Hummel: Chilling on Schilling

Contact the Hummel Exchange...if that’s what you want to do.

If you’re stumping for now dead-armed Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling as a Hall of Famer, you’re overlooking a potload of more deserving candidates. Schilling gets plenty of publicity, none of which he tries to douse, for his “Bloody Sock” game in the 2004 American League Championship Series, for his sparkling postseason record of 10-2 (he was on three World Series champions) and for his 3,000-plus strikeouts.

But, in the ultimate sport of regular-season numbers, is Schilling’s victory total of 216 more deserving than, say, the 254 of Jack Morris? Morris, if you watched Game 7 of the 1991 World Series when he pitched a 10-inning shutout for Minnesota, was a pretty good postseason pitcher, too, playing for two World Series champions. And how about Tommy John (288 wins), Bert Blyleven (287), Jim Kaat (283)? Or Orel Hershiser, a decade or so ahead of Schilling, who won 204 games and lost 149, which compares favorably to Schilling’s 216-146 mark?

What all the aforementioned have in common is that none of them is in the Hall of Fame; only Blyleven, after many elections, came reasonably close at 61.9 percent of the vote (75 percent is needed for election) last winter. Morris garnered only 42.9 percent of the vote, and John was even lower at 29.1. Kaat’s 15-year eligibility with the writers elapsed without him even getting a sniff.

Strange day ends with Bonds’ 756th HR ball in Cooperstown

Asterisk or not, the ball Barry Bonds launched for his record-breaking 756th home run won’t land in the Hall of Fame.

The Hall said Tuesday recent talks with fashion designer Marc Ecko, who bought the souvenir for more than $750,000 last September, had “unfortunately reached an impasse.”

“The owner’s previous commitment to unconditionally donate the baseball has changed to a loan. As a result, the Hall of Fame will not be able to accept the baseball,” the Hall said in a statement.

I can’t remember which side I argued passionately for, but I’m pretty sure “The Hall agrees to the asterisk and still doesn’t get the ball” wasn’t it.

Dugout Central: Catalano: Milestones Not Proper Measure of Hall-Worthiness (see Sheffield)

Ray “I Suck” Culpa, sends this HOF jazz over…

Conversely, consider Gary Antonian Sheffield. Looking at his career, anyone can see Gary has some nice numbers. He’s at 484 HRs, and if he gets to 500, he’s a shoo-in for the Hall, yes?

Ummm, no.

Despite the nice numbers, Sheffield, in my mind, has done more to hurt the game of baseball and its integrity than almost any other player of his generation (excepting, of course, Barry Bonds and Jose Canseco).

A player’s achievements can be overshadowed to some degree by bad sportsmanship, like, say, purposely dropping fly balls or overthrowing first base to show his disdain for the team. Like throwing teammates under the bus and generally being a clubhouse cancer practically every stop of his career. Or heck, I don’t know, cheating at the game by taking illegal drugs. Really, no matter how nice your stats, at some point, the numbers go out the window.

Raissman: Joe Buck injects doubt into Andy Pettitte’s Hall of Fame chances

Our own little Jab Jab?

Since 1900, Tim McCarver said, any pitcher whose record is 100 games over .500 (Pettitte is 210-118) has entered the Hall of Fame. T-Mac reasoned Pettitte could pitch another three years ("if he wants to") and with the way he’s performing, might end up 100 games over .500.

“Yeah, but not one of those pitchers (who were 100 games over and enshrined in Cooperstown) ever admitted to taking HGH,” Buck replied.

McCarver: “(Pettitte said he took HGH) Only once.”

Buck did not respond. He already made his point. We cannot read minds. Still, considering his tone of voice, and his straightforward manner, Buck was not so much casting aspersions on Pettitte, but injecting reality into the conversation.

