Today Los Angeles Dodgers
Baseball writer Ken Gurnick made it known that he would not be voting for Greg
Maddux’s induction into the Hall of Fame (Sixteen others did the same). Ken selected only one person
for Cooperstown, Jack Morris. Jack Morris is an all-star pitcher, five times
over. He Ranks 43rd all time for wins (245) and had an ERA of 3.90.
He also had three 20+ win seasons. Jack Morris is not Greg Maddux.
By comparison Maddux was an eight-time
all-star had 355 career wins (eighth all time). Maddux was a Cy Young award
winner in 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1995. Twice the Cy Young vote was unanimous.
Morris was never a Cy Young
winner. My intent is not to compare these two pitchers. It is obvious that Greg
Maddux is a first ballot Hall of Fame inductee. I don’t even want to discuss
Jack Morris’ potential place in Cooperstown. I want to express my absolute
frustration that writers like Ken Gurnick have the opportunity cast a vote that
will forever enshrine an individual in baseball history and they pass.
Major League Baseball
establishes which players are eligible to be elected to the Hall of Fame. From
those eligible a voter may choose a minimum of one and up to ten players to be
selected. It’s very simple. Pick the best. If there are ten players in your
opinion who should be in the Hall of Fame, vote for ten. If there is only one
player, vote for that player. If a player receives a votes from 75% or greater
he gets to make a speech in upstate New York.
I am tired of entitled
elitist baseball writers deciding that the Hall of Fame voting should be anything
other than the greatest eligible players. Hall of Fame voters have a very
simple decision. Vote for the best, up to ten if you want. Yet time and time
again baseball writers have failed miserably to do the one thing that should be
an absolute no brainer. There have been players that without question are
unanimous Hall of Fame inductees. If you go back to those voters and ask them
if the truly great ones should be in Cooperstown they would say absolutely.
Here are just some examples
of whom I believe are, without any dispute, first ballot, unanimous, please,
please allow us to use your likeness on HOF memorabilia inductees.
Nolan Ryan 5714 strikeouts 7
no hitters, 61 shutouts 2 time MVP: 98.8% voted him into the Hall of Fame (in
the writers’ defense he was the highest percentage ever).
Ricky Henderson 1406 stolen
bases (all time leader), 2295 runs (all time leader), and 297 homeruns: 94.8%
of voters approved.
Sandy Koufax 12 year career
165 wins 87 losses an ERA of 2.76 1963 NL MVP, three time unanimous Cy Young Winner,
86.87% said he was good enough to share a place with Jim Rice and Barry Larkin.
Then there’s my favorite. It
took him four times to get enshrined in Cooperstown. In fact his first eligible
year he received only one vote (.4% of total votes, which by today’s standard,
5% is required for any future consideration to be placed on the ballot) In
thirteen years he had 361 homeruns, 2214 hits, a .325 batting average was a
thirteen time All-Star (his entire career if your keeping score at home) he was
a three time AL MVP, won batting titles back to back in 1939 and 1940 and
played on nine World Series Championship teams. Joe DiMaggio was voted in with
88.8% of the voters deciding he was good enough for the Hall of Fame. It just breaks my heart.
Why do they do it? Is it a
sense of entitlement? Is it because they are trying to help a guy get in? Is it
because they feel the player’s career was marred with scandal?
Whatever the reason I hope
that some day a sports writer like Ken Gurnick will be asked by his grandson,
“Grandpa were able to see Greg Maddux play?” and Ken would say “I sure did. He
was the best of my generation, a four time Cy Young winner.” “Did you vote him
into the Hall of Fame Grandpa?” “No I did not. I voted for Jack Morris.” “So
you only had one vote?” “No I had ten votes, I just voted for Jack Morris.”
If I am ever given the
responsibility to decide the recipients this award I will follow one simple
rule, “Who are the ten best out there?” If you are one of the ten, you deserve
to be in. If your eligibility runs out before you make that list, I am sorry. Even
Don Mattingly, my favorite player, may not get an invite. But those who are tasked
with this very honored responsibility don’t disrespect the players and the game
of baseball with your agenda. Greg Maddux should have been a unanimous vote. In
five years I hope that we won’t see this happen with the greatest closer
baseball has ever seen. Mariano Rivera is unanimous; I just hope the baseball
writers make the right call.
Great job Chris! It's all about the power!
ReplyDelete