Doug Harvey (finally) Elected to the HOF

[ASA/NYSSOBLUE]

Bout time....

[jkumpire]

A great day for MLB!

[Kevin Finnerty]

He's going in with Whitey Herzog. I found out while I was watching a classic MLB Network game Harvey called and Herzog managed. It's a delight watching Harvey work while knowing he has finally made the Hall. Beautiful!

[SanDiegoSteve]

As a fellow San Diego resident and former member of the same umpire association, I wholeheartedly congratulate Doug (and his lovely wife Joy) on this great achievement.

[SethPDX]

I read about Doug in The Best Seat In Baseball, But You Have To Stand and loved the stories about him. It's wonderful news to hear he has finally been honored as he should be. A fantastic umpire.

[FredFan7]

Congratulations to Mr. Harvey! I would hope that someday Froemming and Haller would get HOF consideration, but we'll have to see.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Froemming is going to need the voters to overlook his couple of scandals to let him in. Haller is just another fine umpire and will probably never go in.

[Ump153]

Originally Posted by FredFan7

Congratulations to Mr. Harvey! I would hope that someday Froemming and Haller would get HOF consideration, but we'll have to see.

If longevity is considered a primary consideration, Froemming will get a look. If the respect of your peers, players and managers, consistent excellence in performance as an umpire, instructor and supervisor are considered, Haller will get a look. Haller, rated tops by ML umpires of his day and fired as a supervisor after refusing to come out of retirement from active umpiring and work games during a strike was described by Harvey as "an umpire's umpire."

But first, John McSherry deserves a look.

[Kevin Finnerty]

It is an extreme rarity for an umpire to make the Hall of Fame. This is the entire list:

1953 Bill Klem (1905 - 1941)
1953 Tom Connolly (1901 - 1931)
1973 Billy Evans (1906 - 1927)
1974 Jocko Conlan (1941 - 1964)
1976 Cal Hubbard (1946 - 1951)
1989 Al Barlick (1940-1943 / 1946-1955 / 1958-1971)
1992 Bill McGowan (1925 - 1954)
1999 Nestor Chylak (1954 - 1978)
2009 Doug Harvey (1962 - 1992)

Four of the nine were honored posthumously. Harvey is almost 80. Whole decades go by without an umpire even being discussed.

Bruce Froemming--if the committee looks the other way on his transgressions--has a ghost of a chance. No other umpire from that era has any real chance. I don't even see Froemming going in.

The Hall of Fame doesn't honor contributors at the standard rate--even at the standard Veterans Committee rate. Marvin Miller isn't even in the Hall. Nor is Dr. Frank Jobe. They don't even honor enough managers. But the guy who invented the curveball (an otherwise obscure six-year pitcher named Candy Cummings) is in for that alone. Tinker, Evers and Chance are all in for being in a catchy poem. And an inordinate number of the Gashouse Gang Cardinals got in for their relationship to Frankie Frisch, at one time a leading voice on the Veterans Committee. But it doesn't work that way anymore.

The fact that it took so long to recognize Doug freaking Harvey all but seals the deal on everyone else. Don't hold your breath on anyone---not even Froemming. It won't be happening for any of them. They may not even enter a committee discussion.

[JJ]

How about Harry Wendelstedt? In addition to being a long-timer himself, he's done a LOT to continue the fine long line of well-trained professional umpires. Of course, he DID give us Hunter though.......

JJ

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by JJ

... Of course, he DID give us Hunter though.......

JJ

I'm with you on Harry, but you must remember who's doing the voting. Old players are not Harry's best friends.

I'd like to see him, Palermo, McSherry, Rennert, Haller and others, but the realities of the voting don't allow for it. If Harry goes in, I hope he lives to see it. I'm elated that Harvey did.

[KJUmp]

Originally Posted by SethPDX

I read about Doug in The Best Seat In Baseball, But You Have To Stand and loved the stories about him. It's wonderful news to hear he has finally been honored as he should be. A fantastic umpire.

I still use Doug's line to Manny Sanguillen from that book (when he was bit**ing about what he thought was a missed pitch earlier in the game)...."don't quote me history, you keep quoting me history you're gone."
If I remember correctly from the book, Harvey tossed him.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Boy, he'd toss anybody if he'd toss Sanguillen. That guy was one of the nicest guys in baseball. He was like Vladi Guerrero. Good grief, I think he smiled while he was sleeping.