O/T 2012 Hall of fame. your vote?

[Bobsbats]

Larkin ~ in
Morris ~ in
L.Smith ~ in
Bagwell ~ no

I have a question...why is Albert Belle NOT in the HOF ? I hope it's not because he was a jerk. To my knowledge he was never impimplicated in BALCO.
His numbers are HOF worthy, but nothing.... I was told by a member of the HOF staff that he isn't on the ballot because he didn't receive the minimum percentage...????? That's nuts if it's true. His 12Yr. Career averages .295 40 hr. 130 Rbi's ....if not implicated in Roids...its ridiculous that he is not in.

After looking at the numbers, if anyone from from the Steroid era should get in,
R. Palmerio has the numbers...but he won't get in.

[novakjr]

Originally Posted by Bobsbats

Larkin ~ in
Morris ~ in
L.Smith ~ in
Bagwell ~ no

I have a question...why is Albert Belle NOT in the HOF ? I hope it's not because he was a jerk. To my knowledge he was never impimplicated in BALCO.
His numbers are HOF worthy, but nothing.... I was told by a member of the HOF staff that he isn't on the ballot because he didn't receive the minimum percentage...????? That's nuts if its true.

After looking at the numbers, if anyone from from the Steroid era should get in,
R. Palmerio has the numbers...but he won't get in.

As far as Albert goes. They say the minimum years to be eligible is 10, getting in with the minimum time is for extreme cases. I'm actually a huge advocate of getting Albert into the Hall, but I don't think it'll ever happen. As far as Albert's number are concerned, he had one of the better 9 year stretches that I can remember in recent history, and had there not been a bit of a fall off in that 10th full season, it would be easy to argue that his career was shortened by injury.. But unfortunately his 2000 season was just downhill enough that people can try to claim that he was done.. Right or wrong, he was kind of a d!ck, and it just fuels people even more to make excuses against him..

Now just for comparison, Belle had 389 HR's and 1239 RBI's, while Edgar had 309 HR's and 1261 RBI's, Belle also did so in 500 less games.. Also for comparison, Pujols currently has 120 more games than Belle, with 438 and 1306..

162 game averages
Pujols- 43, 127
Belle- 40, 130
Edgar- 24, 99
Griffey- 38, 111
Thomas- 36, 119
Mantle- 36,102
Mays- 26, 103
Aaron-37, 113
A-Rod-43, 128
T. Williams- 37, 130
Sosa-42, 115
McGwire-50, 122
Thome-40, 110

[FrankWakefield]

As a kid in the early 60s, I recall getting my first real baseball book, My Greatest Day in Baseball, by John Carmichael. Obviously, it was what would now be thought of as an old edition. Those old guys were ballplayers. I think it is something in us that makes us want to have seen some superstar in our times that is the modern equivalent of Ruth, Johnson, Mathewson, Gehrig, Young, Lajoie, Speaker, Cobb, Waddell or Wagner. But the truth is that the guys we see today, and those we saw 5 years ago, for the most part, have no business being compared to those ten. Most modern stars aren't worthy of carrying their jock straps to the laundry room.

We want to have seen superstars too... and that drive is what's put the screws to the Hall. Imagine that if we all went to baseball heaven, where there are 4 fields adjacent to each other, with bp being pitched on each field, and the 4 players who are taking their cuts on those 4 fields are Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Gary Carter, and Kirby Puckett... to which fields will the true fanatics of baseball flock? And which 2 fields will have empty seats immediately behind the plate?

I've not looked at a modern edition of My Greatest Day in Baseball, but I'm sure that it would have modern players in it. Belle, Larkin, Martinez, Morris were really good players, but they fall far short of my concept of what a Hall of Famer should be. My concept is evidently in the minority (which doesn't necessarily mean it's wrong) because a bunch of merely very good ballplayers have already made it into the Hall. So I think it is getting close to the point of being meaningless... screw it, let everyone who made it to the majors into the Hall (excepting Rose and the other banned guys). And for good measure, anyone who didn't make it up but was there for spring training 3 seasons or more, put them in too. And the horses they rode in on.

[Wite3]

Please put Hodges in...he would have been a sure HOFer if not for the move to Los Angeles...his years at the LA Coliseum killed his stats. Huge drop off due to the dimensions of the Los Angeles parks...

Santo as well...

Sherry Magee as well...

Yes, to Morris and Larkin but would not be unhappy if they did not make it.
NO to everyone else.

j