A reality, at the season’s halfway point, escaping those who want to move on and put baseball’s performance-enhancing scandal behind. These are folks not inclined to talk needles-and-pills during an All-Star telecast. History can be ignored by some, but it won’t be forgotten by everyone. Sure, Buck left the mind open to wonder - and ponder - how many Pettitte wins were drug-induced. Nothing wrong with that. Thinking isn’t against the law - even during a baseball broadcast.

The Baseball Analysts: Examining Omar Vizquel

I wonder if Robert Syverten has a HOF vote?

I surveyed four experts, including two Hall of Fame voters, for their opinions on Vizquel. Question No. 1: Should he retire? Question No. 2? Is he a Hall of Famer?

Peter Gammons: “No, because he can still help a contender. Check the AL shortstops. Yes.”

Tracy Ringolsby: “Yes and yes.”

Rob Neyer: “1. He should do whatever he wants. 2. No, no, no, no, a thousand times no.”

John Dewan: “Omar Vizquel continues to be a very good shortstop. He’s at +6 so far this year, which ranks him 5th among regular shortstops. However, offensively, he seems to have lost it and should probably hang it up. Then again, I thought Jim Edmonds was done when the Cubs traded for him and he’s been great for them. Vizquel is not even close to being a Hall of Famer.”

As for me, I believe the time has come for him to hang up his cleats. Whether he does so now or waits until the end of the year is immaterial to me. However, his presence on the Giants makes little or no sense unless one wants to view him more as a coach than a player.

With respect to the Hall of Fame, I would say, “No.” He has had a very good career, but it would be a stretch to suggest that he deserves to be enshrined based on his career value or his positional ranking among his peers.

Tomase: Hall of fame hurlers weigh in on Curt Schilling’s candidacy for Cooperstown

I had trouble hearing Bob Feller during his SABR open ceremony speech (proper miking in a foxhole still has a long way to go, I guess).

Bob Feller gives a lot of weight to Schilling’s postseason performances, even if he’s not quite down with the most famous one, when Schilling took the hill with a bloody sock following experimental ankle surgery and earned victories in the 2004 ALCS and World Series. The sock, for what it’s worth, is already in Cooperstown.

“I think of some of the caliber of games that he pitched and won,” Feller said. “Three times he pitched games and his team won the World Series. He’s a competitor. I always wanted the guy who could pitch with a one-run lead or a tie and he was one of those guys.”

Feller is less effusive about the hubbub that accompanied the bloody sock, though he doesn’t blame Schilling so much as the media.

“That was a little bit overdone,” he said. “It wasn’t a war wound. Baseball is only a game. We don’t do anything that serious. It has nothing to do with the fate of the United States. He’s not a kid going to war. We get carried away sometimes.”

London Free Press: Four inducted into Canadian baseball hall of fame

The latest from Canada’s version of Cooperstown—St. Marys, Ontario:

Tony Fernandez, Billy Harris, Gladwyn Scott, and the late Peter Widdrington were honoured, surrounded by family, friends and fans. And each was met by a standing ovation.

The induction ceremony took place under a big tent and the crowd spilled out on all three sides as people gathered to catch a glimpse of history in the making.

HOF: Schechter: THE TOUGHEST ELECTION EVER, PART 2

HA! I don’t see Brad Rutter doing this kinda stuff!...As Gabriel Schechter is back with Part 2 of his HOF look. Part 1, here.

There’s your ballot, a mixture of big boppers in the outfield and first base, slick-fielding, heady infielders, speedsters and all-around stars. How do you narrow the field from 21 to 10? One way is to take the 10 who got the most votes, giving the voters from 1945 the respect due to observers who actually saw these guys play. That would mean Evers, Collins, Delahanty, Frisch, Traynor, Duffy, Maranville, Tinker, Terry and Baker (in that order). Three of our nominees got only 1 vote in 1945: Carey, Combs and Lazzeri.

Another way is to use the rankings done by the website baseball-reference.com and based on the work of statistical guru Bill James. Their two “Hall of Fame” rankings compare a player’s statistics to those of an “average” Hall of Famer and attempt to predict how likely it is that a player will deserve and/or earn election.

