As expected, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz and Craig Biggio all were elected to the Hall of Fame today. That still leaves deserving candidates like Mike Piazza, Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines, Curt Schilling, Mike Mussina and others on the outside looking in, along with Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. Bonds got 36.8% of the vote, a bit less than Clemens, and both will be on the ballot again next year.
The ballot also featured two prominent former Pirates, Brian Giles and Jason Schmidt, who got no votes and won't appear again. Giles was the Pirates' best player by a mile during his five-year stint with the team, hitting intelligently and powerfully as his teammates flailed throughout the rest of the lineup. Even in an offense-heavy era, Giles stood out, and if you haven't checked out his stats recently, they might shock you. He doesn't deserve to be in the Hall of Fame, however -- his peak wasn't long enough, and he fails the character clause.
Schmidt was an average-ish starting pitcher for parts of six seasons in Pittsburgh before being traded to San Francisco and promptly becoming one of the National League's best starters for several seasons before injuries ended his career in his mid-30s.