Ten Hall of Fame Thoughts

Another year another name in the Hall of Fame and more thoughts from me.

1. Barry Larkin isn't sexy, but he's worthy.

Actually Barry Larkin is a handsome guy, so maybe someone DOES think he's sexy.

But it isn't like when Reggie Jackson or Rickey Henderson or Cal Ripken got into the Hall of Fame where there was a national buzz.

It probably would be a more exciting day if he had been elected with Blyleven and Alomar last year, but hey. Larkin deserves it. He was a great player who nobody seems to have a bad word about him. Maybe after sharing the spotlight with Ozzie Smith and Cal Ripken then later Alex Rodriguez, Nomar Garciaparra and Derek Jeter it is appropriate that Larkin has the stage to himself.

2. Tim Salmon got two votes? Really?

There were a few players who got more than one vote and they fascinate me more than the ones with one vote. Both Eric Young and Javy Lopez got a single vote and chances are they were from a sports writer who liked them and tipped the proverbial cap to those players.

But 6 put Vinny Castilla on there? 5 put Salmon? 4 put Bill Mueller? 2 said "Brad Radke belongs in the Hall of Fame?"

One of these years someone will be voted in with those sympathy votes and I will laugh like hell.

3. No votes for Ruben Sierra...

Sierra doesn't belong in the Hall of Fame. His career came way short. But you'd think if someone could put Brad Radke's name on their ballot then someone would rustle up a sympathy vote for a man who for a time truly was an elite player.

For a stretch he was a legit MVP candidate (and probably could have beaten Robin Yount for the 1989 AL MVP.)

Sierra himself has acknowledged that he squandered some of his talent but the one time Diva became one of the games good guys by the end of his career. Not enough for Cooperstown, but odd that he didn't get an Eric Young pity vote.

4. If Jack Morris gets in next year, they should put his plaque next to Jim Rice's

Seriously, other than Don Sutton, Phil Rizzuto and Bill Mazeroski, I haven't such vitriol for a Hall of Fame case than Jack Morris and Jim Rice.

I've supported both and I admit that I am biased. They impressed me as a kid and I want to believe the great players from my youth are worthy to stand shoulder to shoulder with Hank Aaron, Stan Musial and Sandy Koufax.

Yeah yeah yeah, I understand the arguments against him. I'm still rooting for him. He's inching closer but has only 2 more chances. The showdown will be the next two years.

If he gets in, but his plaque next to Rice so their detractors can get all of their anger out at once.

5. We are going to be nostalgic for the Jack Morris and Jim Rice debates next year.

With those two people compare stats, memories, new stats, traditional stats and it is a rational (if passionate) argument.

Next year? We have the man who holds the single season and All Time home run record on the ballot. We have the man with more Cy Young Awards than anyone in history. We have one man who broke Roger Maris' mark joining the other man. And the ballot also includes a member of the 3,000 hit and 500 home run club! It should be one of the greatest classes in baseball history. And it is going to SUCK!

What bigger names bring up the ugly head of Steroids more than Clemens, Bonds, Sosa, McGwire and Palmeiro. It's a Mount Rushmore of juicers. (Yeah, Mount Rushmore has only 4 heads, but they broke THAT record as well.

The debate will turn away from stats (they all have stats that are worthy) and to if they are worthy. It is going to be a sea of "Not Fun!"

Trust me, you'll become nostalgic for Jack Morris' ERA.

6. It's a shame Juan Gonzalez fell off the ballot

I don't think he belongs in the Hall of Fame. Under normal circumstances, his 2 MVP awards would be compelling but the needles found on his trip to Toronto are more interesting to voters.

So why is it a shame he's off the ballot?

It would have been nice to see McGwire, Sosa, Bonds, Clemens, Palmeiro and Gonzalez on the ballot together.

It would be a Mitchell Report reunion.

7. You will hear "Back Acne" and "Friends with Ken Caminiti" more than you want to next year.

Mike Piazza will be on the ballot. Jeff Bagwell is returning to the ballot. Normally they'd be preparing their speeches, but the whispers of PEDs for both of them might prevent their induction.

Think that's unfair? Perhaps. But remember how the likes of McGwire, Clemens, Bonds and Sosa were celebrated? Remember how Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Andy Pettitte and Alex Rodriguez all got standing ovations?

