2008 HOF Ballot

[SAump]

The 2008 ballot features 25 candidates, with 14 returnees and 11 newcomers.
• Brady Anderson
• Harold Baines
• Rod Beck
• Bert Blyleven
• Dave Concepcion
• Andre Dawson
• Shawon Dunston
• Chuck Finley
• Travis Fryman
• Rich Gossage
• Tommy John
• David Justice
• Chuck Knoblauch
• Don Mattingly
• Mark McGwire
• Jack Morris
• Dale Murphy
• Robb Nen
• Dave Parker
• Tim Raines
• Jim Rice
• Jose Rijo
• Lee Smith
• Todd Stottlemyre
• Alan Trammell
Source: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?...=.jsp&c_id=mlb

[SanDiegoSteve]

• Brady Anderson -Hell no
• Harold Baines -Yes
• Rod Beck -No
• Bert Blyleven -Yes
• Dave Concepcion -Definitely
• Andre Dawson -Yes
• Shawon Dunston -Not yet
• Chuck Finley -Not yet
• Travis Fryman -No
• Rich Gossage -Absolutely
• Tommy John -Positively
• David Justice -Not Yet
• Chuck Knoblauch -Not Yet
• Don Mattingly -Of course
• Mark McGwire -You're kidding, right
• Jack Morris -Yes
• Dale Murphy -Yes
• Robb Nen -Not yet
• Dave Parker -Way overdue
• Tim Raines -Yes
• Jim Rice -Yes
• Jose Rijo -Not yet
• Lee Smith -Also overdue
• Todd Stottlemyre -No. I'd sooner vote for Mel.
• Alan Trammell -Yes to the S.D. Kearney HS grad!

[Jurassic Referee]

Who cares?

I'd rather know which umpires are on vacation and when.

[johnnyg08]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

Who cares?

I'd rather know which umpires are on vacation and when.

One of the funniest posts I've read in a long time on here...good off season humor!!

[BigTex]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

• Shawon Dunston -Not yet
• Chuck Finley -Not yet
• David Justice -Not Yet
• Chuck Knoblauch -Not Yet
• Robb Nen -Not yet
• Jose Rijo -Not yet

SDS,
Please explain your "not yet" vote. Either someone is good enough to get in the Hall or not. Will the stats get better over time? I am not trying to stir up some $h!t, I am truly curious how you feel.

[Steve M]

• Dave Parker -Way overdue

I could not possibly agree less. Parker was one who surely had all the tools, but he snorted them away as he snorted his coke. Parker was one of those who never came anywhere near being the player he should have been, let alone the player he was capable of being.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by BigTex

SDS,
Please explain your "not yet" vote. Either someone is good enough to get in the Hall or not. Will the stats get better over time? I am not trying to stir up some $h!t, I am truly curious how you feel.

Not yet, as in "not at this time." There are more deserving players who have waited much longer for enshrinement. The players that I said were overdue are the ones who should go in first. The "not yet" crowd have the HOF stats, but can wait their turn like everyone else.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by Steve M

• Dave Parker -Way overdue

I could not possibly agree less. Parker was one who surely had all the tools, but he snorted them away as he snorted his coke. Parker was one of those who never came anywhere near being the player he should have been, let alone the player he was capable of being.

I like coke!

[kylejt]

Until they change the name to the Hall of Pretty Good, I've got none of the above.

[dash_riprock]

Chuck Knoblauch??? YGTBSM.

.289 lifetime (.258 post season)
1 ROY, 1 Gold Glove

And the Yanks had to pull him off the field 'cause he couldn't make the throw to 1st base (he was a 2nd baseman!).

Sportswriters. Gimme a break. Let the players vote instead.

[Publius]

Originally Posted by kylejt

Until they change the name to the Hall of Pretty Good, I've got none of the above.

Damn, kyle, if none of those guys belong, you need to go to Cooperstown and destroy about 20 plaques.

• Brady Anderson No
• Harold Baines No
• Rod Beck No
• Bert Blyleven YES! (why is this guy not in?)
• Dave Concepcion Yes
• Andre Dawson No
• Shawon Dunston No
• Chuck Finley No
• Travis Fryman No
• Rich Gossage No
• Tommy John No
• David Justice No
• Chuck Knoblauch No
• Don Mattingly No
• Mark McGwire No
• Jack Morris Yes
• Dale Murphy No
• Robb Nen No
• Dave Parker No
• Tim Raines No
• Jim Rice Yes
• Jose Rijo No
• Lee Smith No
• Todd Stottlemyre No
• Alan Trammell No

I have a bias toward two-way players, even if their batting stats aren't the most impressive among the candidates.

Not only would I not vote for Gossage and Smith, I'd kick out Sutter, Fingers and Eckersley. "I can get four guys out every other day" isn't HOF stuff.

If we apply the "five or six years of sheer brilliance" standard that got Koufax and Drysdale elected, then I'd vote for Dale Murphy.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by Publius

Not only would I not vote for Gossage and Smith, I'd kick out Sutter, Fingers and Eckersley. "I can get four guys out every other day" isn't HOF stuff.

I think you are over-simplifying the role of the closer in baseball. As if other people could actually do what these guys can do. Closers belong in the Hall of Fame as much as any starter does. Some teams would have never even gotten a sniff of the playoffs, much less gone to the World Series, without the players you just mentioned.

Padres fans like myself are very thankful that we have Trevor Hoffman as our most valuable asset every year, saving over 500 games over his career. And I remember 1984 as if it were yesterday, and Goose Gossage sure pulled our bacon out of the fire on many occassions. Same with Rollie Fingers. Sutter, Eckersly...how can you even blaspheme their names by wanting to kick them out of the HOF? Where would the Cardinals have been without them?

It's a good thing that we don't have any say-so in this voting, because some of us are awfully critical of some very deserving players.

[DonInKansas]

Originally Posted by Publius

"I can get four guys out every other day" isn't HOF stuff.

Relievers aren't eligible for your Hall of Fame? That makes a whole lot of sense...

[mattmets]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

Padres fans like myself are very thankful that we have Trevor Hoffman as our most valuable asset every year, saving over 500 games over his career. And I remember 1984 as if it were yesterday, and Goose Gossage sure pulled our bacon out of the fire on many occassions. Same with Rollie Fingers. Sutter, Eckersly...how can you even blaspheme their names by wanting to kick them out of the HOF? Where would the Cardinals have been without them?

The Cardinals would have been in the same place there are now, with the exception of Sutter

Just pulling your chain....saying relievers don't belong is like saying DHs don't belong- it's not naming the best players of all-time, just the ones that made the greatest impact/contribution to the game on the field.

[canadaump6]

Taken from the Official MLB stats page:

Knoblauch had a career on base percentage of .378. Batting average is way over-rated. A hit is more beneficial than a walk only when there is a runner in scoring position.