Walker has a final chance for election next year Jed Lowrie Jersey , while Helton has a ways to go the RocksPebble ReportRockpileRockies Game ThreadsRockies Fan ExperienceBaseball Hall of FamePast and PresentWhat the Hall of Fame results mean for Larry Walker and Todd HeltonNew,1commentWalker has a final chance for election next year, while Helton has a ways to goMSTShareTweetShareShareWhat the Hall of Fame results mean for Larry Walker and Todd HeltonOne of the worst things about closely watching Hall of Fame vote totals is that there’s the possibility of seeing an indisputably great result, while at the same time being disappointed by it. That’s what happened when Larry Walker and Todd Helton’s vote totals rolled out on Tuesday night. Walker had a huge jump from last year’s ballot, going from 34.1% of the vote all the way up to 54.6%. The disappointing part is that he’ll have to replicate that vote jump again next year to just barely break the 75% threshold. Like losing weight, early successes are harder to reproduce the closer one gets to the ultimate goal. Still, it’s hard to be too disappointed. No candidate has ever reached 50% of the BBWAA vote and not eventually made the Hall of Fame. The problem, of course, is that Walker just has one more shot left. He has a fighting chance next year, but it will be tough. It’ll require a bit of a public campaign http://www.athleticsfanproshop.com/authentic-khris-davis-jersey , which we’re more than happy to help out with. And, as Drew Creasman has argued, it wouldn’t hurt if the Rockies went ahead and retired Walker’s number 33 already. It’s long overdue, anyhow. Todd Helton’s debut is similarly mixed. He got 16.5% of the vote, which is fine, but not great. Walker received more of the vote, at 20.3%. Almost 10 years later, and he’s now a long shot for election heading into his final year. But that was a different ballot and a different electorate, and the circumstances that followed Walker’s debut won’t be the same as Helton’s, so it’s not exactly an apples to apples comparison. Jay Jaffe Walt Weiss Jersey , in his quick summary of Helton’s candidacy, suggests that Helton could be in line for a steady increase in coming years. Part of that will be due to a ballot that won’t be as deep as this year’s, where four players gained election, and part of that could be due to voters only having to come to terms with voting for one member of the Colorado Rockies. Whatever happens next year, Walker won’t be on the ballot in 2021. Walker should get in one way or another, and I like Helton’s chances as well. Now, it’s a matter of being patient and talking up their cases whenever we get the chance. Plus Baseball norms and Joe Mauer’s face on shoes."I don’t know who Adam Thielen is, or really how one plays football (horses?) but these Joe Mauer cleats are absolutely radical. You know those one piece jammies for kids (and adults like me that dress like kids) that make you look like a bear or a unicorn or something? I want a Joe Mauer one. Just my face snugly inside a fluffy Joe mouth. Hell, I would wear that out. No one would mess with the girl in the Joe Mauer mascot suit.New Twins Man(ager) Rocco Baldelli’s courting process with the Twins involved meeting literally everyone. I also enjoy that he plans to call Paul Molitor, no way that could be awkward.Baldelli was hired to be relatable to the youngins Marcus Semien Jersey , and as Twins Daily points out he should be extra relatable to a really important young outfielder. Here’s hoping!Mike Bates for the Hardball Times wrote a great piece on the evolving norms of baseball. Old guys crying about baseball players becoming wimps has been going on since one guy in 1875 sheepishly wore a glove because hard objects flying 90 MPH at you kinda sting when you catch them.Tax evasion is basically the rich white guy version of forgetting to scan an item at the Wal-Mart check out, and while not “evasion” per se, the MLB is arguing to pay less taxes because it “isn’t in the business of athletics.” One of the teams is literally called the Athletics, Manfred, sheesh. (The article makes better points than me don’t worry.)In case you haven’t seen it yet, Meet our fairy blogmother Myjah and also some other weirdo.Today’s soundtrack is JRPGs.