Combining these rankings for our 21 candidates, we get a top 10 in this order: Gehringer, Delahanty, Burkett, Frisch, Heilmann, Duffy, Crawford, Terry, Wheat and Traynor. The three lowest rankings belong to Wallace, Evers and Tinker, whose stats reflect their Dead Ball-era careers.

MLB: Mazeroski kicks off set vs. Yanks

I just heard Baggypants Moskowitz comparing Robbie Cano’s pivot release with Maz’s...while yelling out Bob Prince’s “No hands! No Hands!” (Leaps off the roof at Please Not Cano Park)

Who would have imagined that one man’s throw could make such a noise?

When Hall of Famer Bill Mazeroski’s ceremonial first pitch hit the glove of Pirates manager John Russell before Tuesday’s game against the Yankees, the sellout crowd at PNC Park erupted in applause.

It’s been 48 years since Mazeroski’s walk-off home run in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series. The hit lifted the Pirates over the Yankees in what many call the greatest World Series in the history of baseball.

..."It is exciting that it’s 48 years and the Yankees are finally coming back to Pittsburgh,” Mazeroski said. “That’s exciting, and I think Pittsburgh is looking forward to it.”

Sun-Times:  Santo’s Hall of Fame bid gets a big boost

In recent years, the veterans committee—essentially the living Hall of Famers—selected from a filtered ballot of 20 to 25 players, listing as many as 10 on their individual ballots. A player was required to be listed on 75 percent to gain induction.

Santo led all vote-getters in the most recent round of the every-other-year voting but fell five votes short of induction.

This time around, that 20-to-25-man list is used in a preliminary ballot to narrow the final ballot to 10 names. Committee members then vote again, this time selecting up to four from the 10-player list, with the 75 percent criterion in effect.
...
“He was the leading vote-getter before,” Morgan said. “You would think that he’d get more if the field is narrowed down.”

Not to pick on Morgan, far from it, but it seems to me like that actually stands a good chance of making him less likely to get in.

And I guess there’s little hope for Bobby Grich.  Too bad.  Batting average still looms large as a determinant, I suppose.

Dugout Central: The Omar Vizquel Hall of Fame Debate

With Cook, Bird and Quemere...(which reminds me of David Cone’s assholic quip the other night..."Volquez, Votto and Cueto...sounds like they were on The Sopranos!”...Gee, I never knew the show was about Canadian Dominicans.)

John Quemere: Omar Vizquel Doesn’t Make the Cut

...In his 2000 Historical Abstract Bill James had Omar ranked as the 61st best shortstop in major league history. I think if he were to update his rankings today he would probably drop him down to 40th place around Larry Bowa, Gary Templeton and Marty Marion.

For me the line starts at Alan Trammel. It’s a sin that he isn’t in the Hall already.

Then after Trammel guys like Fregosi, Wills, Pesky, Dahlen and Stephens would be next in line.

Heck, Vizquel was nowhere near as good as Tony Fernandez, Bert Campaneris and Dave Concepcion – who not only put up great career numbers but also had MVP caliber seasons as well. Fernandez only received 4(!!!) Hall of Fame votes when he retired, but they want to vote for Omar Vizquel?

To me its mind boggling that some of the same reporters who never voted for Omar as a MVP candidate, (and with good reason) are now prepared to vote for him to the Hall of Fame.

Shaughnessy: If Schilling’s done, it won’t be as much fun

Oh, Shaughnessy...keeper of the keyboard.

Finally, we have Schill’s Hall of Fame prospects. There’s been a rush to enshrine him in some quarters, but it might be wise to put the brakes on Schilling’s Cooperstown reservations.

Assuming he never pitches again (not a stretch, according to 38Pitches), Schilling finishes with a won-lost record of 216-146. Sorry, that just doesn’t cut it - not unless Bert Blyleven and Jack Morris go in first. Blyleven won 287 games. Morris won 254. Schilling was superb in the postseason, but modern October numbers are somewhat artificial. There are three rounds of playoffs. There used to be the World Series and nothing more. Bernie Williams hit 22 postseason homers - more than any other player except Manny Ramírez (24).

