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Jason LChris, that's a deal...we both get Santo in and two marginals out!
TBob,
Cal Ripken is in because he is immensely popular with the media and the national fan base because he evoked Gehrig, much the same way that all presidents and candidates attempt to evoke Lincoln...(not sure if I am actually using the word evoke correctly, here, but I think you get my meaning). Now, that popularity is fed by the fact that he is last white star to play his entire career with one team, which evokes the concepts of familiarity and loyalty, which are also important to many people. He was not dominant in any way at any time that I can recall, and I was never interested in seeing him play. You know how there are certain ballplayers that you want to be able to say you saw play in-person? The HOFer should have had that quality at least for a short time in their careers, and I never felt that way about Ripken. He got 3,000, so he should be in...but, agreed, there was really nothing special about his play - except for the simple fact that he always played...and to celebrate that, well...that kind of makes me wonder why I'm not being elected into a Hall of Fame somewheres for attending and graduating from High School, College, MBA, and trying to support a family every day.
Crap, so he showed up at the ballpark and did his job every day. whatever!
Now I need to shell out a $100 for his signature on a ball because I made the decision to collect those things. I'm an idiot.