My Hall of Fame Vote
I have finished my Hall of Fame ballot. I’m sharing it with you. Feel free to blast me. I’m getting plenty of mean e-mail from New Yorkers who are upset I said Texas is a better place to raise a family.
Couple things:
I don’t think about that "first-ballot" thing. They are either Hall of Famers or they are not. Secondly, my vote can change from year-to-year. I go over everybody on the ballot every year, review their statistics and career. There are guys I have voted one year and not the next.
That’s not being fickle. It’s just the way it is.
Ok.
1. I voted for McGwire. Why? Just didn’t feel all that righteous. There are already guys in the Hall who were shady, borderline or don’t belong and there are numerous players over my years of covering baseball who could rightfully be questioned. I just don’t feel like singling out McGwire. That bothers me more than anything, flogging him (so to speak) while others get off. That’s why I voted for him and I read all the comments on Monday Morning Manager.
2. Cal Ripken – no-brainer
3. Tony Gwynn – no-brainer
4. Rich Gossage – His dominance as a reliever for a ten-year period is unquestioned. He was truly great for ten years.
5. Andre Dawson – I think he is a huge oversight. A great, great defensive player who was very good to excellent offensively for a decade or more. He belongs
6. Jack Morris – This is a hard one for me. I don’t vote for him every year. I did this time. I’m troubled by the fact that he never won a Cy Young and his ERA is a little higher than I would like. But I think – at least today – that he was good enough for a sustained period to be in.
7. Alan Trammell – I think his all-around game – combining offense with defense – is deserving. I agonized over Dave Concepcion this year. Promise you I did. I have a hard time justifying why Trammell and not Concepcion. But Concepcion won just one more Gold Glove (5-4) while Trammell was the much better all-around offensive player.
As for others:
* Save totals aside, Rich Gossage was clearly superior to Lee Smith.
* Dale Murphy, Jim Rice and Dave Parker cause much agony but I just don’t think they had the complete career needed to get to Cooperstown. I have voted for Rice and Murphy previously, this year my inclination is no but they are that close.
* I just don’t see Bert Blyleven. I just don’t. The career numbers are very very good but the year-to-year just does not stand out. I look at him hard every year because people whose opinions I value say he should be in. I just don’t see it. I wish I did. Yes, abosolutely there is no doubt in my mind that year-to-year, Jack Morris was the better pitcher.
And your opinion is?
T.R. Sullivan
Toby
Good List. Ripkin and Gwynn are automatic, and I think Gossage is right there, too. I’m not against McGwire going in (and I’ll feel the same about Bonds), I just have to have more information about what he was/wasn’t doing. To the best of my knowledge, he’s never adamantly denied anything Canseco has said. I hope that eventually McGwire speaks up and gives us a credible explanation. Not that I hope or expect him to be completely clean. I just want to hear it from him before I have to cast my (fake) vote.
Among the others, I’ll disagree about Blyleven. I think he should be in. If he had just a few more wins it wouldn’t even be an argument. As it is, he was on some pretty lousy teams and comes up just short on the wins. But like you said, the overall career is outstanding.
I like Trammell a lot. In his prime he was just shy of Ripkin with the bat and just shy of Ozzie Smith with the glove. Pretty good company and I think he should be in.
I could go either way on Dawson. Not sure he deserved the MVP in ’87 and by the 90′s the knees made him a shadow of his former self in the outfield.
Murphy, Rice and Parker: No. Lee Smith? No. Jack Morris? I just don’t see it. Concepcion was just a bit before my time and I think he’s a player you had to have seen to have an opinion about. The offensive numbers aren’t as good as Ripkin, Trammell and even Smith. But, as with most shortstops from other eras the ofensive numbers aren’t the whole story.
TR, I don’t expect to change you mind on Bert Blyleven, but I was like you a few years ago and then after looking more closely I changed my mind.
My main argument against him was his career W-L. I just had a hang up on putting in a pitcher that was basically .500 regardless of who he pitched for. Of course Blyleven’s win % is better than Nolan Ryan’s. I finally realized that Blyleven’s fatal flaw is that he doesn’t have just one standout stat like K’s or no hitters or ERA, instead it is his composite picture that makes him worthy.
If you need a singular season to stand out, I like the 1973 season. He won 20 games for Minnesota who was just a .500 baseball team. He led the league in shutouts and strikeout to walk ratio (by a wide margin) and was 2nd in ERA to Palmer and 2nd in strikeouts to Nolan Ryan. Again not the most dominant like Ryan or most efficient like Palmer, but a brilliant combination of the two.