Does that make Bernie better than Mickey Mantle, who hit 18, all in the World Series? Andy Pettitte has three more postseason wins than Schilling. Pettitte is no Hall of Famer.

N.Y. Sun: Marchman: With Just 216 Wins, Schilling Deserves Cooperstown

or you could just use Mike Greenberg’s breathsucking analysis of “To me, you close your eyes when you hear the player’s name and you say, “Yes” or “No”.  Usually, that winds up being the right answer.”

Despite all this, a developing consensus paints Schilling as a bit of a marginal case. ESPN’s Buster Olney, for instance, wrote this weekend that Schilling was a “borderline candidate” who may have to wait “10 to 13 years” to be elected. Voters surveyed by the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo were generally unenthusiastic. One noted that he wasn’t as good as Greg Maddux, maybe the best pitcher of all time; another surmised that he may benefit from “lowered statistical standards” 10 to 15 years from now. Two said that it would be hard to vote for someone who didn’t near 250 wins.

Hard as it is given the state of our society to give anyone grief for maintaining high standards, let me gently suggest that these worthies are part of a problem that has been eroding the credibility of the Hall of Fame for many years and will ruin it if it goes unchecked, that problem being that the world has changed over the last 100 years while the voters haven’t noticed. The Ottoman Empire no longer exists, alcohol can be bought legally in America, and pitchers do not need to win 300 or even 250 games to prove their greatness.

TSN: Deveney: Schilling’s credentials worthy of Hall of Fame

“Self-aggrandizing blowhard” lovers unite!

The vote here: Yup. Not an easy vote, of course—not Maddux easy. But I still come out on the, “Yes,” side of things. And I’ve got reasons.

4. Personality. This might come in as a negative for those who see Schilling as a self-aggrandizing blowhard. Perhaps he is, but when I look at Schilling, I see a guy who has made himself more available to fans—through his blog, his radio program and his willingness to talk with media members—than any star player in the history of the sport. Seriously. The Internet age has changed the ability of athletes to interact directly with fans, and few players have taken advantage of that the way Schilling has. We’ve seen HOF voters punish players who snubbed the media (Eddie Murray and Jim Rice come to mind) during their careers. If you’re going to punish the bad, you’ve got to reward the good. And Schilling has been very good on this count.

5. The bar is set. It’s not a good idea to base HOF votes strictly on the standard set by the lowest players already in. Otherwise, every player only would have to be better than Rabbit Maranville to get into the Hall, and no one wants that. But it’s not hard to find pitchers in the Hall of Fame now who were not as good as Schilling: Early Wynn, Don Sutton, Jesse Haines, Gaylord Perry, Catfish Hunter and Phil Niekro to name a few. Schilling is on par with the likes of Don Drysdale, Bob Lemon, Robin Roberts, Bob Feller and Juan Marichal. He deserves a spot.

N.Y. Sun: Barra: Players Need To Make Stand for Marvin Miller

Barra: Clearing the basis on keeping Marvin Miller out of the HOF.

While the Hall of Fame may be sincere in its desire to right this wrong, I can assure anyone who thinks Miller is bluffing that they are sadly mistaken. (In the interests of full disclosure, I worked with Miller on his 1991 autobiography, “A Whole Different Ball Game.")

“In the words of William Tecumseh Sherman,” he said, “If I am elected, I will not serve.” Then he added with a smile, “Groucho Marx spoke for me when he said, ‘I refuse to be part of any organization whose standards are low enough to have me as a member.’” Some of Miller’s friends and supporters might say that he should refuse to be part of any organization whose standards are low enough to admit Bowie Kuhn.

Whether or Miller wants to be in the Hall of Fame, isn’t it time the players stood up for the man who stood up for them? The Hall of Fame is their bats, their baseballs, their uniforms, and their appearances. If rules need to be changed, they can push for those changes.

