Schilling and Big Papi - a Pair of Sox for the Hall in 2022?

Schilling and Big Papi - a Pair of Sox for the Hall in 2022?
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
January 20, 2022

Major League Baseball returned to relative normalcy in 2021 following the 60 game Covid-laden season MLB stumbled through in 2020. MLB suited up for a full complement of games in 2021 culminating in the 117th World Series being won by the Atlanta Braves over the Houston Astros four games to two. This was the second championship for the Braves in Atlanta and fourth in franchise history.

Fans returned to ballparks around the nation, including at the minor league level, which had been shuttered through the entirety of the 2020 season. Fans were ushered into stadiums initially on a limited basis and allowed the numbers to grow throughout the season until reaching full capacity. Fans and stadium personnel alike donned masks as per Covid requirements, but at least with the roar of the crowds (albeit muffled) and the familiar smells wafting through the ballparks, there was finally some joy in Mudville.

If only the traditional rules of our beloved game were restored to their proper order. Gone should be seven inning doubleheaders, extra innings beginning with a runner on second base, relief pitchers required to pitch to either three batters or the end of the inning, circumstances where the home team bats in the tops of innings and a visiting team has the opportunity for the very unusual walk-off. At least the National League dropped the designated hitter, and quite frankly so should the American League as well, but that seems like a pipedream, especially with the current Players Association contract under renegotiation. 

The traditionally active Hot Stove season is currently dormant thanks to the lockout by the teams’ owners in the every few years battle between billionaires and millionaires while the fans face rising ticket prices and insane costs for parking, food, and souvenirs. The silence of the mostly snow encrusted stadiums is matched by the no talk, no contact lockout. Yet while the ballparks enjoy their winter slumber, there is business of the utmost importance emerging from Cooperstown on Tuesday, January 25.

The Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) is finalizing their votes to determine who will fill the Hall of Fame Class of 2022. Is this finally the year for Curt Schilling? How about the likes of Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens - tainted by substance allegations? The only way steroid/HGH-addled balloteers should be admitted to the Hall of Fame is with a paid ticket for admission to the museum.

“We hope the day never comes when known steroid users are voted into the Hall of Fame. They cheated. Steroid users don’t belong here,” wrote late Hall of Famer Joe Morgan in a November 2017 letter to the BBWAA, hoping to influence their Hall votes in 2018. Hopefully Morgan’s letter continues to resonate in 2022 as cheaters such as Bonds and Clemens inch closer to the magic number of 75 percent - enough to grant one admission to the Hall.

The cloud of controversy has been dark and heavy, while initially eliminating some from Hall of Fame contention. Yet in the cases of Bonds and Clemens, the BBWAA voters’ support of Bonds rose from 60.7 percent in 2020 to 61.8 percent in 2021, and Clemens’ totals jumped from 61 percent in 2020 to 61.6 percent in 2021. Fortunately, remaining in low numbers are Sammy Sosa and Manny Ramirez. Sosa’s support moved from 13.9 percent in 2020 to 17 percent in 2021, while voting for Ramirez remained unchanged at 28.2 percent in 2021, his fifth year on the ballot. Bonds, Clemens, and Sosa are on the ballot for their tenth and final year, and hopefully they will not reach the vaunted 75 percent in 2022.

The voting results are due to be released on Tuesday, January 25. In previous years I have complained that the ballots of the voting members of the BBWAA are not released to the public. Now, the BBWAA has gone to the opposite extreme. Updates regarding the running percentage of votes received for the Hall candidates are disclosed periodically leading up to the vote deadline. This is a dangerous practice as those results could potentially influence the members of the BBWAA who have not yet cast their ballots - especially when personalities or personal bias is at play. Those votes should be announced for public consumption - after the Hall of Fame makes its official announcement of who has vaulted the 75 percent threshold. Let the BBWAA voters defend their votes as I defend mine, even if not as a member of the BBWAA. 

A prime example is Dan Shaughnessy with The Boston Globe. For the second year in a row, Shaughnessy will cast his lone vote for Jeff Kent, explaining that his vote is a protest against the steroid players. Members of the BBWAA are permitted to vote for up to 10 candidates, but many do not vote for 10. In my annual Hall of Fame column I have never supported 10 candidates in any given year. I remain a consistent and virulent opponent of the steroid players and will continue to do so for the next 10 years as Alex Rodriguez (A-Roid) steps up to the plate to begin his balloting journey.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame has a so-called character clause. “Voting shall be based upon the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character and contribution to the team(s) on which the player played.” So-called because it has existed since 1945 and more than a fair share of miscreants have found their way to Cooperstown. (https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/bbwaa-rules-for-election)

With voting in mind, were I a privileged member of the BBWAA charged with the task of electing the Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2022, only four former major leaguers would earn my votes - three holdovers and one fresh face - David “Big Papi” Ortiz. Of those four, maybe two will be enshrined on Sunday July 24 - hopefully Ortiz and Schilling. Thirteen retirees are on the ballot for the first time with an additional 17 holdovers. Candidates who do not attain 75 percent of the vote must receive at least five percent of the vote or will be eliminated from future consideration. Of those 13, only two are worthy of discussion - Ortiz and Rodriguez. The last thing to be said about A-Roid speaks volumes as to why he should never earn a plaque in Cooperstown. Admitting his use of steroids/banned substances, Rodriguez found himself suspended for 211 games from August 2013 through the entire 2014 season.

As an anti-steroid baseball fan, I feel compelled to address the elephant in the room. According to www.cbssports.com, a story leaked in 2009 that Ortiz was one of more than 100 active players to have failed a test in 2003 indicating use of a substance that had NOT been banned by Major League Baseball. That same story also indicated that Ortiz passed hundreds of subsequent tests, failing exactly none of them over the last 13 years of his MLB career. He had no involvement in the BioGenesis scandal, nor have any teammates or opponents ever suggested Ortiz behaved in an illegal manner.

Now onto the positive. Ortiz, a native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, spent the first six seasons of his 20 year career (1997-2016) with the Minnesota Twins, but truly excelled and flourished the remaining 14 with the Boston Red Sox. Not just a premier player, Ortiz was beloved by the Fenway Faithful, and his love of the fans was reciprocated. This was especially true when an ebullient Big Papi took to the microphone and gave an impassioned speech condemning the terrorist bombing at the Boston Marathon in 2013 and reminding the fans to remain Boston Strong to a rousing ovation.

Those ovations came often throughout his career, as Ortiz slammed 541 home runs, good for 17th on the all time list; ripped 1,191 extra base hits, ranking him eighth in the majors; 632 doubles - 12th place; 1,768 RBI - 23rd all time; as well as 2,472 hits and 1,419 runs scored. Ortiz garnered MVP votes in eight seasons and made 10 All Star teams, drove in more than 100 runs 10 times, and batted over .300 seven times accomplishing all four in his final season. Ortiz seemed to have found the Fountain of Youth in that career ending season of 2016 batting .315 with a Major League leading .620 slugging percentage and 48 doubles, along with an American League leading 127 RBI. He also hit 38 homers that season. Not a bad swan song. Ortiz was equally productive in the postseason batting .289 with 17 home runs, 22 doubles, 61 RBI, and 51 runs scored in 85 games. Ortiz played on three World Series winning teams (2004, 2007, and 2013) winning the MVP in 2013. 

