"So what they provided, for those of us who take every Hall of Fame ballot as seriously as our tax returns, was a rare opportunity -- to direct a fresh look in the direction of some of those tough-call candidates who have been making our heads hurt for years.
Because we don't get overwhelmed by new candidates in years like this, we have a chance to reconsider old ones. And in the case of this particular voter, that wound up leading me to cast a vote for a player I've resisted for eight agonizing years -- Blyleven."
Jayson Stark claims to take his Hall of Fame ballot seriously, yet he also claims that he was overwhelmed by new candidates for the past eight years.
Bery Blyleven couldn't get his vote because, I guess, he was so distracted by Ryne Sandberg or Nolan Ryan. He was overwhelmed.
In an attempt to understand the life of a HOF voter, I have provided the following links, just as an example of the grueling work they must endure:
Nolan Ryan: 324 wins, 292 losses, 5,714 strikeouts. He was a pitcher. Seven no-hitters, if that helps.
Ryne Sandberg: .285, 282 homeruns, 1,061 rbis. He was a second baseman. Ten all-star games and nine gold gloves if that helps.
That was strenuous, wasn't it? I had to surf the 'Net for a little while. It seems to me like most of the work has already been done.
Everywhere I look, Blyleven's HOF candidacy is supposedly strengthened because this year's ballot is relatively weak. This makes no sense even to the most casual observer.
The voters reveal themselves as nothing more than flip-floppers or guys just looking for shomeone to shove up onto the podium next July:
"I don't think that makes me a flip-flopper, or a guy just looking for someone to shove up onto the podium next July. It simply reinforced my conviction that my favorite part of being a Hall of Fame voter is that it teaches me so much about players I didn't cover or players I saw just a little in their primes."
That's a touching personal reflection, but the problem is, Bert Blyleven didn't throw a single pitch in the last eight seasons. He didn't strengthen his candidacy in any way. He may have raised awareness of his candidacy and he may have garnered some high-profile supporters, such as Bill James. But if Jayson Stark really thinks Blyleven's a Hall of Famer, then he should have voted for him eight years ago.
Honestly? Determining a player's HOF credentials is really not that difficult.
1 comment:
Forget about Clemens and Gossage and whether or not they wear Yankee caps on their plaque. I hope Reardon wears a Yankee cap on his plaque.
Oh, and Lee Smith, too.
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