[Bluestateredman]

An Article on the lighter side today. When compared to the juicers of today with their inflated numbers, Jim "Ed" Rice clearly belongs in the HOF. Another case of the media sticking it to someone who wouldn't play their games.

[Onerom99]

Yep. Rice was great. Loved seeing him stick it to the mainstream leeches.

[Mr_Moonlight]

"There was a day when 40 home runs was a lot of home runs."

Yep, that was the standard of a true slugger, and Jim Rice was one of 'em ... he should be in the Hall of Fame.

(and I'm a Yankee fan !)

[#1CTYankee]

Jim Rice was a great ball player, his power numbers would have been much higher if the Red Sox batting coach hadn't messed with his swing.

Rice always impressed me by how strong he was, how many batters broke bats on check swings without hitting the ball.

[NonValueAdded]

Jim Ed HDP Rice is his full name, IIRC. Just kidding, sort of. Jim Ed gave us some great years and many fond memories. He just stayed on a year or two too long.

[Zuben Elgenubi]

He had 406 total bases, which at the time was surpassed just 15 times in baseball history.

This accomplishment alone should qualify Rice. You look at the 15 prior men to acheive 400 total bases in a season. Besides this, he had great career statistics.

400 Total Bases in a Season

American League
Year	Player	Team	1B	2B	3B	HR	TB
1921	Babe Ruth	NYY	85	44	16	59	457
1927	Lou Gehrig	NYY	101	52	18	47	447
1932	Jimmie Foxx	PHI	113	33	9	58	438
1930	Lou Gehrig	NYY	120	42	17	41	419
1937	Joe DiMaggio	NYY	119	35	15	46	418
1927	Babe Ruth	NYY	95	29	8	60	417
1931	Lou Gehrig	NYY	119	31	15	46	410
1934	Lou Gehrig	NYY	115	40	6	49	409
1978	Jim Rice	BOS	127	25	15	46	406
1936	Hal Trotsky	CLE	120	45	9	42	405
1933	Jimmie Foxx	PHI	110	37	9	48	403
1936	Lou Gehrig	NYY	112	37	7	49	403
National League
Year	Player	Team	1B	2B	3B	HR	TB
1922	Rogers Hornsby	STL	148	46	14	42	450
1930	Chuck Klein	PHI	143	59	8	40	445
1948	Stan Musial	STL	127	46	18	39	429
2001	Sammy Sosa	CHI	86	34	5	64	425
1930	Hack Wilson	CHI	111	35	6	56	423
1932	Chuck Klein	PHI	123	50	15	38	420
2001	Luis Gonzalez	ARI	98	36	7	57	419
1930	Babe Herman	BKN	147	48	11	35	416
1998	Sammy Sosa	CHI	112	20	0	66	416
2001	Barry Bonds	SF	49	32	2	73	411
1929	Rogers Hornsby	CHI	135	47	8	39	409
1997	Larry Walker	COL	109	46	4	49	409
1937	Joe Medwick	STL	140	56	10	31	406
1929	Chuck Klein	PHI	125	45	6	43	405
2000	Todd Helton	COL	113	59	2	42	405
2001	Todd Helton	COL	92	54	2	49	402
1959	Hank Aaron	MIL	131	46	7	39	400

[SamAdams76]

In 1983 or 1984, I went to a California Angels game in Anaheim when they played the Red Sox. I was in the Marines then. After the game, me and a couple of other Marines hung around the stadium - not in a particular hurry to get back to the base at Camp Pendleton. Suddenly, Jim Rice and Reggie Jackson come out of the ballpark together and Rice hung back by the exit while Reggie went out into the parking lot. As we walked by, we said hello but he was stone cold and didn't even acknowledge our presence. Within a minute, Reggie pulled up in some flashy sports car and Rice jumped in and they burned some rubber going wherever they were going.

All the same, Rice deserves to be in the HOF. I spent many a day at Fenway Park during the late 1970s watching him destroy the baseball. He was as hard a hitter as I ever saw and pitchers feared him. He was strong too. One time he checked his swing and his bat broke.

[MikeD]

No doubt — Jim Rice, Burt Blyleven, Goose Gossage, and Dale Murphy* belong in the Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, their numbers are overshadowed by steroids, smaller parks, and smaller called strike zones.

*Yes, I know I’m a broken record on the Murphy thing. However, how can you keep out a guy who was a two-time MVP, seven time All-Star, two time HR champ, two time RBI champ, a 30-30 club member, and a five time Golden Glove winner? Not to mention that he played in over 700 consecutive games, many of them for the horrendous 1980’s Atlanta Braves. He was the player with the most total bases in the 1980s (ahead of HOF members Mike Schmidt and Eddie Murray), and was second in HRs in the 80s to Schmidt, and second in RBI to Murray. Once you factor in his charity work and his impeccable character, it’s a no brainer.