Curt Schilling could finally reach 75 percent in this, his tenth year on the ballot. Schilling inched ever so closer leading all candidates in 2021 with 71.1 percent, up from 70 percent in 2020. Schilling, bloody sock and all, is a six-time All Star who pitched 20 seasons in the big leagues – three with the Orioles, one with the Astros, eight-plus with the Phillies, three-plus with the Arizona Diamondbacks, then calling it a career with the Boston Red Sox. Schilling tossed 83 complete games, and had three 20-plus win seasons within a four year span at ages 36, 38, and 39. Schilling, a member of three World Series winning teams (2001, 2004, and 2007 - Diamondbacks and Red Sox) was outstanding in the postseason. Schilling posted an 11-2 postseason record and a 2.23 ERA in 133 innings, of which he went 4-1 in the World Series with a 2.06 ERA in 48 innings. In 2001, Schilling shared World Series MVP honors with teammate Randy Johnson, already enshrined in Cooperstown, and was a Red Sox teammate with Ortiz in the 2004 and 2007 World Series triumphs. Schilling should have his ticket stamped this summer – was my mistaken prediction the last nine years, and while I believe some members of the BBWAA are holding his politics against him, Schilling still belongs among those earning a plaque in Cooperstown.

While the 2004 World Series ended an 87 year drought for the Red Sox, getting there may have been more memorable. Playing the hated Yankees in the American League Championship Series, the Red Sox fell behind three games to none before marching back, winning the final four games, a feat never before accomplished. Sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals in that famed World Series seemed an inevitable aftermath. (Just don’t remind the 1986 Red Sox players and their fans about inevitability.)

Omar Vizquel, was the quintessential shortstop of a generation, having won 11 Gold Glove awards during his 24 year career, second most at that position all time. Vizquel was also the oldest shortstop to win a Gold Glove, having done so at age 39 in 2006. After five years with the Seattle Mariners, Vizquel took his talents to Cleveland continuing to be the defensive gem that will vault him into Cooperstown.

Vizquel was three times an All Star, overshadowed by Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees, elected to Cooperstown in a near-unanimous vote in 2020. On the field, Vizquel led the league in Fielding Percentage six times as a shortstop and is the all time leader in Fielding Percentage at .985. Vizquel shares the season record with Cal Ripken, Jr. for committing the fewest errors by a shortstop playing in at least 150 games with a paltry three. Additionally, Vizquel is first all time in double plays turned by a shortstop, third all time in assists at shortstop, and 11th all time in putouts made by a shortstop.

At bat, Vizquel compares rather favorably to Hall of Fame shortstops Ozzie Smith, Luis Aparicio, and Luke Appling. Vizquel hit more home runs than Smith and Appling, trailing Aparicio by only three. Vizquel drove in more runs than Smith and Aparicio, stole more bases than Appling, hit for a higher batting average than Smith and Aparicio, while collecting more hits than all three. This is the fifth year on the ballot for Vizquel, having dropped from 52.6 percent of the vote in 2020, to 41.1 percent in 2021. Vizquel’s numbers may dip even further in 2022 due to allegations of a rather serious nature. Until they are adjudicated, I will not traffic in rumors and/or innuendo. Should Vizquel be found guilty, I will withdraw my support of his entry into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

In his fourth year on the ballot, Todd Helton has earned my support. The 17-year MLB veteran played his entire career with the Colorado Rockies (1997-2013) batting .316 in 2,247 games with 2,519 hits, 369 home runs, scoring 1,401 runs, and driving in 1,406 runs. The Knoxville native finished second in the 1998 Rookie of the Year balloting, earning five All Star game selections in consecutive years, from 2000 through 2004. Appearing on MVP ballots in six years, Helton’s breakout season was in 2000, leading the National League in hits with 216 and all of MLB with 59 doubles, 147 RBI and a .372 batting average, yet could only manage a fifth place finish in the MVP race that season. Earning 29.2 percent of the votes in 2020, Helton enjoyed a sizable bump up to 44.9 percent in 2021, but will more than likely not earn induction this summer.

While it is important to not sully the Baseball Hall of Fame with the likes of Bonds, Clemens, Ramirez, Sosa, and Rodriguez, the focus must be on the greats who will be enshrined this July and how they will continue to be the true ambassadors to the game of baseball as so many before them have been. Sadly, this is an ever shrinking community. While the Class of 2021 remained bereft of new members, three members passed away - all in January within 15 days of one another, following a year of loss as seven Hall of Famers died in 2020. Longtime Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda died on January 7 at age 93, followed by pitcher Don Dutton 11 days later on January 18 at age 75, and four days later, on January 22, Mr. Henry Aaron, the true home run king, died at age 86.

Tommy Lasorda (09/22/1927 - 01/07/2021) entered the Hall of Fame as a manager in 1997 spending the entirety of his managerial career with the Dodgers from 1976 through 1996. During his tenure he led his team to four National League pennants and two World Series titles in 1981 against the Yankees and in 1988 versus the Oakland Athletics. In Game One of the 1988 World Series a barely able to walk Kirk Gibson made Lasorda look like a genius. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, trailing four to three and one runner on base, Gibson, in his lone at bat of the entire World Series, clouted a pinch hit two-run homer to win the game five to four in a series the Dodgers would win in five games. Only in Hollywood.

Don Sutton (04/02/1945 - 01/18/2021) pitched six of his 23 seasons (1966-88) for Lasorda as a member of the Dodgers, and entered the Hall of Fame in 1998 receiving 81.6 percent of the votes. Sutton won 324 games, placing him 14th on the all time list; striking out 3,574 batters, good for seventh place; tossing 5,282 innings, also good for seventh place; and issuing 58 shutouts, putting him in 10th place all time. Sutton was named to four All Star teams and earned votes for the Cy Young Award five times. The Dodgers retired Sutton’s number 20 in 1998. Additionally, Sutton worked 30 years behind the mic for the Dodgers, Braves, and Nationals - 27 for the Braves, who inducted him into their Hall of Fame in 2015.

Mr. Henry Aaron - yes, he preferred Henry to the media-assigned Hank (02/05/1934 -  01/22/2021) played 21 of his 23 seasons with the aforementioned Braves. He entered the Hall of Fame on his first try in 1982 garnering 97.8 percent of the vote. Who were the nine BBWAA members of the 415 not to have voted for Aaron? Did they drop into Earth from Saturn? Aaron began his MLB career in Milwaukee with the Braves (moving to Atlanta in 1966) in 1954 and concluded his career back in Milwaukee in 1976 with the Brewers. During that time Aaron put up such prolific numbers that still rank among the elites. His 2,297 RBI, 1,477 extra base hits, and 6,856 total bases are still number one in all of Major League Baseball. Aaron’s 3,771 base hits rank third all time, and his 2,174 runs scored place him second. His 756 home runs should still be best in MLB history, but that’s a different argument for a different day. 

What must be said about Aaron and his home run total is the difficulty he endured while chasing the almighty Babe Ruth. Ruth retired with 714 home runs in 1935 - a record that stood almost 40 years. As Aaron climbed the home run ladder, reaching 500 in 1968, 600 in 1971, and ending the 1973 season with 713 - exactly one shy of tying Ruth, Aaron received torrents of death threats both orally and in writing - G-d forbid a Black player should pass the legendary Babe Ruth. Aaron handled the threats and pressure that accompanied them with grace and aplomb - the same way he played baseball and carried himself in life. When Bonds passed Aaron with home run number 756 in 2007, Aaron had a congratulatory video message for Bonds played at the San Francisco Giants stadium. A class act, no surprise.

On May 17, 1970, when Aaron collected his 3,000th base hit, he became the first player in MLB history to accumulate 3,000 hits and 500 home runs. Aaron’s Braves defeated the Yankees in the 1957 World Series, the same year he won his lone MVP award. Aaron earned votes for the MVP in 19 seasons, appeared on 25 All Star teams (1959-62 two All Star games would be played each season), won three Gold Gloves, and two batting titles. In 2002 Henry Aaron was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor bestowed upon an American civilian, by President Goerge W. Bush.

