Informal Hall of Fame Opinion Poll

[familytoad]

While I probably wouldn't want to kick anyone out, there are surely a few head scratchers in the HOF.

I guess since its just for fun, I cant see how Jesse Haines was elected...check out the BBWA voting numbers, although mentioned on 12 ballots over the years, Pop's very BEST year was when he garnered 22 votes of 266 cast. Most years he was way less popular.

But then the Veteran's commitee elected him in 1970 , just 33 years after his last season...somehow he got very popular during those three decades of retirement.
His 210 wins ,with three 20 win seasons are certainly not on the same level as many of the other HOF pitchers.

So, Blyleven in, Haines out...

If we don't have to go position by position...let's put in George Van Haltren whose short career as a pitcher still yielded 40 wins. His runs scored (a very important but underrated stat in my opinion) are 35th all time!

[rhettyeakley]

One thing to keep in mind here is that of all the major sports' Hall of Fame's the BBHOF is the hardest to get into. Some people IMO have no business being in the Hall (Bulkeley, Manley, etc.) but I think the BBHOF's standards are pretty high in comparison to most HOF's and there is certainly room for more deserving people in there.

There are definitely some strange inclusions and some even stranger exclusions (ex. How is Ray Schalk in but Wally Schang is not, is it because Schalk's name is before Schang's alphabetically?)

-Rhett

[Bamacollection]

I do not care who gets kicked out. But, Hodges should be in. Rose should be in. Maybe Rose should be banned as a manager, but not as a player. "The Best of The Best"...Pete Rose, Joe Jackson, and several of the other Black Sox...They were the best the game had to offer. Ozzie Smith definately deserves his place in the Hall. He did things on short that were just short of miraculous at the time. He reinvented the art of fielding. Everytime a ball was hit at him, you just knew something special was about to happen. His style left a permenant stamp on the game. In my mind, he changed the game. He should be there and it's crazy to think that someone who watched his play wouldn't agree.

[mr2686]

I thought this was interesting (although I don't agree) ...from a question and answer article with Bill James on who should not be in the Hall:
Fred Lindstrom, Jesse Haines, Tommy McCarthy, Lloyd Waner, George Kelly, Ross Youngs, Roger Bresnahan, Earle Combs, Jim Bottomley, and Chick Hafey.

[Rob D.]

Originally Posted by mr2686

I thought this was interesting (although I don't agree) ...from a question and answer article with Bill James on who should not be in the Hall:
Fred Lindstrom, Jesse Haines, Tommy McCarthy, Lloyd Waner, George Kelly, Ross Youngs, Roger Bresnahan, Earle Combs, Jim Bottomley, and Chick Hafey.

Interesting list. Good baseball men on it.

[MacDice]

OUT: All the fringe Hall of Famers who got in just because they played for the New York Yankees. NYC is not the center of the baseball world.

IN: Marvin Miller, Buck O’Neil, Joe Jackson, Pete Rose, Edgar Martinez (if a closer can get in then so should a DH).

REVOKED: I would like to see writers who let their own personal agenda get in their way when voting. It is about what they did on the filed and nothing else. NO players has gotten 100% of the votes? There are “average” Hall of Famers and then there are Hall of Fame Hall of Famers. No brainers, if you don’t vote for Babe Ruth then you should lose your vote. How can you justify not voting for a lot of these guys? Rickey Henderson? Ted Williams, etc.. the list goes on and on. In the next few years we are going to have votes not vote for a player becuase they assume that certain players took steriods even though their may not be proof.

[mr2686]

Mike, good list of people that should be in. If we don't include DH's for Hall consideration, then we should do away with that position all together. As for Buck O'neil, the Hall knows it blew it which is why they have enshrined him with the lifetime achievement award which is named after him. Much like the Hall's award for writers and broadcasters, many may feel like they are not "hall of famers" but I do...it's just a different wing.
As for Marvin Miller...totally political. He belongs in the Hall just as much as any owner or GM that ever got in.
As a side note to the post about Bill James's list of players that don't belong...I went back and compared Jim Bottomley with Tony Perez...Bottomley played 7 fewer seasons but had only about 200 less RBI's and 30 points higher in batting average, led the league in HR's once and RBI's twice...and was MVP once. Tony never led the league or was mvp..he did have more homeruns, but again, in 7 more seasons. Not sure why James would want to take out Bottomley.