, many more people don't. They want to see the film.

It was even suggested that The Interview be shown on Sony PlayStation systems, which can stream movies. Lynton backed out of this as well, saying he believes that if the movie were to be released, it would have to be on a wider scale.

Sony finally announced today, that they plan to distribute the movie on Crackle, a streaming service that they own. Unfortunately for many moviegoers, this limits the possible audience that can see it. Crackle is the fourth most watched streaming service in America, behind Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime.

Hacker group, Guardians of Peace, released a follow-up threat to Sony Pictures, stating, "Now we want you never let the movie released, distributed or leaked in any form of, for instance, DVD or piracy." They continued to say, "And we want everything related to the movie, including its trailers, as well as its full version down from any website hosting them immediately."

While lacking in grammatical skills, the threat still has Sony Pictures shaking in their boots.

The situation even garnered attention from the American government and President Barack Obama called Sony Pictures' standpoint, a mistake. President Obama said that Sony could have contacted the U.S. government and found a way to distribute the movie, not letting a foreign dictator determine whether a movie comes out or not in America.

It sets a dangerous precedent said Obama. He's right. If movie studios are so willing to back out, other dictators or even terrorist organizations such as ISIS could possibly follow a similar route now, when a movie or even a documentary is slated for release, that they don't approve of.

Unfortunately, Sony Pictures is not the only movie studio to bow down in fear of the North Korean government. Paramount Pictures, which screens their film Team America: World Police in individual venues because of the movie's cult following, has pulled the plug on the movie being shown.

Team America: World Police features an American paramilitary unit going in to assassinate then North Korea leader, Kim Jong Il, father to Kim Jong Un. Starring a cast made of marionette puppets, the movie was to be shown at the famous Alamo Drafthouse. Paramount Pictures followed Sony Pictures lead and pulled the plug.

When these movies were originally green-lit, the studios had to been aware that the movie could anger the North Korean government. To claim different, is either a blatant lie or the lack of backbone at the last second.

Falling under the radar is the fact that pulling The Interview from theaters, has cost Seth Rogen millions of dollars for writing, directing, producing, and starring in the movie. Despite having the opportunity to sue Sony Pictures with just cause, Rogen announced he'll refrain from doing so.

So what's next? Al-Qaeda forcing Sony Pictures Home Entertainment to pull DVD sales of Zero Dark Thirty? What about Warner Bros. being threatened by Iran for the hit movie, Argo? Setting a dangerous precedent, Sony Pictures has now opened the flood doors for other studios to also be attacked.

8 Characters in Movies/TV That Never Should Have Been Created

Many times when screenwriters work on their scripts, they have an idea who the popular characters will be. Sometimes though, a pleasant surprise takes place and a character they wrote will gather a fan base.

Initially Kevin Smith never meant for Jay and Silent Bob to be as popular as they became. In cases such as this, some of these characters could be absurd in nature and utterly ridiculous. I submit to you, the top 10 characters that are popular in movies or TV, but for no real reason, should have become the pop icon that they became...

1. Towelie: Perhaps the most absurd character ever created on TV, Towelie was purposely created my Matt Stone and Trey Parker to be the worst character ever created. In brainstorming for "horrible" ideas, they came up with a talking towel that continually asks people, including the kids of Southpark, "don't forget to bring a towel." No real depth to the character. No real motivation other than getting high. Yet, thanks to a faux commercial in between the commercial breaks, when the episode debuted, Towelie's popularity soared.

Parker and Stone were increasingly aware of how their characters were being merchandised by Comedy Central and intended to design Towelie purposely as a two-dimensional character, both literally and figuratively, to poke fun at this.

Even Towelie was aware of his own lackluster quality. In the end of the episode he debuted, even Cartman said to Towelie, "You're the worst character ever, Towelie." Towelie then responded, "I know."