May their memories be for a Blessing, and may 2022 be a better, healthier year for one and all, and may the baseball season start on time.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN. He has been a Patron-level member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame since 2007.

More Memorials than Inductees at Hall in 2021

More Memorials than Inductees at Hall in 2021
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
January 19, 2021

The 2020 Major League Baseball season, we hardly knew ye. Thanks to the evil Covid, the home plate umpires were not the only ones who donned masks. The 60 game season came and went in an instant, with the Los Angeles Dodgers winning their first World Series since 1988. With the 2020 season in the books, let’s hope 2021 will be a complete 162 game season, attended by at least some fans, and with a return to the traditional rules of the game.

Gone should be seven inning doubleheaders, extra innings beginning with a runner on second base, relief pitchers required to pitch to either three batters or end the inning, circumstances where the home team bats in the tops of innings and a visiting team has the opportunity for the very unusual walk-off. Also, the designated hitter should be dropped from the National League, and quite frankly the American League as well, but that seems like a pipedream. 

Now with the rather active Hot Stove season underway, with no umpires or players on the fields, many of which are blanketed under a bed of smooth, white, crusted snow - silent, slightly more silent than they were during the regular season. Yet while the ballparks enjoy their winter slumber, there is business of the utmost importance emerging from Cooperstown on Tuesday, January 26.

The Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) is finalizing their votes to determine who will fill the Hall of Fame Class of 2021. Is this the year for Curt Schilling? How about the likes or Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens - tainted by substance allegations? The only way steroid/HGH-addled balloteers should be admitted to the Hall of Fame is with a paid ticket for admission to the museum.

“We hope the day never comes when known steroid users are voted into the Hall of Fame. They cheated. Steroid users don’t belong here,” wrote late Hall of Famer Joe Morgan in a November 2017 letter to the BBWAA, hoping to influence their Hall votes in 2018. Hopefully Morgan’s letter continues to resonate in 2021 as cheaters such as Bonds and Clemens inch closer to the magic number of 75 percent - enough to grant one admission to the Hall.

The cloud of controversy has been dark and heavy, while initially eliminating some from Hall of Fame contention. Yet in the cases of Bonds and Clemens, the BBWAA voters’ support of Bonds rose from 59.1 percent in 2019 to 60.7 percent in 2020, and Clemens’ totals jumped from 59.5 percent in 2019 to 61 percent in 2020. Fortunately, remaining in low numbers are Sammy Sosa and Manny Ramirez. Sosa’s support moved from 8.5 percent in 2019 to 13.9 percent in 2020, while voting for Ramirez moved from 22.8 percent in 2019 to 28.2 percent in 2020, his fourth year on the ballot. Bonds, Clemens, and Sosa are on the ballot for their penultimate ninth year, and hopefully they will not reach the vaunted 75 percent by 2022.

The voting results are due to be released on Tuesday, January 26. What is not released are the ballots of the voting members of the BBWAA. Those votes should be disclosed to the public. Let the BBWAA voters defend their votes as I defend mine, even if not as a member of the BBWAA.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame has a so-called character clause. “Voting shall be based upon the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character and contribution to the team(s) on which the player played.” So-called because it has existed since 1945 and more than a fair share of miscreants have found their way to Cooperstown. (https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/bbwaa-rules-for-election)

With voting in mind, were I a privileged member of the BBWAA charged with the task of electing the Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2021, only three former major leaguers would earn my votes - all three, holdovers. Of those three, maybe one will be enshrined on July 25. Candidates must receive at least five percent of the vote in order to remain on the ballot should they not attain 75 percent the previous year.

Curt Schilling could finally reach 75 percent in this, his ninth year on the ballot. Schilling’s stock rose more than nine points from 60.9 percent in 2020, up to 70 percent in 2020. Schilling, bloody sock and all, is a six-time All Star who pitched 20 seasons in the big leagues – three with the Orioles, one with the Astros, eight-plus with the Phillies, three-plus with the Arizona Diamondbacks, then calling it a career with the Boston Red Sox. Schilling tossed 83 complete games, appeared in three World Series, and had three 20-plus win seasons within a four year span at ages 36, 38, and 39. Schilling should have his ticket stamped this summer – was my mistaken prediction the last eight years, and while I believe some members of the BBWAA are holding his politics against him, Schilling still belongs among those earning a plaque in Cooperstown.

Omar Vizquel, was the quintessential shortstop of a generation, having won 11 Gold Glove awards during his 24 year career, second most at that position all time. Vizquel was also the oldest shortstop to win a Gold Glove, having done so at age 39 in 2006. After five years with the Seattle Mariners, Vizquel took his talents to Cleveland continuing to be the defensive gem that will vault him into Cooperstown.

Vizquel was three times an All Star, overshadowed by Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees, who was elected to Cooperstown in a near-unanimous vote in 2020. On the field, Vizquel led the league in Fielding Percentage six times as a shortstop and is the all time leader in Fielding Percentage at .985. Vizquel shares the season record with Cal Ripken, Jr. for committing the fewest errors by a shortstop playing in at least 150 games with a paltry three. Additionally, Vizquel is first all time in double plays turned by a shortstop, third all time in assists at shortstop, and 11th all time in putouts made by a shortstop.

At bat, Vizquel compares rather favorably to Hall of Fame shortstops Ozzie Smith, Luis Aparicio, and Luke Appling. Vizquel hit more home runs than Smith and Appling, trailing Aparicio by only three. Vizquel drove in more runs than Smith and Aparicio, stole more bases than Appling, hit for a higher batting average than Smith and Aparicio, while collecting more hits than all three. This is the fourth year on the ballot for Vizquel, having earned 52.6 percent of the vote in 2020.

In his third year on the ballot, Todd Helton has earned my support. The 17-year MLB veteran played his entire career with the Colorado Rockies (1997-2013) batting .316 in 2,247 games with 2,519 hits, 369 home runs, scoring 1,401 runs, and driving in 1,406 runs. The Knoxville native finished second in the 1998 Rookie of the Year balloting, earning five All Star game selections in consecutive years, from 2000 through 2004. Appearing on MVP ballots in six years, Helton’s breakout season was in 2000, leading the National League in hits with 216 and all of MLB with 59 doubles, 147 RBI and a .372 batting average, yet could only manage a fifth place finish in the MVP race that season. Earning 29.2 percent of the votes in 2020, Helton will more than likely not earn induction this summer.

While it is important to not sully the Baseball Hall of Fame with the likes of Bonds, Clemens, Ramirez, and Sosa, the focus must be on the greats who will be enshrined this July and how they will continue to be the true ambassadors to the community as so many before them have been. Sadly, this is an ever shrinking community. The Class of 2020, Derek Jeter, Marvin Miller, Ted Simmons, and Larry Walker, to be enshrined this July, as Covid “rained out” last summer’s ceremony, raised the total membership to 333, of which, as of March 20, 2020, 82 were living. Sadly, as of January 20, 2021, that number has dwindled to 73. A daunting record seven Hall of Famers passed away in 2020, five within a 42 day period.

Al Kaline, “Mr. Tiger,” who never played a game in the minor leagues, and spent the entirety of his MLB career with Detroit, lived December 19, 1934 to April 6, 2020. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1980, Kaline accumulated 3,007 hits, 399 home runs, 1,582 RBI, and scored 1,622 runs during a career that ran from 1953 through 1974. The right fielder earned 10 Gold Glove Awards, was voted into 18 All Star games, and garnered MVP votes in 14 seasons. In 1955, Kaline led the American League with 200 hits and a .340 batting average. Kaline was  particularly effective in the postseason, batting .379 in the 1968 World Series win over the St. Louis Cardinals. In seven games Kaline had 11 hits, cracked two home runs, and drove in eight runs. 