This is the pendulum swinging the other way. The voters want to make sure they don't have to deal with the specter of putting a guy in and THEN finding out he's a juicer. If Jim Rice and Bert Blyleven can wait a decade and a half, then so can some of these guys.

8. My endorsement of Alan Trammell didn't amount to crap

I thought I had more pull in the baseball world.

I said that I believe he is a Hall of Famer and he gets a measly 36.8% of the vote?

He only has 4 more ballots to pick up 38.2% of the vote in order to get him over the top.

I better get some more power for next year.

9. Tim Raines would be a nice protest vote next year

I am a big Raines supporter and his bandwagon is growing bit by bit. But with all the steroid users on the next ballot, Raines would be a perfect middle finger to the juicers.

Think about it. You are actually saying "You'd have been better off doing cocaine!"

I wonder if his stolen base total was inflated because he was on coke.

10. Lee Smith was on more than half of the ballots.

I didn't just make that up. More than half of the writers said "YES" to Lee Smith in Cooperstown.

He has 5 more chances to add 25% to his vote total. Has there EVER been a candidate with this many votes who has this low a profile candidacy?

I hear more debating over Edgar Martinez and Alan Trammell who can't even bust 40% than Smith who has a majority of the writers approval.

Yet I don't know ANYONE who thinks he's a Hall of Famer and trust me, I know a lot of baseball fans.

It's an odd candidacy to be sure.

So there you have it.

Another year and another vote. Bernie Williams is the only new name coming back and Dale Murphy has his final go round next year.

Be prepared... next year is going to be a bumpy ride.

CONGRATS BARRY LARKIN!

Lots to write about but first and foremost, Barry Larkin deserves it.

Steady, sometimes overlooked but a great player.

And now the 1990 Reds have a Hall of Famer.

Great job voters. Looking forward to the Summer.

The 2012 Sully Baseball Hall of Fame ballot

I don't have a Hall of Fame vote. That is a tragedy. Someday that will be changed. But for now all I can do is type from my blog and say who I WOULD vote for if I had a ballot.

Not one of the 13 new names on the ballot should be back on next year. No offense to Tim Salmon, Javy Lopez, Bernie Williams, Terry Mulholland, Ruben Sierra et al. They had wonderful careers but none of them came close to a Hall of Fame career.

(Bernie Williams for a stretch was an elite player, as was Sierra. But they didn't have the resume.)

There are some names on the ballot who were great for a stretch but not enough for the Hall (Sorry Dale Murphy and Don Mattingly.)

Some who were really good but not quite immortal level (Sorry Fred McGriff and Larry Walker.)

And there are the specialists who just missed my ballot but I will listen to the arguments pros and cons (Sorry Edgar Martinez and Lee Smith.)

And yeah, I went there before and I'll go there again... Jeff Bagwell smells fishy to me. His transformation just sounds too familiar to me. Blame McGwire if you don't like it.

So who WOULD I have on the ballot?

BARRY LARKIN
He could do it all and did it with class and dignity. An MVP, a great hitter and terrific defender, he was the National League's best shortstop for a decade.

JACK MORRIS
I know he isn't getting in, yet I still turn on the light for his eligibility. I understand the stats against him and yet I'd still want him starting a big game over several other Hall of Famers. I am sure my support for him means a lot to Morris.

TIM RAINES
An elite player for a Hell of a lot longer than most of you remember. He deserves to get in.

ALAN TRAMMELL
As I said earlier, his resume is virtually identical to Larkin's.


I think only Larkin will get the call tomorrow.
The other three deserve that call.
I have no control on the matter... yet.

Sully Baseball endorses Alan Trammell for the Hall of Fame

Barry Larkin is almost certain to be elected to the Hall of Fame in about a week. He was the best National League shortstop for a decade. He was a Cincinnati native who spent his whole career with the Reds (not really a Hall of Fame factor but makes for an uncluttered plaque.)

A former MVP, winner of 9 Silver Sluggers, 3 Gold Gloves, he had a lifetime .815 OPS with power, speed and help lead the Reds to the 1990 World Series title.

And yet Alan Trammell has virtually the same resume and is considered a long shot at best.

Each played roughly the same amount of games.

Larkin - 2,180

Trammell - 2,293

Each hit close to the same amount of homers (with Larkin playing in a more home run friendly stretch.)

Larkin - 198

Trammell - 185

Their OPS+ were right around the same level

Larkin - 116

Trammell - 110

Both won multiple Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers.

