Comments | deadmoviestar: I Will Now Bore You with BASEBALL

deadmoviestar

I Will Now Bore You with BASEBALL

Dec 09, 2008 12:45

Joe Gordon, who played for the Yankees in the ‘40s, just got elected to the Hall of Fame by the veterans committee. The Baseball Hall of Fame is not like the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. Baseball runs a tight ship. If you get in, you generally deserve it. It’s a good model. Only rarely does it go wrong. Like now ( Read more... )

Comments 27

transistorblast December 9 2008, 19:41:04 UTC

I don't doubt DiMaggio was not a nice person, but the way he ended up (according to the biography of a few years ago), being fleeced by his manager, who stole his World Series ring of his still warm body, is incredibly sad (you know, wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy, etc.)

deadmoviestar December 9 2008, 19:58:10 UTC

I certainly would not wish that on him and I was unaware of those circumstances. I've just always been a bit perplexed at the perceived differences between those two guys (Williams/Dimaggio) who defined baseball at a very important time (just pre-Jackie Robinson), and how the stories that were circulating back then had almost NO relation to the truth.

grubi December 9 2008, 20:14:43 UTC

You're right. Gordon doesn't belong.

But I think you're wrong about one thing. The Hall screws up a lot.

deadmoviestar December 9 2008, 22:34:25 UTC

Really? I always thought it was a pretty tough crowd.

grubi December 10 2008, 03:18:22 UTC

Pete Rose alone is a glaring misstep. But take a look at some of the people inducted: Dun Sutton, Early Wynn, Jim Bottomley? Bobby Doerr? I have doubts that these folks deserve to be in the Hall. I tend to side with Bill James on this issue.

And the voting process is insane. To not vote Yogi Berra in on his first try? Or Rollie Fingers? Duke Snider? Dizzy Dean? Jimmie Foxx? hank Greenberg? Ryne Sandburg? Don Mattingly? Mickey Cochrane? WTF is wrong with these people that a few extra years makes up for? If they had HOP careers, then vote for 'em.

And the over-reliance on a statistic that has been repeatedly shown to be of little use as a reflection of performance like batting average... that's a friggin' crime.

deadmoviestar December 10 2008, 17:35:42 UTC

I'll take some of that...

First, fuck Pete Rose. He did it to himself. Would I let him in? Probably, but I don't mind that the Hall does not. He's baseball's Nixon, and they impeached him, too.

Don Sutton won 300 games. So did Early Wynn. That's a stat that doesn't lose its impact, like HRs. Jim Bottomley was one of the best players of the 20s who at one point or another led the league in hits, doubles, triples, homers and RBIs and was an MVP. Do you just exclude early-era playesr? Bobby Doerr, well, he's a bit of a mystery.

I LOVE the fact that it's rare for even these great players to get in on the first ballot. Of those you listed, I wouldn't vote for Fingers, Dean, Sandburg or Mattingly on the first ballot, either, and I was one of the biggest Sandberg fans alive. By not letting everyone in right away, the Hall of Fame retains its honor.

And how is batting average NOT a reflection of performance?

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