No HOF for Bert. If you induct Bert, you also have to induct Jerry Reuss. And Dennis Martinez. And a host of other guys who pitched twenty years and had decent numbers. Decent numbers should not qualify you for the hall. Longevity alone should not, either. Decent plus longevity? No.
For that reason, no to Mark Grace. He was never great. The Hall of Fame should be reserved for greatness. That's the friggin' point of HAVING a hall of FAME. It's not the hall of mediocrity. It's not the hall of pretty darn goodness. It's not the hall of above average. It's the Hall of Fame. Then again, by definition, fame implies celebrity -- so why shouldn't everyone be in it. If we know them and watch them on television...that means they are FAMOUS, right? Ah...semantics. Change it to the Hall of Greatness and vote accordingly. I don't give a shit if no one else ever gets in. Earn it or don't.
Maddux is in. Smoltz will be, too. Grace? No. Dawson should be. Actually, I'd vote in Dennis Martinez before Blyleven. Martinez may have had the best curve I have ever seen. And he won a lot of games on very shitty Expo teams in his time. Emphasis on very.
Do you vote in Ricki Henderson on the first ballot? (I spelled it like that to piss him off in case he reads this. I assume he googles his name daily.) I think he has to get in. Numbers dictate it. First ballot. Like it or not. If not, it's obviously personal and that skews the entire process. Here's a novel idea -- take the voting away from the sports writers. How's this? Players with ten years in the majors get a vote. That's it. Period. You can only vote for players that played during your time in the league so that your personal knowledge is the vote base. If only most of them weren't such morons, it could work.
Let the sportswriters do the old timer voting. Take that AWAY from Joe Morgan and his segregation committee. I can imagine THEM sitting around -- "Hey guys, if we NEVER let anyone else in? It makes US look even greater than we were...if such a thing can be possible!"
As far as the posthumous HOF awards? I recommend seances and letting the old players vote. Or the use of a OUIJA board.
Speaking of OUIJA board...now THERE'S a nickname for Billy Cribbage. Weeja. Weeja. I can hear the chants now.
The Peavy conversation is obviously back on because everyone says it isn't. God, I'd love to play poker with these guys.
How's this for a clever four team deal? We trade all the young arms to San Diego for Peavy. We through in Vizcaino, too. We then trade Peavy to Cleveland for Wood and DeRosa. We package Miles and Bradley and send them to Colorado for Marquis. Cleveland sends Peavy to San Diego to get the three arms back. Colorado sends Bradley to San Diego for Vizcaino. Just a thought.
If you induct Blyleven? You have to vote in David Wells, too. Look at the numbers.
Sherm
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7 comments:
Lets talk HOF
take 2 players:
Player A
22 seasons
.271 BA
.427 SLG
.392 OBP
1133 RBI
1865 BB
0 Gold gloves
10 All Star
2 League MVP
Player B
15 seasons
.277 BA
.464 SLG
.362 OBP
1331 RBI
1343 BB
5 Gold gloves
9 All star
0 MVP
Fairly clear both were productive hitters and valuable to their teams.
Player B has clearly better hitting and fielding numbers, but player A has 2 league MVPs.
The MVP is rarely awarded to players on losing clubs which player B was mostly, and Player A's team had a couple of world series victories, though his numbers say he must have had a lot of help.
Player A IS in the HOF, player B is not.
Player A has a national soap box on which he frequently states the HOF must have standards, I agree. Just look at this years Football HOF ballot, you would be hard pressed to find anything above good on it, yet several will be selected, That HOF is a watered down joke.
But using Player A's logic, player B should be in the HOF well before player A.
Joe Morgan needs to preach about Ron Santo a little louder.
there really is no compelling argument for Blyleven...He has Saberhagen-like numbers, and doesn't have 2 Cy Youngs or WS MVP's. And Saberhagen has little or no shot. I don't think Santo deserves it either...the Hall is getting too watered down...and the criteria is too intangible. How is Canseco not in with 490ish homeruns? Its politics politics and more politics that get guys in...Actually, I could give a shit, since I'll probably never get in myself, nor will I ever visit.
http://www.marshfieldnewsherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081010/MNH020510/81010038
OK, I looked at the above, and was impressed...until my math skills resurfaced.
No on Santo? dude, where are you from.
I will admit it is not a rock solid case, but compared to those who are in, he's a middle of the pack contemporary numberswise. Consistancy demands he's in.
Blyleven....who cares.
Outstanding take on that arrogant Morgan.
Blyleven- he was never an ace, there was always someone better than him in a rotation. No, just on that alone. You need to be the best of an era, let alone the best in your own rotation.
What about Dawson and Lee Arthur?
Badmojo, you would love the HOF, it's the coolest museum in the world. I was there in October in 04, very cool. Held George Sisler's mitt and chatted with a pitcher form the WWII era. Awesome place, keep an open mind.
Just finished an Acute MI and thought I'd wake up Sherm for a change. 45 year old guy who's smoked since age 12. That's how you get to meet a cardiologist in the middle of the night.
Sutter and Gossage are in with lesser saves (a lot less) so Lee Arthur belongs.
I'm less certain about the Hawk, but the arguments I've read over the last few days on the net don't persuade me that he does not belong.
The main problem with the HOF is the writers. Kind of along the lines of "those who can, do..."
Their petty narrow mindedness does keep the numbers from being ridiculous(see NFL), but subjectivity and parochialism have taken the honesty out of the process. Let former players vote (min yrs of service required, felons excluded) and tell the writers to fuck off.
Some "national championship". Hyped crap. Both teams should be voted in the 3-8 range. Neither played as well as USC or Utah, and perhaps Texas.
Sleepy time.
you can't wake me, you can only hope to arouse me. Wait, that didn't sound right. Nevermind.
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