"Larry Walker? didn't get my vote. Perhaps that's where we should start the debate. Filling out my first Hall of Fame ballot was a welcomed challenge. Writers often lament the task, practically on pins and needles because of the pins and needles of baseball's steroid era.

I enjoy the responsibility and have no problem with the criticism that will come from my ballot. Walker was a great player who had a terrific career, including nearly a decade with the Rockies. He should be celebrated and eventually have his number retired by the Rockies (but only after Todd Helton?). Walker just wasn't dominant long enough, his career unfilled because of injuries and a lack of passion.

I have never covered a better player — to this day Walker remains the best baserunner I've ever seen, running with his head on a swivel and knowing exactly when to shift gears to be safe on a double or triple. Coors Field will always hurt him, but not with me. He would have been great at Petco Park. The problem was inactivity. Only once did he play more than 143 games in a season — in 1997, when he became the only Rockie to win National League MVP honors. Walker seemed like an accidental tourist in baseball, unbelievably talented at a sport he didn't love (hockey was in his heart). As such, his numbers are just short (2,160 hits, 383 home runs). "