If you are like me and you prefer a sustained period of greatness (not just one year) take the period 1973-1977. During that 5 year stretch, he finished in the top 9 in ERA every year (including to seconds), finished in the top 7 in strikeouts every year (including 3 seconds to you know who) and finished in the top ten in complete games every year.
That five year stretch alone is pretty strong when compared to the peak years of any number of hall of famers. I think Don Sutton’s career is the most like Blyleven’s and Sutton’s ’71-’75 years are very similar to Blyleven’s ’73-’77. As you say his career numbers are very very good (the only players with more strikeouts than Blyleven are all either in the HOF or a no doubt first ballots when they retire). So because his career numbers are teriffic AND he has a peak period where he was exceptionally great, I think he belongs and only wish that he had won 15 more so there would be no debate.
Good for you, TR! I think the whole “first ballot” argument is way overblown. Like you said, either they are HOF quality or they aren’t.
I like every pick you made, although I, too, would add Blyleven. Morris probably is a better pitcher, but I think both should be in.
I agree with you leaving out Murphy, Rice and Parker.
T.R: Gwynn and Ripken–yes, truly deserving. Everyone else is a really, really good player. You are voting for an individual to be inducted into a Hall of Fame. Fame is in Webster’s–”reputation for good” and “the state of being well-known”. From this dictionary account, all the players have reputations for being good players and are all well-known, at least to us baseball-a-holics. After Gwynn and Ripken, I don’t know how a person can pick and choose, unless it goes on your own “bias”–of what you look for 1)endurance 2)power/home runs 3)number of saves or wins, or 4)what he meant to the game. T.R.–I trust you to vote on our behalf, because you will have no unanimity past the first two players you mentioned. God Bless You in your choices. In the Roman Empire, sports was a diversion away from the calamaties and struggles of the day, But when you step back, and look at the GREATER realm of what’s REALLY important, baseball, our beloved baseball, really IS just a game. There is no wrong choice really, unless it was Brad Wilkerson.
Bravo TR! Great choices and explaination as to why. I agree on everyone including Blyleven. I do however think you should reconsider Murphy again before he’s removed from the ballot. Compared to all time does he have the stats? Not quite but compared to his day? Ask any 80s Braves fan how much Murphy meant to them. Ask anyone those years he won the MVP just how important to the game he was. Great job on voting for McGwire he is a HOF he helped bring baseball back to Glory.
OK enough of HOF talk let’s go sign Mulder and Zito and get this season kicked into high gear! We do that and I’ll vow to make several more trips down to Texas to see some games and not just camp out in front of MLB extra innings. I don’t know if you knew this but There is at least a 4 or 5 family Ranger lover group here in Southeast Idaho…
Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripkin are no brainers. In my opinion Dale Murphy is as well. If he would have retired a couple of seasons earlier than he did, there would not be a question. He may have held on a little too long, but he was one of the greats of the game. HOF material for sure.
I would vote for Will “the trill” Clark!! For all the writters who did not vote for him should be ashamed of your selves. He was the greates first baseman of all time! Yes I said it, of ALL TIME!!!
sorry for the miss spell it is Will”the thrill” Clark
T.R.-
While were on the subject of the Hall of Fame, do you have an opinion on the late Mark Holtz chances of being honored by the Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence anytime in the future?
We are trying to put together a campaign in North Texas to get Mark Holtz name on the list of 10 finalists for the annual Ford Frick Award.
As some have said, when Mark Holtz and Eric Nadel teamed together before Mr. Holtz untimely passing from leukemia in 1997, they were the best broadcasters the Texas Rangers have ever had, past and present.
Getting Mark Holtz’ name on the list of 10 finalists for the Frick Award is the challenge. If we can get that accomplished, we already know of at least two of the Frick Award voting committee members who would cast their votes for Mr. Holtz.
Mark McGwire,Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds should NEVER ever be allowed in the Hall of Fame and putting them there will be a slap in the face to both Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron as well as all the other historical legends whose names are honored there. You sir should be ashamed of yourself. I bet you voted for Pete Rose too didn’t you?
Wow Aleks…I’ve read both of your lates postings….I see you have caught the holiday cheer! What happened did an 80 year old woman beat you up to get the last tickle me elmo TMX? Give it a rest. Babe Ruth and other “historical legends” are no better people than Bonds, Sosa and McGwire. The HOF is not for the best of character people it is for the best performers of their time. NO ETHICS. NUMBERS ONLY. Pete Rose is a jerk but should also be in the HOF.