2. R2-D2: The popular droid from Star Wars is essentially a robot that rolls on three wheels and beeps, boops, and whistles. No communication skills that the audience can really understand, beyond the screaming sound in an action scene, R2-D2 provides no real depth as a character. Essentially he is a white trashcan that exists because he is possibly the only character that could deal with C-3PO.

3. Poochie: A character of a show within a show, Poochie was a skateboarding riding dog seen on The Simpsons. His character was sort of a comment on how marketing departments of television and film, create characters not for entertainment value, but for monetary value. His character was added to the Itchy & Scratchy show because the producers thought the cartoon was getting stale. Unfortunately for Homer Simpson, Poochie was killed off.

4. Aubrey Flemming-Dakota Moss: From the horribly rated movie I Know Who Killed Me, Lindsey Lohan played both twins, that have no idea that each other exists. After the "good one" (Aubrey) is abducted and tortured, the "bad one" (Dakota), ends up setting aside her stripping career (and apparently her emotions) to avenge the abduction and what might be the death of her identical twin that she had no idea existed. In the end Dakota saves Aubrey from a death of being buried alive.

5. The Great Gazoo: A little green alien from The Flintstones, that is banished from his home planet of Zetox, he is sent back into time and to Earth, but only Fred, Barney, the kids, and animals can see him. Despite being smart enough to apparently invent the first device that can destroy the universe, he seems to get Fred into trouble constantly, when he tries to help out his stone-age friend. He constantly refers to his prehistoric friends as "dum-dums". Despite his wishes to return home, he never does...because "The Flintstones" was cancelled before his story-arc was ever wrapped up.

6. Dawson Leery: Other than the obvious whiny attitude he has, the Dawson's Creek star is constantly in what I call a "Betty and Veronica" syndrome. He constantly bounces back and forth in relationships between Joey Potter, the brunette, and Jen Lindley, the blonde. Despite having two girls that would at times appear to cut off their right arm to be with him, he swims through his teenage and early adult years, stuck in what can only be the physical embodiment of a Smiths song...emo and always contemplating whether the grass is greener on the other side. Even when he's not bouncing back and forth between the two girls, he manages to snag and sleep with his best bud's older sister (Gretchen Witter), find another blonde girl who is willing to get down and dirty (Eve), and in his adult years he finds another girl who is an aspiring actress that is even willing to role play with him. Yet he is never happy. Plus we all know it really should be called "Joey's Creek" since everyone seems to end up wanting to hook up with her.

7. Seven: The newest member of the Bundy clan in Married With Children, during season seven, he was the son of Zemus and Ida Mae Wanker, Peggy's cousins. After being ditched by his parents, he is semi-adopted by the Bundy family for seven episodes, before mysteriously disappearing from the show, without any explanation. Fans of the show hated the character and some guessed that he only appeared as an answer to Peg Bundy's mysterious pregnancy that also never happened (actress Katey Sagal was pregnant in real life and it was written into the show, but she after an emergency cesarean, delivered a still-born daughter).

8. Disco Stu: The one-dimensional of The Simpsons, who serves little purpose on the show than to be annoying. The only depth to his personal storyline is that he is one of Selma Bouvier's many husbands.

My 2015 Hall of Fame Ballot, if I Had One

Photo Credit: Keith Allison, Wikipedia via Flickr

A week ago, the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) announced which retired baseball players would be placed on the 2015 ballot for the Hall of Fame vote. A total of 34 players were included on the ballot, including 17 first-year eligible players.

Like any given year, a writer can vote for up to 10 players on their ballot and in any other year, this would have been more than enough. The last few years have been the exception though. A large amount of players with hall of fame credentials are eligible and some may end up finding themselves pushed back another year. With only 10 years of eligibility to be voted into the hall, some of these players may even have to wait until they are eligible to be voted in by the Expansion Era Committee.

So I give you the 10 players I would vote for, if I had a ballot....