If the players really want Miller in the Hall of Fame, they can stop asking permission from The Man. They are The Man.

N.Y. Post: Serby: Q&A WITH…TOM SEAVER (RR)

Funnel hat fun innerview with Tom Terrific.

Q: The young Nolan Ryan?

A: Frustrated me to death.

Q: Why?

A: As much talent as anybody’s ever had throwing a baseball . . . he had some issues with somebody imposing on his family, I’ll leave it at that. He had a very attractive wife (Ruth), and I think that bothered him . . . he couldn’t deal with that in New York. I never got the full story from Nolan, but I think that was all part of it.

Q: A fan who was badgering Ruth?

A: I don’t know if it was badgering or what, it was just somebody was in a place they shouldn’t have been. I think that bothered him, that the safety of his wife potentially was compromised. We were all young . . . you hear all these horror stories. I think that rightfully bothered him.

Dugout Central: Myers: If Not Bill James, Then Who?

Why...Hal Richman, of course.

Most baseball fans have a very basic understanding of what is going on during a game. They don’t possess the spirit or intelligence to delve deeper into circumstances and conditions on their own. I am one of these fans, and I can’t think of anyone other than Bill James or Alan Roth who planted this fictional chip in my brain that has changed the way I watch and understand baseball – and done it in an entertaining way.

I am not intimidated by Mr. James. I find his writings to be very readable. He provokes no feelings of jealousy from my end (and I suspect this emotion is what is behind some of the animosity toward him), and no desire to spearhead a civil war between traditionalists watching games and stat heads watching numbers. I find it impossible to believe that the insights drummed up by those using statistics originate from someone who never watches games. I find the entire discussion ridiculous. Why would someone waste their time crunching baseball numbers if they didn’t love baseball? There is more money to be made on the stock market.

The addition of statistical depths to the daily baseball scorecard provides fans in 2008 with a multi-dimensional landscape in which to view the reality of baseball. I think we are spoiled with information. The change has been quick and mind blowing.

Again, if it’s not Bill James wearing the statistical crown, who should it be?

HOF: Piniella, Cubs Asked to Please Show Respect for National Pastime

savethefamegame and storeitawayforeverandever!

Responding to various media reports from Chicago in which Cubs manager Lou Piniella makes clear his disdain for making a visit to Cooperstown on Monday for the Hall of Fame Game, the savethefamegame.com campaign is respectfully asking Piniella and Cubs players and management to please show respect for the national pastime when they visit baseball’s hometown.

“It is disappointing to read the recent comments made by Cubs manager Lou Piniella regarding the upcoming celebration of the national pastime in the sport’s celebrated home,” said savethefamegame.com creator Kristian Connolly. “The Hall of Fame Game is about something much bigger than the 2008 Chicago Cubs, and I hope that they understand and respect that on Monday. It is also disappointing to learn that the Cubs are intentionally making the trip to Cooperstown as logistically difficult as they possible could on themselves, and I hope that that they don’t expect sympathy from baseball fans because of their poor planning.

“All baseball fans—especially those who are true Cubs fans who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to see their beloved team play if not for the 2008 Hall of Fame Game—want the Cubs to please respect the game and enjoy the event for what it is meant to be: a celebration of baseball on baseball’s home field in baseball’s hometown.”

Argus: Raines urges education to ballplayers

Palesoxontologists stumped by rapid rock fossilization!

The former major leaguer also addressed the importance of hard work and passion saying, “You play the game hard like it’s the last game of you life. I don’t have the urge to play anymore because I left everything on the field every time.”

Raines, who played for six teams, including 13 seasons with Montreal during his MLB career, reminisced about his experiences with the game. When he was a child, he said he watched players such as Joe Morgan and George Brett. Today, he says the game hasn’t changed, except for players’ lack of passion.

“It seems like guys are focused more on the money rather than playing the game,” the seven-time All-Star said.