“Tom Terrific, The Franchise,” Tom Seaver, who put the then hapless New York Mets on the map lived November 17, 1944 to August 31, 2020. Seaver pitched 12 of his 20 year career, from 1967 through 1986, with the Mets achieving fame as the ace of the staff recording 311 wins and 205 loses, with a 2.86 ERA and 3,640 strikeouts. Seaver, a US Marine, earned election into the Hall of Fame in 1992, with the then highest percentage of the vote at 98.8 percent. Along the way, Seaver won Rookie of the Year honors in 1967, three Cy Young Awards, selected to 12 All Star games, earned MVP votes in 10 years, and was the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year in 1969. Although he pitched many gems while with the Mets, it was not until Seaver became a member of the Cincinnati Reds that he finally tossed his lone no-hitter, on June 16, 1978 in a 4-0 win against the St. Louis Cardinals, at Riverfront Stadium. Seaver won 20 or more games in five seasons while leading the National League in wins three times and in strikeouts five times.

Lou Brock, the “Rocket,” who retired leading all Major League Baseball with 938 stolen bases, and still ranks number two, lived June 18, 1939 to September 6, 2020. The speedy left fielder played from 1961 through 1979, was selected to six All Star games and entered the Hall of Fame in 1985. In a record 12 consecutive years Brock stole 50 or more bases and stroked 200 or more hits four times, amassing 3,023 hits for his career, batting .293. In 1968 Brock led the National League with 46 doubles, 14 triples, and 62 stolen bases. Brock put up prolific numbers in three World Series, batting .391 in 21 games with 34 hits seven doubles, two triples, four homeruns, 13 RBI, while scoring 16 runs and stealing 14 bases.

Bob “Gibby” Gibson, who pitched with such ferocity he would have thrown at his own mother, or so the myth went. The career St. Louis Cardinal, who played from 1959 through 1975, lived November 9, 1935 to October 2, 2020. Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1981, the right-hander won 251 games and lost 174 with an ERA of 2.91, while striking out 3,117 batters. Gibson won an MVP Award, two Cy Youngs, an impressive nine Gold Gloves, while also being named to nine All Star teams. So dominant was Gibson in 1968 with a miniscule 1.12 ERA, that Major League Baseball lowered the pitcher’s mound from 15 inches to 10 inches after his brilliant season. During the 1968 campaign, Gibson won 22 games while losing an astounding nine - talk about a lack of run support. Gibson led the National League with 13 shutouts and 268 strikeouts, along with the almost invisible ERA, en route to capturing the Gold Glove, Cy Young, and MVP awards that year. Gibson also put up solid postseason numbers, pitching in three World Series, winning seven games, losing but two, with a 1.89 ERA. He started nine games, completed eight, striking out 92 batters in just 81 innings.

Edward Charles “Whitey” Ford a.k.a. The “Chairman of the Board,” lived October 21, 1928 to October 8, 2020. He played the entirety of his career, 1950 through 1967, with the  New York Yankees, earning induction into the Hall of Fame in 1974. Ford won 236 games and lost 106, with an ERA of 2.75. Throughout his career, the southpaw Ford averaged 230 innings pitched per season and was selected to 10 All Star games. He led the American League in wins three times and in ERA twice. Ford posted career highs in 1961 with 25 wins, 283 innings pitched, and 209 strike outs, on his way to winning the Cy Young Award. He followed up his regular season by winning the World Series MVP winning two games, losing none, with a spotless ERA of 0.00. In total Ford won 10 and lost eight in 11 World Series with a 2.71 ERA.

Joe Morgan, “Little Joe,” the “Little General,” lived September 19, 1943 to October 11, 2020. He played the bulk of his 22 year career with the Houston Astros and Cincinnati Reds, which ran from 1963 through 1984. At the time of his death, Morgan had been serving as Vice Chairman of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Board of Directors. An integral part of the Big Red Machine and a slick fielding second baseman, Morgan won five consecutive Gold Gloves, one each in 1975 and 1976 while winning the National League MVP both years. In those two years Morgan batted .327 and .320, stole 67 and 60 bases, drove in 94 and 111 runs - all career highs. His defensive career at second base continues to hold up, even 34 years after his retirement. Morgan ranks second in games played at the keystone sack, third in assists, fourth in putouts, and sixth in double plays turned. Morgan also successfully worked in the ESPN booth with Jon Miller calling Sunday Night Baseball for a number of years.

Phil “Knucksie” Niekro, who pitched until he was 48, looked every bit the part while still just in his 30s. Niekro lived April 1, 1939 to December 26, 2020. Niekro spent 21 of his 24 years in the majors with the Braves - the first two while the team still played in Milwaukee. The righthander pitched from 1964 through 1987, and was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1997. Niekro won 318 games and lost 274, pitching 245 complete games with 3,342 strikeouts in 5,404 innings - fourth all time. The knuckleball will take a pitcher a long way for a long time. He earned five Gold Gloves, votes for the Cy Young five times, and selected to five All Star games. Niekro worked like a veritable horse from 1977 through 1979, during his ages 38-40. In those three seasons, he pitched an average of 335 innings totaling 1,006, 18.6 percent of his career total, with 65 complete games. Niekro won 20 or more games three times, while losing 20 or more twice, including 1979 when he led the National League in both wins and loses, going 21-20, the last pitcher to win and lose 20-plus in the same season.

May their memories be for a Blessing, and may 2021 be a better year for one and all.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN. He has been a Patron-level member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame since 2007.

Jeter Tops Short List Heading to Cooperstown

Jeter Tops Short List Heading to Cooperstown
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
January 14, 2020

Baseball’s Hot Stove season is designed to provide warm memories of the season past, while cold temperatures remind us that aside from a few trades, baseball is on the back burner, save for the important announcement due to come on Tuesday, January 21. However, this year, revealing the names of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2020 is already being overshadowed by the Houston Astros’ sign stealing scandal.

Major League Baseball determined Monday, January 13 that the 2017 Houston Astros, winners of that year’s World Series cheated, via electronic means, by stealing signs of their opponents. So-called traditional sign stealing has long been accepted, but the use of electronics has been strictly prohibited since 2018, and the Astros used cameras in their home ballpark of Minute Maid Park to capture signs opposing catchers would set down for their pitchers. Some have even suggested this sign stealing scandal ranks up with baseball’s most infamous of all scandals the 1919 fix of the World Series by the Chicago White Sox, a.k.a., the “Black Sox.”

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred handed down punishments of a one year suspension of Astros Manager A.J. Hinch and General Manager Jeff Luhnow, as well as a $5 million fine and loss of draft picks this year and in 2021. Astros owner and CEO Jim Crane wasted no time in firing both Hinch and Luhnow an hour following the MLB ruling. By the way, with baseball salaries what they are in this day and age, a $5 million fine is lunch money to Crane. A $50 million fine might garner some attention.

“Neither one of them started this, but neither one of them did anything about it, and that’s how we came to the conclusion,” said Crane. “I have higher standards for the city and the franchise and I’m going above and beyond MLB’s penalty,” Crane added.

There are continuing debates over whether or not the 2017 World Series championship of the Astros should be vacated. “Baseball does not want to rewrite history,” said Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, indicating his belief there will be no vacating of the 2017 World Series by the Astros. And the fallout has reached Boston as the 2018 World Series champion Red Sox and manager Alex Cora have mutually agreed to part company on Tuesday, January 14. Cora served as the Astros bench coach on that 2017 World Series team. His link to both the Astros and Red Sox could prove deleterious to all, regarding his potential involvement in the sign stealing scandal in Houston and whether or not it carried over to Boston under Cora’s leadership. The Red Sox are being investigated for using their video replay room to relay signals through players on the field, explained Rosenthal. The far-reaching tentacles could also reach New York, as the Mets hired Carlos Beltran to be the team’s new manager this off-season. Beltran played on that 2017 Astros team and may very well be implicated in the sign stealing.