1. Roger Clemens: In an era of the homerun, Roger Clemens put up numbers that many pitchers in the Dead-Ball Era would have loved to have. Putting up 354 wins (ninth all-time), a career 3.12 ERA, 4672 strikeouts (third all-time), and for the saber metrics fans, the third best WAR of any starting pitcher of all-time, Clemens should be a shoe in. He won 7 Cy Young Awards and even an MVP.

Thrown onto the Mitchell Report, Clemens defended himself in court and even in front of Congress, which had no business getting involved. Getting frustrated with his answers, Congress started to mudsling at Clemens, asking if he had ever cheated on his wife before. In a move that many men would have done, he said no. It wasn't their business. Congress then cited this as one of the reasons he would be indicted for charges of perjury because allegedly Clemens had slept with country music star, Mindy McCready. He was acquitted of all charges, including use of PED's, but the writers still held their opinion of Clemens, as being a shady one. In his first two years on the ballot, Clemens couldn't even break the 40 percent mark, let alone the 75 percent required to vote in a player. He deserves to go in. He could arguably be considered the best pitcher of his generation and maybe ever.

2. Craig Biggio: The all-time record holder in the modern era for being hit by a pitch, the Astros' great never once charged the mound in his career. He had 3060 hits, 1844 runs scored (fifteenth all-time), 668 doubles (fifth all-time), 291 homeruns, 53 lead off homeruns (National League record), and 414 stolen bases.

In an era where many of the best hitters were accused of PED use, Biggio was a player that people believed to have played clean. He was a 7 time all-star, 4 time gold glove winner, and 5 time Silver Slugger Award winner. Biggio began his career as a catcher, converted to second base, put up some of the best stats by a second baseman, moved to centerfield, moved to leftfield, and then ended his career by moving back to second base. This perhaps made him one of the best and most versatile players of his generation. Yet, with all this under his belt, he is now on the Hall of Fame ballot for a third year. Last year he fell 2 votes short of making it, which tied him for the closest a player has ever come to being voted into the Hall of Fame, without making it (Nellie Fox and Pie Traynor). This should be his year.

3. Randy Johnson: Perhaps the scariest pitcher of his generation, Johnson stood 6'10" on the mound and scowled with every pitch he threw. In his first year on the ballot, Johnson should be a no-brainer. He had 303 wins, 4875 strikeouts (second all-time), 5 Cy Young Awards, 10 time all-star, and led the league in strikeouts 9 times. He threw a no-hitter in 1990 and a perfect game in 2004. His 372 strikeouts in 2001, were the closest an pitcher has come to breaking the single season record, since Nolan Ryan. Johnson retired from baseball with the highest strikeouts per 9 inning average in a career, with 10.6.

For most of his career, Johnson was able to hit triple digits with his fastball and his slider he nicknamed "Mr. Snappy", was able to hit as high as 94 MPH. If Clemens hadn't pitched in the same time frame, Randy Johnson could have arguably be considered the best pitcher of his generation.

4. Pedro Martinez: When one looks at Pedro's 5'11", 170 lbs. frame, it's hard to believe that he could be the flamethrower he turned out to be. He was an 8 time all-star, 3 time Cy Young Award winner, and with his extreme control, had the lowest WHIP in history. Martinez had the third highest strikeout ratio of all-time and for the saber metric nerds, the best adjusted ERA of all-time.

While his 219 wins sound a little low compared to those already in the Hall of Fame, Martinez is able to brag about his 3154 strikeouts (thirteenth all-time) and a career ERA of 2.93.

5. Barry Bonds: What can you say bad about the numbers he put up in his career? He is the all-time homerun leader with 762 homers, the single season homerun leader with 73, the all-time walks leader with 2558, and the all-time intentional walks leader with 688. Beyond the records he holds, he also had 514 stolen bases, 601 career doubles, 1996 RBI's, and 2935 hits.

Bonds was a 7 time MVP, 14 time all-star, 8 time gold glover, 12 time Silver Slugger Award winner, and second on the all-time WAR list behind Babe Ruth.