ESPN Magazine: Stuart Scott: Two Way

This question didn’t make the online version of Stuart Scott’s “Just Go Away” noodling...it’s only in that gorious mag of theirs.

Robert: Yo, Stu, how about a word for Mike Piazza? Greatest offensive catcher ever?

Scott: Robert, Piazza had a great career, but I’m old-school. I go with Roy Campanella, then Mike.

Cincinnati Enquirer: Fay: No steroid stain on Junior

The ultimate import of Ken Griffey Jr.’s feat Monday night - hitting his 600th home run - will be determined by historians, but it is significant given that it was accomplished in what is now regarded as Major League Baseball’s “steroid era.”

The two players who immediately preceded Griffey into the 600 club - Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa - are under clouds because of suspected steroid use.

“There’s so much difference in what he’s accomplished and what he will continue to accomplish than what Barry Bonds did,” said Reds radio man Marty Brennaman. “Barry Bonds will forever be tainted, long after he’s gone. I don’t think people truly cared that he hit 756 home runs.

“I think baseball fans will look at what Junior did and be quick to point out that he did it the right way, as opposed to some other guys who didn’t.”

And this one belongs to the Communists!

THT: Jaffe: How Joe DiMaggio Revolutionized Cooperstown Voting

Speaking of True Crime…

Then came DiMaggio. Ignoring 1945, here is his support from the writers year-by-year:

    Year    %
    1953  44.3%
    1954  69.4%
    1955  88.8%

Riddle me this: was there some sort of massive re-evaluation of DiMaggio in those years? Did some group take up his cause? Of course not. He was always considered to be an inner-circle immortal for virtually his entire career. Ted Williams was the better hitter, but DiMaggio was the iconic baseball player of his generation.

This demonstrated to Cooperstown as starkly as anything could that there was some kind of structural flaw in the balloting process. They immediately set to work on rectifying it.

Dugout Central: Ehrke: Does Bill James Belong in the Hall of Fame?

And after his next book...I hope he goes in with Jay Robert Nash, Carl Sifakis and Burton Turkus!

What has Bill James done? Bill James quantified runs. James repeatedly asks the question, “How does this affect runs scored?” How many runs do you lose or gain by drawing walks? How many fewer runs are scored in the Chavez Ravine? How many more runs will a pitcher allow as his strikeouts decrease? How many runs does a caught stealing take off the board? How many runs will a Gold Glove shortstop prevent? How about a Gold Glove centerfielder?

James’ obsession with quantifying run production led to some of his greatest original contributions: his Runs Created formulas, Win Shares, defensive Range Factors, and Secondary Average. By determining how runs are created we better understand how games are won or lost and we can better assign specific values to player performance.

For instance, James wrote that Al Oliver was widely considered the best hitter in baseball while active. I remember well that it was practically obligatory for every announcer to repeat this evaluation at least one time during any game involving Oliver. Now we recognize that a .300 hitter with occasional power who also drew few walks and hit into double plays was actually creating fewer runs than Darrell Evans or Ken Singleton. In some instances James does more than quantify what we already know – his calculations often prove conventional wisdom to be inaccurate. Bill James makes us think.

SABR: Baseball Biography Project: Crehan and Nowlin: Carl Yastrzemski

Mmmm....bread.

The 1967 Red Sox held New England fans spellbound all summer and into the fall, as they battled for first place in the most exciting pennant race in American League history.  Their thrilling win over the Minnesota Twins on the last day of the season touched off one of the great celebrations in Boston history. While a different Red Sox hero seemed to emerge daily, the one constant was Yaz.

Former teammate George Scott remembers it this way, “Yaz hit 44 homers that year, and 43 of them meant something big for the team.  It seemed like every time we needed a big play, the man stepped up and got it done.” In the final 12 games of the season - crunch time - Carl Yastrzemski had 23 hits in 44 at-bats, driving in 16 runs and scoring 14. He hit 10 homers in his final 100 at-bats of 1967.  He had 10 hits in his last 13 at-bats, and when it came to the last two games with the Twins, with the Sox needing to win both games to help avert a tie for the pennant, Yaz went 7-for-8 and drove in six runs.

