In the past two days, the Hall of Fame ballot of 2014 just got very interesting.
On Thursday Tom Glavine officially retired, joining the Braves front office. His last game was indeed with the Rome Braves!
On Friday Frank Thomas hung up his spikes and began the process of mending any hard feelings with the White Sox. He'll have his number retired in Chicago and probably have his image painted on the outfield wall.
Neither Glavine nor Thomas played in the bigs in 2009 so their clock to Cooperstown started when the 2008 season ended... which means they will be eligible to be elected in 2014, along with Glavine's former teammate Greg Maddux (who retired at the end of 2008.)
So if you have a Hall of Fame vote in the year 2014, know that Sully Baseball is watching you.
I want to see Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux and Frank Thomas to get 100% of the vote on the first ballot.
They are all no brainers.
Glavine won 2 Cy Young Awards. (He would have won more if not for Maddux. Four other times he finished in the top 3 in the Cy Young vote. ) He won 305 games and won 20 games 5 times in an age of bullpen specialists. He pitched for 21+ seasons. And he was the MVP of the 1995 World Series, throwing 8 innings of 1 hit ball as the Braves won their only World Series in Atlanta.There is no argument against that resume. He's got the stats. He has the longevity. He's got the dominance. He's got the post season honors. And his Cy Young winning season in 1991 helped transform the laughable Braves franchise into a powerhouse.
He's a Hall of Famer. We all know it.
Maddux also has an eye popping resume.In an age when winning 300 games is supposed to be impossible, he won 355. He won 4 Cy Youngs in a row. From 1989 to 2000 he was in the top 5 of the Cy Young vote nine times.
No matter what stats you use to judge a pitcher, Maddux dominated. He consistently led the league in wins, ERA, innings pitched and won 18 Gold Gloves. When batters were juicing up, he'd post ERAs under 2.00. He had the best walks to innings pitched percentage in the league nine times. He would consistently have the best adjusted ERA+ in the league. I don't even know what that means, but it impresses me.
Who can vote against him?
And who would DARE vote against Thomas?The Big Hurt was a top 5 MVP candidate in 1991... and he was a top 5 MVP candidate in 2006. And he picked up a pair of MVPs along the way.
If you like traditional stats, he was consistently a 30-40 home run guy, driving in 100+ runs 11 times and winning a batting title. If you are more of a sabermetrics guy, then he was a big slugger who drew 100 walks 10 times. Four times he finished the season with the highest OPS and four other times finished in the top 5.
He arrived in 1990 when the White Sox were beyond irrelevant and only a few years removed from a proposed move to Tampa. In Thomas' 17 years with the White Sox, he played on 12 teams with winning records including 3 division champs. Ironically the Big Hurt was too hurt to play in the 2005 World Series, but the White Sox progression from also rans to champs began with Thomas.
And oh yeah, he also helped lead Oakland to the ALCS in 2006. And along with Griffey seems to be the only big slugger from this era who wasn't linked to PEDs, which makes his 521 homers seem even more impressive.
What possible argument could ANYONE have against these guys?
What, Maddux didn't get enough saves?
Glavine wasn't a good enough hockey player?
Thomas appeared in the movie Mr. Baseball, and you didn't like it?
No excuses.
These are three guys who put up the numbers, can be identified with a team and did it over the long haul and without major scandals.
And don't pull the whole "Hey, if Babe Ruth didn't get 100% of the vote than nobody can" nonsense.
Not to go all Susan Powter on you, but we need to stop the insanity.
The craziness that had Yogi Berra and Whitey Ford and Warren Spahn not make it on the first ballot has to stop.
The madness that got some people to NOT vote for Rickey Henderson has to end now!
If you have a vote in 2014, you WILL put these three on your ballot.
And if you left anyone of them off your ballot, your Hall of Fame voting privileges will be revoked.
By whom? BY ME!I've got 4 years to get the power. I am working on it. I already have a blog. I already know people who work in baseball.
In four years I will have enough power to examine your ballots and say "You left Maddux off. I am taking your vote away."
Four years is enough time to to gain a lot of power.
Don't believe me? When 2004 started, did you know who Barack Obama and Sarah Palin were?Didn't think so.
And my aim for power isn't quite as high as theirs.
So can we get Glavine, Maddux and Thomas in the Hall with 100% of the vote. YES WE CAN!
And is Sully watching you?
You betcha.
I hope they all do get 100%... I definitely think Maddux will... You think there is any chance that Thomas goes into the Hall as an Athletic if he doesn't mend things with the White Sox?.... I know, wishful thinking.
ReplyDeleteWesley, are you a baseball fan? First off, there is no such thing as "definitely will." You're talking about baseball writers who have NEVER, EVER, voted anyone 100% in. Not the likes of Tom Seaver, Cal Ripken, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth... NO ONE! Why on earth will these writers change things for Maddux or any of the 2014 candidates?
ReplyDeleteSecondly, the HALL makes the decision as to which team the player goes in with. So, obviously, the HOF will pick the White Sox. The player does not have a say in these matters. They are consulted, but the Hall makes the final decision.
Cheers.
KP Wee... Wes is a comedian and his A's comment must be taken with a grain of salt.
ReplyDeleteI don't care if some writers left Babe Ruth, Tom Seaver and Hank Aaron off of their lists.
The madness must end now
There used to be a sportswriter from Chicago that I'd see on some show 20 years ago (I'm sure he's dead or 110 by now) and he said that he'd never vote for anyone on the first ballot because if Babe Ruth wasn't unanimous, no one would be. I'd agree that Maddux is a no-brainer, but I know some lamebrain will leave him off.
ReplyDeleteWhat an extensive and interesting blog!
ReplyDeleteI love finding places just like this, I mean , everything related to baseball is what truly catches my attention.
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With you all the way Sully. But be prepared to use that power because you know its going to happen. Bagwell lost votes purely on suspicion this year. Have to figure some of these writers will look at Big Hurt and say, "Wow, he as big. I think he used steroids. I'm not voting for him."
ReplyDeleteI hope it doesn't happen. But have to believe that it will.
And while investigators say the murder victim is linked to a "feud,"
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