Post 41

This week, four new players were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame: Kirby Puckett, Dave Winfield, Bill Mazeroski and Hilton Smith. Both Puckett and Winfield were selected by the Baseball Writers Association, while Mazeroski and Hilton were the beneficiaries of the Veterans Committee.

I am happy that these men are in the Hall of Fame. Dave Winfield is without a doubt one of the best to ever play the game. He is one of only seven players in the history of the game to hit 400 home runs and get 3000 hits in his career and had a spectacular arm that kept many a player from trying to take an extra base. Puckett, whose career was cut short by glaucoma, amassed over 2000 hits, a lifetime batting average of .318, and scored well over 1000 runs. Mazeroski hit the most famous home run in baseball aside from Bobby Thompson's 'Shot Heard Round The World' when he beat the seemingly invincible NY Yankees in 1960 by hitting a home run that won the series - this was the first time this had ever been done. Mazeroski was also a wizard in the infield. helping to turn 1,706 double plays. Hilton, who pitched in the Negro Leagues, amassed a record that could stand up against almost any pitcher in the majors including a record of 93-11 over a 4 year period (1939-1942). I tip my hat to all of these players.

However, I thumb my nose at the Baseball Writers Association (as well as MLB Commish Bud Selig). Why? Because they have left off the list a player who is just as deserving as Kirby Puckett. His name is Don Mattingly.

Now, first off, let me say that I approach this from a position of extreme partisanship. I am a diehard Yankees fan. When I was a teenager, there were three players everybody wanted to hit like: Wade Boggs, Tony Gwynn, and Don Mattingly. 'The Hit Man' as he was affectionately known, Mattingly was perhaps the most feared hitter in in baseball during the mid 80's. Possessing a combination of finesse and power, Mattingly could do it all. He was one of the finest fielding first baseman to ever play the game. He won 9 Gold Gloves and committed only 68 errors in a career that spanned 12 years. In 1987, Mattingly tied a major league record when he hit home runs in 8 straight games, tying the record set by Dale Long in 1956. Mattingly was also a fan favorite - adored by NY fans, the one thing that he was not able to get was a World Series ring. Sadly, Mattingly retired following the 1995 season, just missing the incredible run the Yankees have been on. During his injury shortened career, Mattingly compiled 222 home runs, 1099 RBI's, 2153 hits, 1007 runs scored, 588 walks and a lifetime batting average of .307. He twice led the American League in hits, and in 1985 was awarded the Most Valuable Player award when he batted .324 with 35 home runs and 145 runs batted in.

However, the numbskulls over at the BWA felt that this was not good enough to gain entrance into the Hall of Fame. Well, if not Mattingly, why Puckett? Both played the same amount of seasons. Both had their careers ended by injury. Pucketts and Mattingly's statistics are eerily similar. Pucket had 207 HR's, 1085 RBI's, 2304 hits, 1071 runs scored, 450 walks and a lifetime batting average of .318. What is the difference? If you're thinking World Series titles, think again. Entrance into the Hall of Fame is about a players individual achievements, not how many World Series rings they possess. Ask Ted Williams, Ernie Banks and Willie Mays what they think about that.

I am not going to speculate as to any motives that the writers may have, and perhaps I am being overly pessimistic when I say that Mattingly may have to wait for the Veterans Committee to get his due. However, that doesn't make the BWA any less wrong. They, like Bud Selig, are making a mistake. Is there any doubt at all that Pete Rose deserves to be in the Hall of Fame? Pete Rose gathered statistics that are almost mind boggling - 4256 hits, 14053 at-bats, 2165 runs scored, and 1566 walks. 'Charlie Hustle' WAS baseball. Nobody played the game harder and with more conviction than Rose. Yet, he languishes just outside Cooperstown, thanks to the biggest idiot in all of baseball: MLB Commissioner Bud Selig. Selig, with some kind of personal vendetta against Rose, outright refuses to waive Rose's lifetime ban, and shows no sign of doing so. Its the greatest injustice in baseball aside from Joe Jackson not being there as well.

The Hall of Fame is a sacred place. Of all the thousands of players that have been in the major leagues,.only 188 are in the HOF. It is not a place for average players. According to some, Ted Williams was not too thrilled with the selection of Bill Mazeroski, a .260 lifetime hitter. New voting rules could make it HARDER for some players to gain entrance, as some who are members said it is becoming too easy to make it. Whatever road the future takes, lets hope that the same people who believe that Kirby Puckett should grace the halls of Cooperstown, think again about 'The Hit Man', Don Mattingly.