The question of PED use has prevented Bonds from getting in his previous two attempts. While I don't argue that Bonds has the reputation of being an ass to the press or stand up for him when it came to paying his taxes, I don't believe Bonds should be prevented from being in the Hall of Fame. He made a lot of enemies in the press during his playing days, but the writers continue to drag this into his post-playing career. Unlike other stars like Rafael Palmeiro, Bonds never tested positive for PED use.

6. Mike Mussina: Another pitcher who excelled during the homerun era, Mussina retired with 270 wins, 2813 strikeouts, 5 all-star game appearances, 7 gold gloves, and is twenty-fourth all-time in WAR among pitchers. While never winning more than 20 games in a season, he won 11 games 17 consecutive seasons and won 15 games in 10 separate seasons.

Some voters cite his lack of Cy Young Awards as a reason not to vote for him, but he did rank in the top 5 of the Cy Young vote, 6 times. Unfortunately for Mussina, he pitched in the American League at the same time Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, and Pedro Martinez did, making the Cy Young Award insanely hard for him to obtain. A vote in the Hall of Fame should not be the same.

7. Jeff Bagwell: Part of the Astros' "Killer B's" with Craig Biggio, Bagwell was another victim of being accused of PED use, despite not being named on the Mitchell Report, nor having been suspected of taken PED's while he was an active player.

The former Rookie of the Year, was a 4 time all-star, 3 time Silver Slugger Award winner, won the MVP award and gold glove in 1994. His 449 homeruns rank thirty-eighth of all-time and he boasted 1529 RBI's, 488 doubles, and 2314 hits in his career. Another player that was a victim of being overshadowed by other star homerun leaders such as fellow first baseman Mark McGwire, Fred McGriff, and other position players like Barry Bonds, Bagwell did well ranking in the top 10 in the MVP award 5 other times than his 1994 season. Unfortunately, his career was cut short due to an arthritic shoulder, otherwise it can be assumed that Bagwell could have reached the 500 home run mark.

8. John Smoltz: A lot of debate has been made on whether Smoltz should go to the hall. The third of possibly one of the best trio of pitchers to ever pitch together (Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine), Smoltz could have easily been an ace pitcher for any other team. He has the distinction of being only the second pitcher in history to have a 20-win season and a 50-save season (Dennis Eckersley).

Smoltz was an 8 time all-star and despite being in the shadow of Maddux and Glavine, Smoltz gained a Cy Young Award in 1996. He had 213 wins, a 3.33 ERA, 154 saves, and 3084 strikeouts (sixteenth all-time). After going through Tommy John surgery, Smoltz went from being a top of the line starter, to a dominate closer, before eventually moving back to a starting role several years later. A first time eligible player for the Hall of Fame, Smoltz deserves to join Maddux and Glavine.

9. Fred McGriff: A player that had been overshadowed by other long ball hitters, McGriff hit 493 homeruns without a whisper of possible PED use. While never winning an MVP award, McGriff was in the top 10 of the MVP vote 4 times in his career. While playing for the Braves, led by the most dominate pitching trio of the '90s, McGriff anchored the offense that won the Braves their only World Series in the playoff streak run.

Despite having nearly 2500 hits and over 1500 RBI's, McGriff still managed to fly under the media's radar. Pitchers knew who he was and never liked facing the Crime Dog.

10. Carlos Delgado: Another player victim to the lack of press, Delgado never found himself on great teams. He was a power hitter for the Blue Jays, Marlins, and the Mets. He was one of only six players in MLB history to hit 30 homeruns, 10 straight seasons. He is the all-time Puerto Rican hitter in the MLB, in homeruns (473) and RBI's (1512). In his career, he broke many of the Blue Jays' offensive records.

Despite the great numbers, Delgado was only voted into the all-star game twice and only won a Silver Slugger Award three times. Four times in his career, he made the top 10 in the MVP voting, but despite hitting 42 homeruns and 145 RBI's in 2003, he was overshadowed by Barry Bonds. With nearly 2100 and a .280 batting average, Delgado deserves to finally be recognized for his stellar career.