Yaz was no slouch in the playoffs, either, batting an even .400 (10-for-25) with three home runs and five RBIs in the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. The storybook season came to an end when the St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series in Game Seven, but Carl Yastrzemski’s place was indelibly etched in baseball folklore.  Yaz came within one vote of a unanimous selection as the Most Valuable Player of the American League.  He was selected by Sports Illustrated as the “1967 Sportsman of the Year” at year-end.  And he achieved baseball’s “Triple Crown”, leading the American League in batting (.326), runs batted in (121), and home runs (44).  In all the baseball seasons that have followed, no other player has been able to match his Triple Crown feat.

ESPN: Kerry Wood can’t understand why Ron Santo isn’t in the Hall of Fame

Shockingly, I read this today in the ESPN Magazine...I then beat my dog with it until his diarrunning ass smelled like a Mega Men® VitaPak ad and then threw it away.

“The Hall of Fame vote and Ron Santo are talked about a lot in our clubhouse. He’s been denied 18 times, and after each vote we’ll look at his stats and ask, ‘Are these Hall of Fame numbers?’ You’ll get a yes from 95% of the guys. When you start digging into the numbers, I don’t think there’s any doubt. How can you not vote for a guy who was a nine-time All-Star, earned five Gold Gloves, had four top-10 MVP finishes, three top-10 home run finishes and four .300-plus seasons, and led the National League in walks four times? And if you look at all the third basemen who played between 1950 and 1975, Ron ranks second in HRs, third in hits, RBIs and games played, fourth in slugging, and seventh in on-base percentage. And he did it despite having diabetes. For him to play in the big leagues at that level is amazing.

“For some reason, third basemen get jobbed in the voting. There are only 13 of them—three Negro Leagues stars and 10 major leaguers. Nothing personal, but if George Kell is in [see chart], then Ronny should be too. Ronny crushed him in HRs, RBIs, hits and runs, and he did it with a respectable .277 career batting average, which is almost 25 points higher than the NL average during his career. I’m not saying Brooks Robinson doesn’t belong in the Hall, but Ronny played eight fewer seasons and finished with 74 more HRs, a higher batting average and on-base percentage, and nearly the same RBI total. I know, Ronny never played in the postseason. Neither did Kell or Ronny’s Hall of Fame teammates Ernie Banks and Ferguson Jenkins. Neither did Billy Williams when he was with the Cubs.

Dick Williams laments money ball, long ball

and suspenders.

Dick Williams admits he wouldn’t last long as a major league manager these days.

“I wouldn’t last a week,” said the 79-year-old, who lives in Henderson, Nev. “All the players are millionaires. The game has changed quite a bit. It’s supposed to be a team sport, but there are a lot of individuals now. Everybody lives and dies by the home run now.”

Williams, who led the Oakland A’s to back-to-back World Series titles in 1972 and ‘73, said when watches baseball, his wife, Norma, usually has to close the door of whatever room he’s in because he ends up yelling at the TV.

“I’m yelling when they go to the wrong base or miss the cutoff man or miss a sign,” he said. “That stuff irks me. I was taught the basic fundamentals. Bobby Bragan and I stressed the basics.”

NBC: Robinson: HALL OF FAME IN MANNY’S FUTURE?

My first reaction is that Ramirez is a Hall of Famer but Larry Walker is not. There are some differences in their numbers, the 500-home-run milestone foremost among them, and there is the Denver factor (unlike with the BALCO issue, the writers who take part in the Hall-of-Fame voting have yet to render a verdict on the impact of stars playing their home games in the Mile High City.)

The next most comparable player to Ramirez listed is Jim Thome – Ramirez’s peer from his Cleveland playing days. While Thome has 500-plus home runs he does not register to me as a no-brainer for the Hall of Fame.

