Gwynn, Ripken win on Hall of Fame ballot
McGwire gets a shockingly low 128 votes, 23.5 of the total, probably assisted in no small part by the “people won’t vote for McGwire” publicity drive. I’ll link to some McGwire is and isn’t a Hall of Famer pieces I read the last couple of weeks. We had a good discussion around here last time this came up (which, essentially, was dw asking me if I’d gone mad over and over), back when I was most sympathetic to the “maybe he isn’t even without considering the steroids allegations” and the more arguments I’ve read, I came back around to “he is unless you leave him off because you believe he was on steroids and you believe that’s a valid reason not to vote for someone” side.
Bert Blyleven took a step back this time, dropping from 53.3% of ballots (277/520) to 47.7% (260/277)
Jay Buhner gets one vote.
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73 Responses to “Gwynn, Ripken win on Hall of Fame ballot”
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But … check this out:
What I don’t get is this, why do these writers say that McGwire is not Hall worthy because of the “steroids era” and not vote for the guys of the 80s? If you think Mac and all these others cheated, shouldn’t the accomplishments of Jim Rice, Andre Dawson, and (forgive me I am biased because he was my hero as a kid) Dale Murphy be rewarded?
I am not saying they are right to not vote in “steroids era” guys, but they can’t have it both ways.
#39, Rickey won’t get 100% because some consider him arrogant, or they just never liked him.
55 – you’re right Rickey won’t get 100%, but I never knew likeability (or charisma) was a qualification for the HOF.
I didn’t imply that was best or correct, it’s just the way it is.
I’ve generally reacted to arguments for BBWAA screening or qualification testing with a roll of the eyes, but if any of them doesn’t vote for Rickey Henderson when presented with the choice they should undergo immediate pyschiatric evaluation and have their vote given to someone with some measurable brain activity.
I can’t wait to hear the rationale from the writers who don’t vote for Henderson as soon as he’s eligible. That will be even more entertaining than the spin from this year’s blank balloteers.
48
Because.
It would make more sense never to read another baseball article because the writers (as a group) didn’t vote for your favorite player.
This would, of course, not apply to the Cheater’s Guide to Baseball because Derek is not a HOF voter.
Jay is to be on KOMO’s Hot Stove show tonight, after apparently spending the day snow boarding with his kids 🙂
No – for the same reason that Ripken failed to get it: some writers feel that they can’t vote for anyone who played in the steroid era. Along the same lines, even though he has never tested positive for anything, I’d be shocked if there wasn’t a single writer out there who had some suspicions.
I recall Ripken stopped playing before there was steroid testing, as did Gwynn.
Ah, but steroids entered baseball in the late 1980s. So the “steroid era” is loosely (and badly) ~1990-~2004
“Also, Blyleven wasn’t very nice. People didn’t like him, he was widely viewed as a guy who padded his strikeout totals instead of winning games (something over which, of course, he had very little control).”
Where on earth does this come from? He is and has been one of the funniest guys in baseball for years. Jack Morris used to routinely hit people and knock them down. Explain how you pad your strikeout totals and not win games?
Reggie Jackson not worthy of a first ballot vote was mentioned too. Does anyone know about baseball in the 70s and 80s?
I’m glad Buhner was on the ballot and got one vote. It’s appropriate. To my mind, if a guy spends pretty much his whole career with one team and does as well as Buhner – 170 home runs in a five year period with good OBP at his peak, but clearly not a HOFer – his home-town HOF voters should probably get together and agree that one of them will give the guy a vote. Kind of a last trophy.
McGuire should be in the HOF. If steriods was the primary issue for voters, he certainly couldn’t have been the only person using them (if he did). The pitcher throwing 5 MPH faster? The outfielder running faster to the fly ball? The coach throwing the base farther (kidding!)
Just put him in the hall.
That’s kind of my point. It’s a baseless claim, but apparently it was made (when he was in Texas, I think).
Indeed, and at least one voter turned in a blank ballot due to what I had posted above – they feel that they can’t vote for anyone who played in the ‘steroid era’. I’m not sure where you’re disagreeing with me. Someone asked if Clemens would get 100%, I said no for the same reasons that Ripken and Gwynn failed to do so.
Does anyone know if ANY of these few moron voters who didn’t vote for Cal or Tony on this 1st ballot get called on it?
I mean does anyone EVER get any answers as to specifically who didn’t and why they wouldn’t vote for them this time?
Fwiw, Gossage not being in just doesn’t seem to make sense. He was feared beyond belief, in the WS on two different franchises as the closer (so it wasn’t like he wasn’t a winner) and certainly played long enough.
I don’t see how Sutter gets in and Gossage doesn’t. Help me out here.
Kevin Hench takes on Paul Ladowski, who turned in the blank ballot….
#71– FWIW, Paul White was saying last night that he thinks Gossage goes in next year, when it is a really thin ballot (David Justice & Tim Raines, anyone?)
Jerry Crasnick on Edgar’s chances in 2010:
“Martinez, universally admired as a hitter, has a combined career on base-slugging percentage of .933. That’s better than Hank Aaron and Frank Robinson, among others. Unfortunately, it also puts him in a dead heat with Albert Belle, who dropped off the ballot this year for failing to receive the requisite 5 percent of the vote.
Martinez, of course, is burdened by the perception that a pure DH must go above and beyond statistically to make it to Cooperstown. While his “rate” stats (e.g., a .418 on-base percentage) are terrific, his “counting” stats (2,247 hits and 309 homers) aren’t exactly overwhelming for a one-dimensional player. And Harold Baines’ meager 5.3 percent haul this year certainly didn’t help his cause.”
and Jim Caple on McGwire & the voting…