Of the 14 first-time candidates, who MOST deserves to be enshrined in Cooperstown?
| Rick Aguilera |  1 (0.54%) |
| Albert Belle | 22 (11.96%) |
| Doc Gooden | 16 (8.70%) |
| Gary Gaetti | 2 (1.09%) |
| Orel Hershiser | 81 (44.02%) |
| Doug Jones | 1 (0.54%) |
| John Wetteland | 6 (3.26%) |
| None of the Above! | 55 (29.89%) |
184 votes | 5 featured comments
Can someone refresh my memory - why did Albert Belle retire?
Because he could no longer be the Belle of the ball.:)
Belle had degenerative osteoarthritis in his hip so bad that he was judged to be permanently disabled. What he accomplished in his last few years, given the severity of the condition, is remarkable. No more remarkable, I guess, than his accomplishments generally, which were extraordinary.
Albert was not quite in Dick Allen's class, but man, he was close. One day, a long, long time from now, he will make it. And I think he deserves to.
Albert was not quite in Dick Allen's class, but man, he was close. One day, a long, long time from now, he will make it. And I think he deserves to.
Every single player on the list has at least one vote (I almost didn't include Jones and Aguilera because I thought Wetteland was so clearly superior at the same position -- and yes, he got my vote, the Yankee fan living in Texas, makes sense) ... I'm not sure that's ever happened before.
But just one, Hershiser (from my alma mater, Bowling Green), is outpolling "none of the above." I think it's interesting how HOF standards may be changing a bit perhaps because of media saturation. If I think back to 1988, I can't imagine then believing "Dwight Gooden -- not a Hall of Famer?" or to 1993 or so, same with Albert Belle. Now, I'm not saying either actually deserves to get in -- just that 24-hour instant media coverage of Gooden's mug shots and Belle's bad boy antics may well have contributed to both their early career end AND the dismissal of their HOF chances.
Incidentally, Belle's Top 10 Comps include a bunch of active players and more than a few HOF talents:
Carlos Delgado (914)
Juan Gonzalez (900)
Jim Edmonds (880)
Moises Alou (874)
Jim Thome (872)
Dick Allen (867)
Shawn Green (863)
Hank Greenberg (859)
Chipper Jones (854)
Rocky Colavito (852)
And Gooden's Top 10 career Comps are quite a bit weaker than I anticipated (though there's Hershiser!) and by age, he dropped quickly from Bob Feller to Bob Welch:
David Cone (945)
Tommy Bridges (909)
Dazzy Vance (907)
Mike Mussina (907)
Curt Schilling (902)
Dave McNally (901)
Orel Hershiser (900)
Jimmy Key (899)
Bob Welch (898)
Kevin Brown (896)
Vance is the only one in the HOF and I would think Moose and Schilling are the only two actives with even an outside shot.
But just one, Hershiser (from my alma mater, Bowling Green), is outpolling "none of the above." I think it's interesting how HOF standards may be changing a bit perhaps because of media saturation. If I think back to 1988, I can't imagine then believing "Dwight Gooden -- not a Hall of Famer?" or to 1993 or so, same with Albert Belle. Now, I'm not saying either actually deserves to get in -- just that 24-hour instant media coverage of Gooden's mug shots and Belle's bad boy antics may well have contributed to both their early career end AND the dismissal of their HOF chances.
Incidentally, Belle's Top 10 Comps include a bunch of active players and more than a few HOF talents:
Carlos Delgado (914)
Juan Gonzalez (900)
Jim Edmonds (880)
Moises Alou (874)
Jim Thome (872)
Dick Allen (867)
Shawn Green (863)
Hank Greenberg (859)
Chipper Jones (854)
Rocky Colavito (852)
And Gooden's Top 10 career Comps are quite a bit weaker than I anticipated (though there's Hershiser!) and by age, he dropped quickly from Bob Feller to Bob Welch:
David Cone (945)
Tommy Bridges (909)
Dazzy Vance (907)
Mike Mussina (907)
Curt Schilling (902)
Dave McNally (901)
Orel Hershiser (900)
Jimmy Key (899)
Bob Welch (898)
Kevin Brown (896)
Vance is the only one in the HOF and I would think Moose and Schilling are the only two actives with even an outside shot.
i believe it was some sort of arthritis...a degenerative hip condition similar to Bo Jackson