ping
Ozzie Smith belongs.
Well...
Ozzie Smith was deserving based on his defense only. But he was amazing!
Rizzuto and Rice are in only because they played for the Yankees and Red Sox.
Mazeroski and Sutter...well, ya got me.
I agree with all 5. Nowadays, Hall of Fame selection has become watered down in all sports. I would say more than 60% tody are only deserving of membership in the Hall of Really Good.
No scooter how come? Munson should be there.
Andre Dawson.
If he's a Sutter he's supposed to be playing hockey.
Rabbit Maranville.
BS Click bait.
From the article:
“Rizzuto, better known today for a mention in the movie Billy Madison than his actual playing career, was a first baseman for the New York Yankees in the 1940s and 1950s.”
Everybody’s allowed a careless mistake or two, but it’s tough to take anybody seriously if they don’t even know Rizzuto was a shortstop. Heck, all I did during that era was hate the Yankees, and even I knew he played short. And that’s partly relevant because his slash line would be anemic for a first-baseman, but not that awful for a shortstop with a good glove.
Holy cow!
Hall of Fame for anything, rock-n-roll, baseball, etc., are all about money and politics.
Anyone paying attention to that pop-culture crap is a gullible idiot. Watch games and shows and enjoy the entertainment, that’s all it is. Nothing more.
I remember talking baseball and the hall of fame in years past. And I used to tell people, some players being elected were clearly deserving, such as Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron. And I thought that if you have to get into some big discussions and argue and parse statistics and such with some players, then such players don’t really deserve being in the hall of fame.
Is the hall of fame for the all time greats,or should we also honor a lot of very good players who aren’t all time greats?
I figure the 75% vote threshold is a good limit. If we don’t see an overwhelming vote of support for a player as shown in a 75% + vote, then you have to question if he really belongs.
In baseball, I consider a player to be a legitimate Hall of Fame contender if he meets one or both of the following descriptions:
1. He was one of the best at his position over a decade or more.
2. He was a dominant player for a shorter period but was at the top of his game for so long that he put up impressive career totals.
Ozzie Smith doesn't fit the latter description but he definitely fits the first. The case against Smith is more of a case against the nature of the shortstop position over much of baseball history than anything else. Personally, I find it hard to overlook a guy who was clearly one of the best shortstops in the game for 12-15 years, with 13 consecutive Gold Gloves and 15 All-Star Game appearances to show for it.
If I was a member of the Hall of Fame selection committee I would hold off on voting for any candidate who played a role that has unfolded over time and doesn't have a long list of players that serve as good points of comparison. You're seeing this now with the designated hitter, and you'll see it even more with pitchers as relievers who are NOT closers become more and more important in the game.
The NFL went through a period like this with tight ends. It was a long time before the first one was inducted, and there are only eight of them in the Pro Football Hall of Fame today.
I believe Smith and Sutter belong. Ozzie simply the best defensive player at his position I ever saw. Sutter won a Cy Young and led his league in saves 5 times.
Nice to have a baseball thread again.
Spring training starts next month!
I was a Yankee fan when I was a kid, and collected baseball cards. Phil Rizzuto was a great player.
Ozzie Smith could cover two acres in his early to mid 80s prime. Sure, he had zero power but he could get on base and move the runner to second as one of the best bunters of his era. I don’t question his presence at all.
Jim Rice had a great year in 1978 and hit a lot of long home runs over the Green Monster. His defense was average at best and he struck out way too much, as sluggers tend to do. He does not belong in Cooperstown in my opinion.
Ditto Bruce Sutter, some good years and a couple of near-great years coming out of the bullpen but his control got away from him and he hung around too long playing mediocre ball for mediocre teams. It’s a toss up here.
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