So the question of Ramirez’s legacy may be more debatable than I initially thought. Of course, Ramirez can end the debate with three or four more solid seasons which will push him past 600 homers and well past 2,500 hits. Now I wonder if he is trying to separate himself from Jim Rice, another Red Sox right-handed power hitter who was devastating in his era, but who didn’t play long enough to earn Hall-of-Fame status. I think Ramirez is a stronger Hall-of-Fame candidate than Rice, but does Ramirez need to pad his numbers to make sure of his place in the Hall of Fame?

I think Ted Robinson needs his room to be padded...because constant head + wall = banging can become quite troublesome.

Jim Rice steps up to the plate once again

“I would love to be in the Hall of Fame,” Rice said. “But I think today’s players would probably say, ‘I’m playing for the Hall of Fame.’ But I say, ‘I played for the Boston Red Sox.’ I played for the game. In the back of my mind I wasn’t thinking about the Hall of Fame.”

...Rice also said that the sheer size of the MLB is a problem that weakens the teams within it, adding that just one member of Boston’s reigning World Series champions would replace a starter from the team that lost the Series in ‘75.

“The only one that would’ve made it, maybe (Jonathan) Papelbon,” Rice said. “Because we had Dick Drago out there, Papelbon has a little more velocity than him.”

Rice has been particularly unimpressed with current Boston left fielder Manny Ramirez.

“I’m tired of people saying, ‘Manny being Manny,’” Rice said. “It’s not like I’d take my 11-year old kid to go out and watch ‘Manny being Manny,’ that’s not baseball. (Sunday) he hit home run 501, but, even though he hit 501 they still almost lost the game. Did you see those two plays he made out in left field? Now, do you want your kid to be ‘Manny being Manny’ missing those balls?”

I gotta check to see if the Red Sox won on the day Rice hit his 501..uhh...401.....uhh...301st HR.

FOX Sports: Rosenberg: Milestone HRs have lost luster thanks to Steroid Era

Can you have baseball heroes anymore?

Can you believe in anybody?

As of this writing, Ken Griffey Jr. is sitting on 599 career home runs. There was a time in my life — from age 1 day to 20 years — when I did not think I’d see anybody hit home run No. 600. Yet Griffey’s accomplishment will not resonate.

Why? Steroids. And not Griffey’s steroids — which, as far as we know, don’t exist. The whole Steroids Era (which may have been reined in, but surely isn’t over) has taken a good chunk of the joy out of these accomplishments.

Griffey is not the only victim. Manny Ramirez just hit homer No. 500. I didn’t even know he was nearing that milestone until he reached it.

Well maybe if you weren’t writing about Chauncey McDyess every day…

Statistically Speaking: World Famous StatSpeak Roundtable: June 2

With Pizza Cutter, Eric Seidman and there’s no clamming up Voros McCracken...(unless there’s a reunion or something in the works!)

Question #2: With regards to the Hall of Fame, analysts, writers, and fans alike for a while now have steadfastly held to the idea that milestones such as 300 wins for a pitcher or 500 HR for a hitter guarantee inclusion.  With Randy Johnson perhaps being the final 300 game winner ever, if he even gets that, and Jim Thome’s candidacy under fire despite the 500+ HR, do you think we’re getting to closer to viewing candidacies on a non-milestone basis?

Voros McCracken: I really don’t think the milestone test for the HOF has really been in use that long. It seems to me something of a relatively recent invention and also something that I think will not survive. Yes 500 Home Runs used to guarantee you the Hall of Fame, but then so did 490, the number ‘500′ didn’t get you in, hitting a lot of home runs did. Merely hitting that many was enough to make you a player of such a high quality that the benchmark was meaningless. I personally thought Paul Molitor was borderline (borderline “yes” but borderline). As much as I think the milestone test would fall apart eventually, the upcoming votes for the “steroids era” is going to wind up back burnering that subject among the people doing the actual voting.