Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Gwynn, Ripken elected to Hall of Fame (McGwire isn't)
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/hof07/news/story?id=2725461 ^

Posted on 01/09/2007 11:14:51 AM PST by mainepatsfan

Gwynn, Ripken elected to Hall of Fame

ESPN.com news services

NEW YORK -- Mark McGwire fell far short in his first try for the Hall of Fame, picked by 23.5 percent of voters while Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. easily gained baseball's highest honor.

Tarnished by accusations of steroid use, McGwire appeared on 128 of a record 545 ballots in voting released Tuesday by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

Ripken was picked by 537 voters, appearing on 98.5 percent of ballots, falling just short of the record percentage of 98.84 set by Tom Seaver when he was selected on 425 of 430 ballots in 1992.

Gwynn was just behind with 532 votes, 97.6 percent.

Goose Gossage was third with 71.2 percent of the vote, falling just short of the 75 percent needed.

The induction will take place July 29 in Cooperstown.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

(Excerpt) Read more at sports.espn.go.com ...


TOPICS: Sports
KEYWORDS:
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-69 last
Are Ripken and Gwynn eligible to take part in next month's Vets Cmte. election? Or must they wait until they are formally inducted, which means they must wait until 2009 to take part in the VC election, which is biennial?

ff

61 posted on 01/10/2007 4:18:10 AM PST by foreverfree
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Caaaaal-e-brate good times, come on!

(Sorry, I saw a pun in there. :-))

ff

62 posted on 01/10/2007 4:25:23 AM PST by foreverfree
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

And lest I forget...

Come on without, come on within.

We di'n't see nothing like the migh-ty Gwynn.

(Sorry, Mr. Dylan.)

ff

63 posted on 01/10/2007 4:26:52 AM PST by foreverfree
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: mainepatsfan
I agree. Rice was one of those odd players who was a dominant player on a good team, but didn't play long enough to put up big career numbers. I would put Milwaukee's Cecil Cooper -- another great player from that era -- in the same category.

I think Rice also hurt himself in this regard by steering clear of the media spotlight as much as possible (if I remember correctly). It's almost like he was a dominant -- but quiet -- player in his prime.

64 posted on 01/10/2007 6:20:53 AM PST by Alberta's Child (Can money pay for all the days I lived awake but half asleep?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: TravisBickle
In one respect, among position players Gwynn is the closest thing this era will get to a legendary "throw-back" player in the mold of Ruth, Mays, etc. He didn't get a lot of attention because he played in a small market and didn't play on any championship teams, but when you look at his numbers you realize just how (quietly) dominant his was throughout his career.

His .338 career batting average is #20 on the all-time list -- and everyone above him on that list is either a mythical, legendary figure from the past (e.g., Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, etc.) or a player whose career pre-dated the modern age of baseball (post-1900).

65 posted on 01/10/2007 6:31:29 AM PST by Alberta's Child (Can money pay for all the days I lived awake but half asleep?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: commish
I wouldn't have voted for McGwire even if there was no suspicion of steroid use in his past. In all the publicity about his record-breaking 1998 season and subsequent controversy in Major League Baseball involving performance-enhancing drugs, one thing that gets overlooked is that McGwire was not an exceptional ballplayer by any stretch.

He put up great power numbers in his career and played on some good teams, but his "steroid-induced" performance in the late 1990s basically resurrected what had been a pretty decent -- but not great -- career. He was hampered by injuries much of the time, was a mediocre fielder at best, and his lifetime batting average of .263 (which -- unlilke most players -- was inflated at the end of his career and would have been lower if he had retired five years earlier) wasn't Hall of Fame material at all.

In fact, at no time in his career would I have considered McGwire one of the top ten players in the game of baseball -- and to me, this is a minimum qualification for a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

66 posted on 01/10/2007 6:39:27 AM PST by Alberta's Child (Can money pay for all the days I lived awake but half asleep?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: mainepatsfan
McGwire's legacy?


67 posted on 01/10/2007 7:58:30 AM PST by The G Man (The NY Times did "great harm to the United States" - President George W. Bush 6/26/06)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: mainepatsfan; GB

So let me get this straight -- Mark McGuire doesn't make the Hall because of steroid accusations. Yet Dale Murphy, the 2-time MVP who led the 1980's in total bases despite playing for the horrible Atlanta Braves, doesn't get in. Again. Yes, Murphy trailed off towards the end of his career, but for six years he was the second best hitter in the National League (behind Mike Schmidt). Plus, you won't find a better character in baseball.

Just my two cents of course, from a die-hard fan of the Murph.


68 posted on 01/10/2007 3:05:03 PM PST by MikeD (We live in a world where babies are like velveteen rabbits that only become real if they are loved.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MikeD

Murphy's stats, except for home runs, are below Rice's, but I think he's still in the same boat as Rice. He was great, but he may not have been great long enough to seal the deal for Hall of Fame status.


69 posted on 01/11/2007 7:36:18 AM PST by GB
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 68 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-69 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson