Some major-league baseball players improve A LOT after they retire
It’s kind of cliche to think about a bunch of old ballplayers sitting around the hot stove, talking about the good old days — and how much better they all say they were after they’ve been retired for several years.
The problem for the baseball Hall of Fame, though, is that seems to be exactly what happens with HOF voters. Jim Rice? Yeah, right. This is a guy who, in 1998, could get only 42.5 percent of the vote and now he’s getting more than 70 percent. Nice going, Red Sox Nation — you finally got him in. But Tim Raines was a better all-around player.
But the player who is really getting under my skin nowdays is Andre Dawson, who had the good fortune to play in Chicago’s bandbox ballpark, where he could pile up some stats. Sorry, but I don’t remember too many people outside of Chicago or Montreal who thought the Hawk was a better player than Dale Murphy. But sorry, Murph, it just doesn’t look like you’re going to make it. I guess you should have popped some ‘roids.
And the longer Dawson is out of baseball, the better he seems to get. Hard for me to imagine he could be a Hall of Fame player. But then, the same with Jim Rice. Good player, but not that much better than Dewey Evans, if you ask me.
Baseball | Dwight Jaynes | January 12, 2009
Andre Dawson, baseball Hall of Fame, Chicago Cubs, Dewey Evans, Dwight Jaynes, Jim Rice, Tim Raines
Hmm,
first I think Baseball HOF selection groups must be a bunch of prima donnas
BaSKETBALL AND FOOTBALL HAVE NO PROBLEM ADDING A FEW EACH YEAR, BASEBALL DRAGS IT FEET TO LET ANYOnE IN. sorry about caplock.
No question Dale Murphy should be in, but he had to reire beofre he got liefetime stats up. The amount of votes he gets is plum ridiculous.
I think Rice and Dawkins should be in and Dwight Evans. and Vada Pinson. Check analysis from Bill James
Dawson
I missed thta this years selections have been announced, Henderson and Rice, and i say good to both.
“Andre Dawson, who had the good fortune to play in Chicago’s bandbox ballpark”
Now wait a minute, Dwight. Dawson played six seasons with the Cubs and 10 with the Expos. Murph played 14 and a half seasons in Atlanta’s Fulton County Stadium. Remember “The Launching Pad?”
You can certainly make a convincing case for either player (or both) but I don’t think that six seasons in Wrigley Field makes Dawson’s statistics suspect in any way. And when the wind is blowing in, Wrigley is hardly a hitter’s park.
Baseball writers of America are egotistical maniacs that rely on cronyism to make uninformed decisions. I have many problems with baseball, and this is one of them, especially now that I am older and understand things better.
How RIckey Henderson was not a unanimous selection into the Hall of Fame is mind boggling. 28 writers abstained from voting RIckey into the HOF.
Jim Rice couldn’t even hold his jock strap in any statistical category and yet Jim Rice and Red Sox nation overshadow the best leadoff hitter of all time, all-time steals leader, all-time runs leader!
That sums it up for modern day baseball.
Rickey Henderson had a few detractors in his day for his in your face attitude. I was surprised actually and pleased how clearly he got in.
I note that the top vote getters this year all had almost the same as last year Blyleven, Dawson, Morris, Smith. Normally there is a trend line upward for the top vote getters
Also sorry to see results on Murph. Last year he jumped from 50 to 75 votes and I was hopeful, this year he is down to 62.
We got an Oregon kid selected this year in Joe Gordon. Murph certainly deserves it more.