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With the recent induction of Jim Rice and Ricky Henderson into the Baseball Hall of Fame, it’s timely to look ahead at candidates for the next couple of classes.

A player must be retired for a minimum of five years to be eligible for the Hall of Fame. In order to be elected, a player must be mentioned on at least 75% of the ballots.

Next year, eligible players include Roberto Alomar, Kevin Appier, Andy Ashby, Ellis Burks, Andres Galarraga, Pat Hentgen, Mike Jackson, Eric Karros, Ray Lankford, Barry Larkin, Edgar Martinez, Fred McGriff, Shane Reynolds, Robin Ventura, and Todd Zeile.

The two who have the best chance of getting elected are Alomar and Larkin.

Roberto Alomar was a 12-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner and was arguably the best second baseman of his era. Over the course of a 17-year career, he batted .300 with 210 home runs,  474 stolen bases and 502 doubles.

Barry Larkin was a 12-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner and played his entire 19-year career for the Cincinnati Reds. The shortstop was also the 1995 NL MVP. If you compare Larkin’s stats to other Hall of fame shortstops, he holds up well. His batting average is higher than thirteen Hall of Famers and he hit more home runs than every Hall of Fame shortstop except Cal Ripken Jr, Robin Yount and Ernie Banks.

Two other interesting candidates are Edgar Martinez, who’s considered the greatest designated hitter ever (MLB has renamed the Designated Hitter Award the Edgar Martinez Award), and Fred McGriff, a five-time All-Star who hit 493 home runs, just shy of the 500 mark, which is normally a ticket to Cooperstown.

In 2011, eligible players are

Wilson Alvarez, Carlos Baerga, Jeff Bagwell, Bret Boone, Kevin Brown, Cal Eldred, John Franco, Juan Gonzalez, Marquis Grissom, Bobby Higginson, Charles Johnson, Al Leiter, Tino Martinez, Raul Mondesi, Jose Offerman, John Olerud, Rafael Palmeiro, Paul Quantrill, Steve Reed, Kirk Rueter, Rey Sanchez, Benito Santiago, B.J. Surhoff, Ugueth Urbina, Ismael Valdez, Larry Walker, and Dan Wilson.

The only lock is Jeff Bagwell, who played his entire 15-career with the Houston Astros and batted .297 with 449 home runs, 1,517 runs scored and 1,529 RBI. He also stole 202 bases, including two seasons of 30 or more. He won numerous awards, including Rookie of the Year (1991) and MVP (1994). He was a three-time Silver Slugger and one-time Gold Glove winner.

Rafael Palmeiro would have likely also been a lock if he wasn’t involved in the steroids controversy. You might also hear a few arguments for John Olerud and Larry Walker, but I don’t see them getting in.

The real controversy will be in 2013, when Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Roger Clemens become eligible. Whether the three of them should be inducted will be the subject of heated debate likely even more intense than the issue of whether Pete Rose belongs in the Hall.

PFP Sports and Celebrity Talent Agency is a speakers bureau and top booking agent for sports stars, athlete appearances, endorsements and celebrities. For more information call 800.966.1380

Of all the All-Star games, I enjoy watching baseball’s version the best. I’ve been fortunate to attend eight of the Mid-Summer Classics. It’s very exciting to see all of the current stars on the field at once.

Nothing will compare to last year’s All Star game in New York, which will go down in history as one of the all-time greats. First of all, anytime you have a big event in New York, it’s going to be special. Secondly, the night was filled with tributes to Yankee Stadium, which was being closed at season’s end to make room for the new ballpark next door. Lastly, the game was an absolute classic with the American League defeating the National League, 4-3, in 15 innings. The game took 4 hours, 50 minutes and was the longest All-Star Game in history.

Commissioner Bud Selig and Major League Baseball have attempted to make the game relevant by giving home-field advantage during the World Series to the winning league. Back in the day, the game was full of intensity and it really meant something to the winning players. Over time, the game’s importance diminished as it became more of a show than a game. You hear a lot of debate as to whether this is good or not. Personally, I think it would be more fair to give the team with the best record home-field advantage but I don’t have much of an issue since it’s brought a bit of intensity back to the game.

A few of my favorite moments from previous All-Star games…

1) In 1970, Pete Rose, playing at home in Cincinnati, attempted to score but had to get past catcher Ray Fosse. The ensuing collision not only helped solidify Rose’s reputation as “Charlie Hustle”, it had the unfortunate consequence of injuring Fosse’s shoulder. Rose was called safe at home and the National League won the thriller, 5 -4. Fosse went onto play nine more seasons but was never the same.

2) In 2001, Cal Ripken Jr. played in the last of his 19 All-Star games. The game was basically a Cal Ripken lovefest. In the third inning, Ripken made his first plate appearance and was greeted with a standing ovation. Ripken then homered off the first pitch from Chan Ho Park and ended up with All Star MVP honors.

3)  In 1999, baseball honored the All-Century Team prior to the game at Fenway Park, with such greats on-hand as Mike Schmidt, Brooks Robinson, Bob Gibson and Johnny Bench. However, the highlight of the evening occurred when the great Ted Williams was driven out to home plate and threw out the first pitch with the help of Tony Gwynn.

Will this year’s game produce any classic moments? I can’t guarantee that. However, St. Louis is rolling out the red carpet and, at the very least, I’m sure the pre-game ceremony will produce a goose-bump moment or two. Plus, Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols is having one of the greatest years in the history of baseball, so I assume he’s going to be a big part of the game and broadcast.

PFP Sports and Celebrity Booking Agency is a speakers bureau and top booking agent for sports stars, athlete appearances, endorsements and celebrities. For more information call 800.966.1380