Former Astros hurler Roy Oswalt added some perspective to the ruling as the severity of the “crime,” by his former team, in a Tweet. “So let me get this right. You steal signs and get fired, but you do steroids and get millions of dollars in contracts and inducted into the Hall of Fame? #makesnosense.”

I absolutely agree with Oswalt. Sign stealing is, of course, wrong, but don’t reward steroid users - also cheaters - with a plaque in Cooperstown. The only way steroid/HGH-addled balloteers should be admitted to the Hall of Fame is with a paid ticket for admission to the museum.

“We hope the day never comes when known steroid users are voted into the Hall of Fame. They cheated. Steroid users don’t belong here,” wrote Hall of Famer Joe Morgan in a November 2017 letter to the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA), hoping to influence their Hall votes in 2018. I hope Morgan’s letter continues to resonate in 2020 as cheaters such as Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens inch closer to the magic number of 75 percent - enough to grant one admission to the Hall.

The cloud of controversy has been dark and heavy, while initially eliminating some from Hall of Fame contention. Yet in the cases of Bonds and Clemens, the BBWAA (Baseball Writers Association of America) voters’ support of Bonds rose from 56.4 percent in 2018 to 59.1 percent in 2019, and Clemens’ totals jumped from 57.3 in 2018 to 59.5 percent in 2019. Fortunately, remaining in low numbers are Sammy Sosa and Manny Ramirez. Sosa’s support moved from 7.8 percent in 2018 to 8.5 percent in 2019, while voting for Ramirez moved from 22 percent in 2018 to 22.8 percent, his third year on the ballot. Bonds, Clemens, and Sosa are on the ballot for the eighth year, and hopefully they will not reach the vaunted 75 percent by 2021.

The voting results are due to be released on Tuesday, January 21. What is not released are the ballots of the voting members of the BBWAA. I think they should be disclosed to the public. Let the BBWAA voters defend their votes as I defend mine, even if not as a member of the BBWAA.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame has a so-called character clause. “Voting shall be based upon the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character and contribution to the team(s) on which the player played.” So-called because it has existed since 1945 and more than a fair share of miscreants have found their way to Cooperstown. (https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/bbwaa-rules-for-election)

With voting in mind, were I a privileged member of the BBWAA charged with the task of electing the Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2020, only four former major leaguers would earn my votes - all four, holdovers. Of those four, maybe one will be enshrined on July 26, along with one other for whom I would not vote, but deserves induction. Candidates must receive at least five percent of the vote in order to remain on the ballot should they not attain 75 percent the previous year.

Of the four holdovers from 2019 for whom I would vote, three of them would have earned my vote last year and one I am giving a fresh look. Curt Schilling could finally reach 75 percent in this, his eighth year on the ballot. Schilling’s stock rose more than nine points to 60.9 percent in 2019, up from 51.2 percent in 2018.

Schilling, bloody sock and all, is a six-time All Star who pitched 20 seasons in the big leagues – three with the Orioles, one with the Astros, eight-plus with the Phillies, three-plus with the Arizona Diamondbacks, then calling it a career with the Boston Red Sox. Schilling tossed 83 complete games, appeared in three World Series, and had three 20-plus win seasons within a four year span at ages 36, 38, and 39. Schilling should have his ticket stamped this summer – was my mistaken prediction the last seven years, and while I believe some members of the BBWAA are holding his politics against him, Schilling still belongs among those earning a plaque in Cooperstown.

Omar Vizquel, was the quintessential shortstop of a generation, having won 11 Gold Glove awards during his 24 year career, second most at that position all time. Vizquel was also the oldest shortstop to win a Gold Glove, having done so at age 39 in 2006. After five years with the Seattle Mariners, Vizquel took his talents to Cleveland continuing to be the defensive gem that will vault him into Cooperstown.

Vizquel was three times an All Star, overshadowed by Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees, who will no doubt be elected to Cooperstown in a near-unanimous vote next week. On the field, Vizquel led the league in Fielding Percentage six times as a shortstop and is the all time leader in Fielding Percentage at .985. Vizquel shares the season record with Cal Ripken, Jr. for committing the fewest errors by a shortstop playing in at least 150 games with a paltry three. Additionally, Vizquel is first all time in double plays turned by a shortstop, third all time in assists at shortstop, and 11th all time in putouts made by a shortstop.

At bat, Vizquel compares rather favorably to Hall of Fame shortstops Ozzie Smith, Luis Aparicio, and Luke Appling. Vizquel hit more home runs than Smith and Appling, trailing Aparicio by only three. Vizquel drove in more runs than Smith and Aparicio, stole more bases than Appling, hit for a higher batting average than Smith and Aparicio, while collecting more hits than all three. This is the third year in the ballot for Vizquel, having earned 42.8 percent of the vote in 2019.

In his tenth, and final year on the ballot, there is Canadian native, Larry Walker. Having not considered him until his ninth year on the ballot, his numbers demonstrate a level of excellence and consistency on the field and at bat that should award him his plaque in Cooperstown.

Walker played 17 years for the Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies, and St. Louis Cardinals. During that time, his career batting average was an exemplary .313, having won three batting titles, and batted .366 in 1997 while not winning the batting title. Walker slugged 383 home runs, drove in 1,311 runs, while stealing 230 bases - a solid combination of hitting, slugging, and some speed. Walker batted over .320 seven times, and won seven Gold Glove awards. Walker compares more than favorably with his contemporaries, and more so when examining Hall of Famers from prior generations. Having soared more than 20 points from 34.1 percent of the votes in 2018 to 54.6 percent in 2019, it is possible that Walker could see a trip to Cooperstown this summer. (If not, perhaps the Today’s Game Committee will be an avenue for Walker further down the road.)

In just his second year on the ballot, Todd Helton has earned my support. The 17-year MLB veteran played his entire career with the Colorado Rockies (1997-2013) batting .316 in 2,247 games with 2,519 hits, 369 home runs, scoring 1,401 runs, and driving in 1,406 runs. The Knoxville native finished second in the 1998 Rookie of the Year balloting, earned five All Star game selections in consecutive years, from 2000 through 2004. Appearing on MVP ballots in six years, Helton’s breakout season was in 2000, leading the National League in hits with 216 and all of MLB with 59 doubles, 147 RBI and a .372 batting average, yet could only manage a fifth place finish in the MVP race that season. Only earning 16.5 percent of the votes in 2019, Helton will more than likely not be inducted this summer.

On the other hand, the one candidate I expect to gain induction, but for whom I would not vote is, of course, the aforementioned Derek Jeter. 

The answer to how does one vote against Jeter, is simple - pinstripes - the same reason I gave last year when not supporting the first unanimous inductee, Mariano Rivera. Both absolutely belong in Cooperstown. Jeter played 20 seasons, from 1995 through 2014, all in pinstripes. He won the American League Rookie of the Year award in 1996, named to 14 All Star teams, won five World Series while a member of the Yankees, and won five Gold Gloves. Jeter appeared in 2,747 games hitting .310. His 3,465 hits not only is a Yankees record, but ranks sixth all time. The New Jersey native also drove in 1,311 runs, and scored 1,923 runs - seventh all time. Just as impressive in the postseason, Jeter played in 158 games stroking 200 hits and batting .308 - keeping with his regular season numbers, not often the case, as not all players rise to the occasion in the postseason, as “Mr. November” did. A unanimous first balloteer? Probably not, but should be darned close.

