Hall of Fame

Rickey Henderson was the greatest leadoff hitter in the history of major league baseball, so there was very little drama in terms of whether or not he was going to get in to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot. Jim Rice, however, earned the nod on his fifteenth and final try. Rightly so for the Red Sox power hitter who's numbers can't possibly compare with some of the inflated, steroid era numbers being produced in the 1990's. Andre Dawson is a player who will be facing the same sort of distorted comparision in his quest for the Hall, although his 67% vote this year suggests he might be able to sneak in one of the next few years. Dawson was a terriffic power hitter with speed early in his career who also was equipped with a rifle for an arm in right field and won an astonishing eight gold gloves over his career with the Montreal Expos and Chicago Cubs.

Bert Blyleven on the other hand seems to be going in the opposite direction in the eyes of the voters and I can't say I neccessarily disagree. Blyleven is a classic compiler, never truly sustaining any form of dominance in either league, but instead producing an abundance of above average seasons which enhance his final numbers. He did win two World Series over his 22 year career, but appeared in only two All-Star games, never winning a Cy Young and winning 20 games only once. While Bert had a respective career, it is the Hall of Fame folks, not the Hall of Very Good. I'd argue that former Tiger, Twin and Blue Jays pitcher Jack Morris is more deserving having won four World Series, being a five time All-Star and going down as one of the great big game pitchers of all-time. Morris pitched the gem of all gems shutting out the Atlanta Braves for ten innings in Game Seven of the 1991 World Series en route to the MVP award. Sure his 3.90 era is a bit on the high side, but in terms of dominance Jack Morris was a much more feared picther than Bert Blyleven throughout their respective careers.