A Bust In The Hall Of Fame
Morris had a 254-186 career, with a 3.90 ERA and almost 2500 strikeouts. He was consistently one of the top pitchers in the league for over a decade. I think he deserves his shot.
Trammell seems even less likely to get in, but I think deserves it more. A shortstop with four Gold Gloves, he had 2365 hits with a lifetime batting average of .285, including seven seasons at .300 or above. He and second baseman Lou Whitaker turned more double plays than any combo ever. He was also the heart of the team. Bill James rates Trammell as one of the top ten shortstops of all time.
Does the lack of such players make the Hall better, or worse?
PS In sports-related news, we're not a week into the new year and already my predictions are coming true: Coach Rich Rod has been fired. Phase One is complete. Alas, they don't yet know who his replacement will be.
posted by LAGuy @ 12:25 AM
5 Comments:
Well if Blyleven goes in, Morris deserves to go in. Problem is Blyleven didn't deserve to go in. Got it for longevity only. Lost 17 games 3 separate occasion (including during his only 20 win season). Was a key piece of two WS winners (won 12 games for the 79 Bucs) but not the star on either team. Admittedly "quit" during 1980 season and got the nickname "Cryleven" and was traded for scrap by the defending champs
As much as I booed Pete Rose at 3 Rivers Stadium and think he's an ass- the HOF is meaningless without him in it. (Even more meaningless when the now outraged but then enabling, willingly-blind-eyed BBWAA writers don't vote in the Steroid dudes)
NE, I agree on the steroid all-stars. Every baseball era has its particular attributes, and while that makes it difficult to compare players across eras, it doesn't mean we shouldn't recognize the greatest accomplishments of each era independently.
In every era, baseball players have done everything they could think of to try and get an edge. Most of the things they try don't actually help (like corking a bat), but may give someone a mental advantage (a placebo effect). A guy like Mark McGuire was no more cheating using steroids than Mickey Mantle was by taking uppers. It was just "lucky" for him that steroids really did make a difference.
And I agree with MLB banning steroid use - the line should be drawn where the edge entails serious physical damage to the player. But there is no question life-long baseball playing often wracks up people's backs and knees. The players make these choices all the times, just as people in other professions make sacrifices.
Blyleven was better and pitched longer than Morris did. He was on some pretty bad teams for many years while Morris was on better teams. He had the best curve in baseball; Morris had the best moustache. Nonetheless, I'd say yes to Morris and no to Trammell. This place is for the best of the best not the nearly best of the best. Tram was steady as a rock and clutch, but not outstanding enough at anything.
As far as taking credit for predicting that RichRod would get fired, that would be like taking credit for predicting that the Bachelor would have claimed that he has "changed" prior to viewing the show or that the sun will rise.
a tiger fan who watches kimmel
They've already got a bunch of nearly the best. There's at least ten shortstops in the Hall who are weaker than Trammell.
mazeroski, reese, and ozzie smith do not belong and neither does tram
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