While it is important to not sully the Baseball Hall of Fame with the likes of Bonds, Clemens, Ramirez, and Sosa, the focus must be on the greats who will be enshrined this July and how they will continue to be the true ambassadors to the community as so many before them have been. 

Ambassadors such as Frank Robinson who died February 7, 2019. Robinson, born August 31, 1935, won the Rookie of the Year award in 1956, in a career that spanned from 1956 through 1976, retiring as player-manager, having been named the first black manager in Major League Baseball history in 1975 for the Cleveland Indians. The 14 time All Star was voted to 15 MVP ballots, winning that award in 1961 with the Reds and in 1966 with the Orioles - still the only player to win the MVP in both leagues. On June 26, 1970 Robinson hit two grand slams in a game for the Orioles. In total, Robinson’s 586 home runs ranks him 10th all time, his 1,829 runs scored rank 16th all time, and his 1,812 RBI ranks him 21st all time. Robinson was the last manager in the history of the Montreal Expos and the first skipper of the Washington Nationals. In 1989 Robinson was named Manager of the Year.

While not a hall of famer, Don Larsen etched his name into Cooperstown with a hall of fame accomplishment. While having a mostly inauspicious MLB career, (81-91; 3.78) Larsen remains the only pitcher in postseason history to orchestrate a perfect game. On Monday, October 8, 1956, in Game Five of the World Series at Yankee Stadium, Larsen tossed his masterpiece in two hours and six minutes, blanking the Brooklyn Dodgers 2-0, striking out seven, including fanning Dale Mitchell looking to end the gem. The Dodgers lineup that day included Hall of Famers Pee Wee Reese, Duke Snider, Jackie Robinson, and Roy Campanella. Larsen earned the MVP award for the series. Born August 7, 1929, Larsen died on New Year’s Day 2020 at age 90. May their memories be for a Blessing.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN. He has been a Patron-level member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame since 2007.

Tribe's Thome, Vizquel Lead Class of 5 Into Hall

Tribe’s Thome, Vizquel Lead Class of 5 Into Hall
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
January 19, 2018

For the last several years I have devoted time and space in my annual Hall of Fame column to consistently rail against the evils of steroids and the potential allowance of players tainted by steroids to call Cooperstown their immortal home.

Either due to a lack of a prescient Hall of Fame policy or fear that too many members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) have short memories, as certain former players are inching closer to the 75 percent vote total required for enshrinement, Joe Morgan penned a letter to the BBWAA voters regarding the steroid issue.

Not a fan of the Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, or Oakland A’s, I nevertheless long admired Morgan the player, a Hall of Fame second baseman inducted in 1990, enjoyed his commentary on ESPN, and even more so now that he has taken his position public. Morgan continues to serve on the Hall of Fame’s board of directors, a position he has held since 1994. Much of the contents of Morgan’s letter were the subject of a December 4, 2017 Sports Illustrated article, “Letter of Intent,” written by Jay Jaffe.

Morgan, in his e-mailed letter, requested that the BBWAA voters “reject players who failed drug tests, admitted using steroids, or were identified as users in Major League Baseball’s [2007] investigation into steroid abuse, known as the Mitchell Report.”

“We hope the day never comes when known steroid users are voted into the Hall of Fame. They cheated. Steroid users don’t belong here,” wrote Morgan. 

Morgan signed his letter “Vice Chairman,” his title with the Hall’s board of directors since 2000, making it “an official position,” wrote Jaffe.

Jaffe further opined that Morgan was disingenuous with his letter for using “the term steroids and not performance-enhancing drugs” avoiding the fact that amphetamines were used for decades, long after their classification as controlled substances. Jaffe also criticized baseball as an industry for hypocrisy over splitting hairs regarding one set of substances versus the other. “Steroid use was due to a complete failure that implicated the commissioner, owners, players and media,” wrote Jaffe.

Former Major League Baseball Commissioner Allan “Bud” Selig is without a doubt complicit in the growth of the steroid era by refusing to address the larger than life elephant in the stadium. Following the baseball strike of 1994, Major League Baseball revived itself and grew its fan base with the accomplishments of Cal Ripken, Jr. and the home run battle waged between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa.

Career-long Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame shortstop, Ripken, one of the true class acts in the history of the game, who I had the privilege to meet in 2001, set the standard for durability eclipsing the consecutive games played streak of New York Yankees Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig. Gehrig’s streak of 2,130 consecutive games stood for 56 years until Ripken played in consecutive game number 2,131 on September 6, 1995. On that historic night, Ripken hit a home run, and the Orioles defeated the then California Angels in Baltimore at Camden Yards 4-2. Ripken’s streak would continue through game 2,632, a record I believe will not be broken due to the current climate of the game.

Three years later, the epic 1998 McGwire-Sosa home run behemoth was akin to Godzilla swallowing Tokyo. Back and forth the sluggers went trading places on the leaderboard until September 8 when McGwire hit home run number 62 at home in St. Louis in a game against Sosa’s Chicago Cubs with Sosa watching from the outfield. Also present were the children of the late Roger Maris, whose record McGwire broke, having initially been set in 1961 with the Yankees. The Cardinals defeated the Cubs at Busch Stadium that night 6-3. By the end of the 1998 season, McGwire won the home run title 70 to 66. 

Another three years later Barry Bonds of the Giants would pass McGwire with 73 home runs, but by that time the rumors of steroids had become more of a reality. In fact, both Bonds and McGwire admitted to steroid use while Sosa and others such as pitcher Roger Clemens and infielder Alex “A-Rod” Rodriguez, known unaffectionately as A-Roid, have been linked to steroids with a preponderance of strong innuendo and overwhelming circumstantial evidence. But Selig did little if anything to thwart the use of steroids, instead enjoying the renewed popularity of America’s favorite pastime. Sadly, Selig himself was enshrined in Cooperstown last year.

The cloud of controversy has been dark and heavy, while initially eliminating others from Hall of Fame contention; yet in the cases of Bonds, Clemens, and even Sosa with his less than 10 percent support, have seen their numbers rise from 2016 to 2017. The BBWAA voters’ support of Sosa rose from seven percent in 2016 to 8.6 percent in 2017. Bonds’ support rose from 44.3 percent to 53.8 percent during that same time, and Clemens’ totals jumped from 45.2 in 2016 to 54.1 last year. Manny Ramirez, another accused steroid user received 23.8 percent of the vote in his first balloting opportunity last year. The voting results due to be released on January 24 will determine if a trend is looming or if the BBWAA voters have come to their senses and reverse course. What is not released are the ballots of the voting members of the BBWAA. I think they should be disclosed to the public. Let the BBWAA voters defend their votes as I have defended mine, even if not as a member of the BBWAA.

In the interim, in an effort to shrink the window of opportunity for tainted ball players to achieve Hall of Fame status, the board reduced the number of years of eligibility to reach the 75 percent promised land, from 15 to 10 in 2014. But Jaffe sees that as hypocritical. “Recognize the era’s best, while understanding the context in which they thrived, and move on,” he concluded. 

I disagree vehemently. The only way steroid users should enter Cooperstown is with a paid ticket for admission. Jaffe encourages rewarding bad behavior. It’s how they got there to be the best that should matter. Cal Ripken played a clean game, as did myriad others, including, but not limited to Hall of Famers Joe Morgan, Nolan Ryan, George Brett, Lou Brock, Brooks Robinson, Jackie Robinson, Larry Doby, and future hall of famer Jim Thome. It’s time to stop perpetuating the bad behavior. Many wrongs do not make anything right. Now is the time draw the baseline in the sand.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame has a so-called character clause. “Voting shall be based upon the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character and contribution to the team(s) on which the player played.” So-called because it has existed since 1945 and more than a fair share of ne’er do wells have found their way to Cooperstown. (https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/bbwaa-rules-for-election)

With voting in mind, were I privileged to be charged with the task of electing the Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2018, seven former major leaguers would earn my votes - four first ballot denizens and three holdovers. Of those seven, I expect three to be inducted on July 29, along with two others for whom I would not vote, but deserve induction. Candidates must receive at least five percent of the vote in order to remain on the ballot should they not attain 75 percent the previous year.

