Posted By:
john/z28jdLet the hall of fame know,directly at this link.If so many people read this board and most have not only an interest but an outstanding knowledge of 19th century players than we should as a group be able to make a difference.
http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers_and_honorees/veterans/contact.htm
I personally wrote them and gave them a list of 10 players who i feel deserve better consideration for the Hall.Remember the veterans committee narrowed its last vote down to 25 players and Joe Wood and Carl Mays are the oldest players that have made that final 25 between the 2003 and 2005 voting.
You have to think,if these guys knew about a possible Hall of Fame spot,guys like Tony Mullane and Bobby Mathews wouldve reached that 300 win plateau that ensures their place in history. Just look at Sam Rice who finished just short of 3000 hits.When he was asked about it years after he retired he said (and im paraphrasing)"it didnt mean anything,it was just a round number,now people make a big deal about it,if i knew that i wouldve stuck around and got those last 13 hits". Whenever someone asks me about 3000 hit members i always include him in there along with that tidbit.
Other guys mightve kept playing to put up better stats or just stayed in better shape.While i really dont want to see 10 more guys thrown into the hall of fame at once i would like to see the more deserving guys get recognized.Lets see if they actually do consider our opinion important.I would take the knowledge of the games history in this vintage forum over any former group of players anyday.