9:25 PM Eastern
The esteemed writer for bluejays.com tells me I need to put a new post up. His wish is my command, though it’s going to be a short one.
First of all, those of you interested in seeing me on TV doing a different sport should tune into Rogers Community 10 this weekend and next (Ontario only, I believe) – I’ll be doing play-by-play of a couple of curling tournaments. Ed Werenich will be doing colour, which is pretty freakin’ awesome.
Second of all, just a quick comment about this year’s Hall of Fame ballot. I was very happy to see Goose Gossage get in, and sad to see Bert Blyleven and Mark McGwire miss again by so much. I was also pleased that the respective myths of Jim Rice and Jack Morris weren’t firmly ingrained in the minds of enough voters to get those two in, because they’re not Hall of Famers.
I love how the longer Rice’s stay on the ballot has lasted, the more feared a player he’s become. If he was one of the most dominant and feared hitters of his era, then why did he have fewer intentional walks than Alvin Davis? Yes, he generally had good bats behind him, and David Ortiz doesn’t get passed much because of the presence of Manny Ramirez, but even Big Papi has 35 IBBs the last two years combined, which means he’d surpass Rice’s career total in three more years.
Also, Rice was in large part a Fenway creation. His career OPS on the road is four points better than George Bell’s overall career OPS. Monster in his massively hitter-friendly home park, George Bell away from Fenway – does that belong in the Hall? I just don’t think Rice meets the requirements.
And Morris? Oh, but he pitched to the score! Give me a break. He may well have pitched one of the single greatest games in baseball history in Game 7 of the1991 World Series, but I don’t see Don Larsen in the Hall of Fame. Morris was a very good pitcher on some very, very good teams. I wouldn’t take him in his prime over Blyleven, though. And what a travesty it is that Rik Aalbert still isn’t in. For shame, voters.
Also, with regards to McGwire – get over yourselves. It seems as though people are trying to find reasons to keep him out, because they’re still gonna vote for Bonds and Clemens when they come up. Mark McGwire hit 583 home runs in an era where a LOT of people, pitchers and hitters, were enhancing their performance by less-than-legal means. McGwire also got on base a WHOLE LOT, even though a lot of the times he got on, it was because he drew a walk. For his career, Big Mac only got out 60.6% of the time that he came to the plate, I could care less if he hit .235 (which he didn’t by the way, it was .266). He has to be in. Hopefully, the Mitchell Report and other things to follow will open some eyes to just how rampant the drug use was, and McGwire will find his way in in the next few years. Shame that his acceptance speech at Cooperstown will be “I’m not here to talk about the past” though.
As always, comments are welcome, Roger Clemens’ pants are still on fire, and the e-mail address is wilner590@hotmail.com. Fill up that inbox and you get a new mailbag!
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hey mike,
any word on the Glaus for Rolen rumors?
- TomI think the McGwire issue is the first time I’ve ever seen you make a point with which I didn’t completely agree.
By all accounts, Bonds didn’t start using steroids until after the ’98 season, by which time he’d already racked up 400+ career homers and steals, a couple of MVP awards and a career OPS in the 1.000 range. If he’d retired instead of juicing, he would have been a Hall of Famer in my book.
Roger’s use has been traced back to about the same time, by which time he’d had about a decade of dominant performances, three Cys, blah blah blah.
Provided sources on Barry Lamar and Roidger are accurate, I think both were Hall of Famers before they used.
With McGwire, I don’t know when he started using. Was it his entire career (I believe Canseco admitted to having used since he was in the minors)? Was it after his lost 1991 season, when he crapped out to the tune of .201/.330/.383? During/immediately after his injury-plagued ’93/’94 seasons? There might be info out there as to when he started juicing, but I haven’t seen it.
To me, I guess it all boils down to whether a player was a Hall of Famer taking only the “clean” portion of his career into consideration. All the evidence I’ve sen shows that you could argue as much for Bonds and Clemens (more so with Bonds, I would say). With McGwire, I don’t know that I could say that, since his biggest/best seasons came in the latter, post-resurrection half of his career, which is when I’d guess he was roiding up.
It’s a murky, inexact and speculation-laden system, to be sure, but I don’t feel bad about subjecting a cheater to inexact speculation, particularly when he doesn’t even care to try and clear up any of it himself.
I could be swayed to pull for McGwire with more evidence, but as it stands I wouldn’t feel confident voting for him. If I had a ballot, I’d have sent a vote Raines’ way instead (along with a perennial vote for Blyleven).
- Justin