Because members of the BBWAA are permitted 10 votes, I’m throwing one to Jamie Moyer in his first year on the ballot, mostly for his longevity in the league - 25 years pitching in the Major Leagues, but also for some of the statistics. Let that sink in for a moment - Moyer toiled in the Bigs for a quarter century. Only five pitchers appeared in 25 or more seasons: Nolan Ryan (27), Tommy John (26), Jim Kaat (25), and Charlie Hough (25) - all having hurled since the 1960s. Five other non-pitchers have done likewise: Cap Anson (27), Deacon McGwire (26), Rickey Henderson (25), Bobby Wallace (25), and Eddie Collins (25) - interestingly, all  but Henderson had retired by 1930.

Moyer became the oldest player to win a game at age 49 years and five months, minus one day, on April 17, 2012. Moyer tossed seven innings, yielding two runs, neither earned, on six hits, picking up the win at Coors Field, as his Colorado Rockies defeated the San Diego Padres 5-3. His 269 wins ranks 35th - 23 of the top 24, sans Clemens, are in the Hall with 300 or more victories. Of the next 10, five are also in the Hall. With 2,441 strikeouts, Moyer ranks 40th. Moyer, having started 638 games, ranks 16th, and all but two of the top 15 are also in the Hall. While Moyer would get my vote, I don’t expect him to reach 75 percent.

Another freshman on my ballot not expecting to reach the magic number but would still earn my vote, is pitcher Johan Santana. His win-loss record of 139-78 and his 3,20 ERA are very good, but not great. He led the league in wins once and in ERA three times. Of his 12 seasons, eight are worthy of discussion, yet only four could be considered very good to excellent. My vote for Santana is mostly for the no-hitter he tossed while playing for my favorite team, the New York Mets, on June 1, 2012 versus the St. Louis Cardinals in an 8-0 victory at Citi Field in New York. This was the first no-hitter in the history of the Mets, but certainly not enough to warrant Hall entrance beyond this year’s symbolic vote.

The last two freshmen on my ballot were teammates for nine years with the Cleveland Indians - Jim Thome and Omar Vizquel, both of whom I expect to be enshrined in July. Both players suited up for six teams each, but are best known for their time with the Tribe.

With his 612 home runs, Thome is eighth on the all time list and 16 times in his 22 year career did Thome hit 20 or more homers. Six times he hit 40 or more. Nine times Thome batted in more than 100 runs and his career total of 1,699 RBI places him 26th on the all time list. Thome was five times an All Star and earned MVP votes in nine different seasons. Thome is one of only five players in MLB history to accumulate 500-plus home runs, 1,500-plus runs scored, 1,600-plus RBI, and 1,700-plus walks. Of the other four, three are Hall of Famers - Mel Ott, Babe Ruth, and Ted Williams, while one, Barry Bonds, should not be.

Thome’s teammate, Vizquel, was the quintessential shortstop of a generation, having won 11 Gold Glove awards during his 24 year career, second most at that position all time. Vizquel was also the oldest shortstop to win a Gold Glove, having done so at age 39 in 2006. After five years with the Seattle Mariners, Vizquel took his talents to Cleveland continuing to be the defensive gem that will vault him into Cooperstown.

Vizquel was three times an All Star, overshadowed by Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees. On the field, Vizquel led the league in Fielding Percentage six times as a shortstop and is the all time leader in Fielding Percentage at .985. Vizquel shares the season record with Cal Ripken, Jr. for committing the fewest errors by a shortstop playing in at least 150 games with a paltry three. Additionally, Vizquel is first all time in double plays turned by a shortstop, third all time in assists at shortstop, and 11th all time in putouts made by a shortstop.

At bat, Vizquel compares rather favorably to Hall of Fame shortstops Ozzie Smith, Luis Aparicio, and Luke Appling. Vizquel hit more home runs than Smith and Appling, trailing Aparicio by only three. Vizquel drove in more runs than Smith and Aparicio, stole more bases than Appling, hit for a higher batting average than Smith and Aparicio, while collecting more hits overall than all three. Vizquel and Thome should be inducted together, donning Indians caps.

Rounding out the ballot first timers who I believe will win the necessary votes for enshrinement is Chipper Jones, who played his entire 19 year career with the Atlanta Braves. Jones, with his 468 home runs, ranks 33rd, and his 1,623 RBI, ranks 34th to go along with his .303 career batting average is practically a lock for Cooperstown. Jones was selected for eight All Star games, garnered MVP votes in 13 seasons and won the award in 1999. Jones is one of nine players to accrue at least a .300 batting average, .400 on base percentage, .500 slugging percentage, while belting at least 400 homers. Seven of the other eight are already ensconced in Cooperstown: Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig, Mel Ott, Stan Musial, Babe Ruth, Frank Thomas, and Ted Williams. The eighth, Manny Ramirez, should be disqualified from the Hall of Fame for steroids.

While there is no doubt Jones deserves a plaque in Cooperstown, I would not vote for him. He single-handedly slaughtered the Mets for two decades. He enjoyed such success in Queens, he named a son Shea - home of the Mets from 1964 through 2008.

In addition to Jones, I am fairly secure in saying Vladimir Guerrero will also be elected into the Hall of Fame, but I would not be voting for him. In his first year of eligibility, Guerrero garnered 71.7 percent of the vote in 2017, falling 15 votes short of election. He has excellent credentials. In his 16 year career Guerrero batted .318, hit 449 homers, driving in 1,496 runs on 2,590 hits. He earned MVP votes in 12 seasons, winning the award in 2004.

Of the three holdovers from 2017 I would have voted for last year and again this year, Trevor Hoffman seems the only one likely to gain admittance into the Hall of Fame, having earned 74 percent of the vote, falling a mere five votes short. Neither pitchers Mike Mussina nor Curt Schilling are likely to reach 75 percent this year, but I continue to support their candidacies. Mussina’s stock rose as he earned 51.8 percent of the vote in 2017, up nearly nine points from 43 percent in 2016, while Schilling lost some momentum slipping seven points to 45 percent last year from 52.3 percent in 2016.

Hoffman pitched his 18 years in the majors with the then Florida Marlins, San Diego Padres, and Milwaukee Brewers racking up 601 saves while hurling mostly for mediocre teams where save opportunities were not as prevalent as for sure-fire Hall of Famer to be in 2019 Mariano Rivera. Known as a Padre the majority of his career, Hoffman represented the team as a six-time All Star, and one additional selection as a Brewer. The first pitcher to reach both the 500 and 600 save threshold, Hoffman was four times in the top 10 voting for the Cy Young Award and five times received votes for MVP. In 1998 Hoffman converted 41 consecutive save opportunities – a record at the time.

With 270 career wins, five-time ballot occupant Mussina spent 10 years with the Baltimore Orioles and eight with the New York Yankees. A big fan of “Moose,” an economics graduate from Stanford University as an Oriole, it hurt my eyes to see him donning pinstripes. Mussina made five All Star teams and won seven Gold Gloves. While overshadowed by Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, and John Smoltz in 2015, Mussina garnered more victories than Hall of Famers Carl Hubbell, Bob Gibson, Juan Marichal – with whom Mussina was compared, and Whitey Ford. Mussina ended his career at age 39, the oldest to record his lone 20-win season, going 20-9 with a 3.37 ERA. 