Trammell would have matched Larkin's MVP if the voters went with him instead of George Bell like many thought they should have in 1987.

Both had a solid 6 or 7 year peak in the center of their career.

And Trammell, along with Cal Ripken, transformed the shortstop position from an All Field No Hit position to a power one, paving the way for Barry Larkin and the great shortstops of the 1990s and 2000s.

I still don't understand WAR, but only 68 non pitchers have a higher WAR all time than Trammell. Right behind him are Hall of Famers Eddie Murray and Pee Wee Reese.

If I ever get around to figuring out WAR, that will impress the Hell out of me.

But his World Series MVP in 1984 and his cameo on Magnum P.I. impressed me enough to give him a second, third and fourth look.

Larkin deserves a spot in the Hall. As does Tim Raines. I've always been a big fan of Trammell's Tiger teammate Jack Morris but I am resigned to the fact that he won't get in.

But I hope Trammell gets some votes and some momentum. The next bunch of years will be some of the least fun ballots in Hall of Fame history.

Bonds and Clemens will be on soon and mixing it up with Rafael Palmeiro, Mark McGwire et al to make for some awful "Should steroid users be in the Hall?" debates.

Maybe someone like Trammell can benefit from that. A guy to vote for while that ugliness is going on.

And if so, take a look at his career.

It is no charity case.

It's a compelling one.

The Sully Baseball HALL OF FAME BALLOT...2010

I admit, I am a lenient Hall of Fame voter. I am rough on some (sorry Lee Smith. You were an elite closer but you bombed in the post season… sorry Dale Murphy, you were an MVP and a class act but you didn’t do it long enough.)

But I also like to honor lots of players AND I like to see them voted in on the first ballot.

Writers can vote for as many as 10 and as few as zero.
I guess it is necessary to say as few as zero because no doubt there are writers would love to vote some players OUT of the Hall.

I can never understand how someone can be mad about someone being voted in… but I digress.

I know not all of these players are getting in tomorrow. Chances are only 1 or 2 will. But let’s just say I wouldn’t have a problem with any of these names being announced tomorrow at 10 AM Pacific Time.

ROBERTO ALOMAR… for 11 years he was no doubt about it the best second baseman in the game. And for many of those years he was in the conversation for MVP.

10 Gold Gloves reflected his defensive ability.

His four Silver Sluggers showed what he could do with the bat.

He had power (just ask Dennis Eckersley in the 1992 ALCS). He had speed (40th All Time in Stolen Bases) and he came up big in the post season.



BERT BLYLEVEN… one of the best strikeout pitchers of all time. He did it over the long haul, had post season heroics for two World Series winners and came up 13 wins short of 300 (but I broke that down.)

Put him in.







ANDRE DAWSON… A Gold Glover 8 times. An MVP with power and speed and one of the elites in the game for over a decade.

And oh yeah, he did it without having his body suddenly change shape when he turned 35.








BARRY LARKIN… Like Alomar, he did a little bit of everything for the long haul. He won an MVP, Gold Gloves, Silver Sluggers and a World Series Title.

He began his elite status in the 1980s and carried it through into the new millennium.

And unlike Alomar, he stayed put. The hometown hero was a Red for life.




JACK MORRIS… the bulldog ace of the 1980s with 5 top 5 Cy Young finishes.

Won 7 of his first 8 post season decisions and threw possibly the greatest Game 7 in World Series history with his 10 inning shutout masterpiece. Was his ERA higher than you’d want it to be?
Sure.

But he was the #1 starter for three World Series winners and the guy you’d want on the mound in the big game.



DAVE PARKER… I admit the Cobra’s chances are fading, but I remain a supporter.

He had a stretch in his career where he was no doubt about it the best all around offensive player in the National League.

A batting champ, an OPS leader, an RBI leader, a Gold Glove winner multiple times over, an MVP (with 4 other top 5 finishes).

Plus he was a key player on one World Series winner (1979) and the stable veteran on another (1989.)


TIM RAINES… Possibly the most underrated player of his era as he played North of the border in his prime.

A batting champ, he was the National League’s answer to Rickey Henderson for many years. He stole 70 bases six straight years, had power and was always among the league leader in on base percentage (what you want from a lead off hitter).

Cleaned up from his drug problems, he became an elder leader on two World Series winners in New York. He deserves it.


I am still mulling over Edgar Martinez… and while I mull I hope he makes it to next year when I can cast a fake ballot then too.