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Posted By: Paul

I've never quite understood how Rocky Colavito was treated by the writers. He put up very good numbers, though in my opinion not quite enough to be a hall of famer. But he had fantastic press during his career. I think it is fair to say that he was one of the most beloved players of his era. I don't think those factors SHOULD be a plus, but I certainly think they ordinarily WOULD be a plus. Also, I think his popularity and positive press emphasize the fact that he was a genuine star during his time, not a statistical anomoly who only looks good on paper in retrospect.

So, how close do you think he came to getting into the Hall? How about "not as close as George Case". Colavito got a grand total of three votes over the course of his eligibility. Three. That rounds off to zero percent. Here's the official page from the HOF:

http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/history/hof_voting/alpha/C.htm


I'm not lobbying for Colavito or against him. But I think the guy deserved more than three votes. At the same time, it's amazing that some one with only three votes made it onto the veterans' ballot.

Edited to add: Other surprising vote totals -- Frank Howard and Norm Cash, 6 votes each. I've always liked Gil Hodges and thought he should make it, but was he THAT much better than Colavito, Howard and Cash?