Schilling, bloody sock and all, is a six-time All Star who pitched 20 seasons in the big leagues – three with the Orioles, one with the Astros, eight-plus with the Phillies, three-plus with the Arizona Diamondbacks, then calling it a career with the Boston Red Sox. Schilling tossed 83 complete games, appeared in three World Series, and had three 20-plus win seasons within a four year span at ages 36, 38, and 39. Schilling should have his ticket stamped this summer – was my mistaken prediction the last five years, and while he probably won’t reach 75 percent this year, Schilling still belongs among those earning a plaque in Cooperstown.

While it is important to not sully the Baseball Hall of Fame with the likes of Bonds, Clemens, Ramirez, and Sosa, the focus must be on the greats who will be enshrined this July and how they will continue to be the true ambassadors to the community as so many before them have been. Ambassadors such as Jim Bunning and Bobby Doerr, who sadly left us in 2017 – Bunning at age 85, on May 26 and Doerr at age 99, on November 13. Bunning pitched a perfect game for the Phillies on Father’s Day 1964 against the Mets at Shea Stadium. He later went on to represent Kentucky in the United States Senate. Doerr, at the time of his death, was the oldest living former major leaguer, and the last living person to play in the 1930s. Doerr, a career Red Sox player, missed the entirety of the 1945 season serving his country during World War II. May their memories always be for a Blessing.


Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN. He has been a Patron-level member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame since 2007.

For the Love of the Game

For the Love of the Game
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
August 5, 2013

While Alex Rodriguez was neither the first, nor unfortunately will he be the last Major League Baseball player linked to the PED scandal, his is the biggest bat in the latest line up of suspensions handed down by the league since late July. The 211 game suspension will run through the remainder of this season and all of the 2014 season.

This scandal stems from the Miami clinic, Biogenesis, now closed, supposedly having provided nearly two dozen professional baseball players with performance enhancing drugs (PED). Rodriguez, according to Biogenesis, utilized PEDs during the years 2010-12. There have been allegations he used PEDs since 2003 when he played for the Texas Rangers. His nickname should be changed from A-Rod to A-Roid.

The combination of the performance enhancing drug/steroid scandal has given MLB a rather enlarged black eye and a potentially permanent stain on the game of baseball if the statistics racked up by players such as Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa, et al are permitted to stand – even with an asterisk.

All statistics and records should be expunged, all awards such as, but not limited to the Cy Young and MVP should be rescinded and awarded to the next qualifying player, and none of the tainted players should ever be eligible for the Hall of Fame. Pete Rose should earn his rightful place in the Hall before any of these cheaters is allowed to set foot into Cooperstown without first having purchased a ticket for admission.

“Voting shall be based upon the player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.” (http://baseballhall.org/hall-famers/rules-election/bbwaa) This is the standard by which the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) is to do their jobs when considering membership to the vaunted Hall, as they are the arbiters of admission.

The recalcitrant Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers finally sucked it up and took his 65-game suspension, costing him approximately $3.5 million. Well, boo hoo, cry me a river. MLB called Braun’s behavior “violations of the collective bargaining agreement and joint drug agreement.” If Braun feels any contrition, and after two years of denials, I suspect he does not, he would have the decency to return his 2011 National League award.

MLB Commissioner Bud Selig needs to conjure up the stones to hand down a lifetime ban to Rodriguez and set an example and precedent that this kind of cheating and any kind of cheating will not be tolerated or permitted. A first time offender should be handcuffed with a one year suspension sans pay, of course. A two-time loser should earn a lifetime ban and a loss of pension. This should also pertain to those laboring in the Minor League system – with no chance of seeing life in the MLB.

A lifetime ban of Rodriguez would have been appropriate based upon invoking Article XII (B) of the MLB collective bargaining agreement, stating: “Players may be disciplined for just cause for conduct that is materially detrimental or materially prejudicial to the best interests of baseball, including, but not limited to, engaging in conduct in violation of federal, state or local law.”

Contracts of the miscreant players should be considered null and void and all future contracts going forward from this MLB decision, if they do not already, should contain a morals/substance clause. However, MLB teams should not be allowed to benefit from the dissolved players’ contract. Those dollars should remain on the books used to calculate the league’s luxury tax threshold, therefore not allowing such teams to load up on available free agents or attempt to raid other teams who may not be able to afford to keep certain players. Teams should not be entitled to benefit from a player’s bad behavior. In the case of Rodriguez, he stands to forfeit roughly $31 million. Boo hoo, cry me another river.

For the love of the game, restoring integrity to America’s national pastime should be priority one for Selig, the sport as a whole, the teams, the players, as well as the fans who expect to watch a clean game.

For the love of the game, these overpriced primadonnas, and make no mistake, I am a huge fan – dumb enough to come back after the strikes of 1981 and 1994, should have more respect for the game, themselves, and the fans. While I do not begrudge the players their salaries, and I must not as I still attend the occasional game, this is a capitalist society, and those who don’t want to put money in the players’ pockets, can stay home, a strong financial impediment should also be attached to the game suspensions.

So many players say they play for the love of the game and that they are privileged to be allowed to play at such a high level. Let them put their money where their mouths are. For returning players following their 50-game suspensions, they should play for minimum wage. Not the current MLB minimum salary of $490,000, but the national minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. Additionally all professional baseball players should be subjected to five random drug tests per season, at their own expense, of course.

And for the love of the game, keep the players’ union out of this mess, as they will only make it worse, further tarnishing the game many of us love so dearly. Yes, baseball is a business, and the players’ union has a job to zealously defend their clients, but some things should be above the business of the game.

Aside from Rodriguez and Braun, three other players have already served their suspensions: Melky Cabrera, OF, of the Toronto Blue Jays, Bartolo Colon, P, of the Oakland Athletics, and Yasmani Grandal, C, of the San Diego Padres.

Seven additional major leaguers and five minor leaguers have also been sentenced to, and accepted, their 50 game suspensions. From the bigs are Antonio Bastardo, R-P, of the Philadelphia Phillies, Everth Cabrera, SS, of the San Diego Padres, Francisco Cervelli, C, of the New York Yankees, Nelson Cruz, OF, of the Texas Rangers, Jesus Montero, C, of the Seattle Mariners, Jhonny Peralta, SS, of the Detroit Tigers, and Jordany Valdespin, OF, of the New York Mets, along with minor leauguers Fautino de los Santos, Sergio Escalona, Fernando Martinez, Jordan Norberto, and Cesar Puello. The MLB players are eligible for post-season play should their teams make the playoffs, which is another mistake, as they should not be given such a reward for their deleterious behavior.

Rodriguez should be banned for life, a punishment with which former MLB Commissioner Fay Vincent agrees. “I hope he does it,” Vincent said of Selig and punishment to be meted out before Monday, August 5. “It’s right for baseball.”

While that was not the ultimate decision handed down by MLB, Selig must garner an iron fist regarding substance use if he is ever to salvage his legacy as commissioner. And while this issue is certainly not about the salvation of Selig’s legacy, cleaning up the game of baseball, which is what gave the MLB its initial commissioner following the Black Sox scandal of 1919 in the first place, should be paramount.

A message must be sent not just to major and minor leaguers but to all those who play baseball and softball at any level of the game from little league through college. PEDs and steroids are body altering substances whose effects can be long term and far reaching, and most definitely injurious to the body.

Alex Rodriguez is merely a symptom of a greater problem in baseball. For the love of the game, Rodriguez must go and go now. His fellow PED users and any future ballplayer considering their use had better take heed to the ramifications of such actions. For the love of the game, let’s get the dopes and doping out, and get back to our old ball game.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.