Posted By:
Chris CountsThe credibility of the Hall of Fame has long been compromised by the cronyism and politics of its voters. Just because someone was a great player or a well-known sportswriter doesn't mean they understand the complexities of baseball history ...
Also statistics are deceptive, and that is why Bill James' studies are so invaluable. James isn't perfect, but he's come up with the best system so far to evaluate the true productivity of players. You just can't look in the baseball encyclopedia and compare Fred Lindstrom and Pie Traynor with Ken Boyer and Ron Santo. They played in completely different eras ...
As for Santo, it is my belief he has pissed off at least a few voters with his campaigning for enshrinement in the HOF. Just as Minnie Minoso clearly did when he kept trying to be the oldest guy to get a hit (he was banned for it, no joke). How else can you explain why Buzzie Bavasi got three times the votes as Minoso in the last election. Can anybody here tell me why Bavasi should be in the HOF? Mark my words, one day they'll be pushing to put Bud Selig in the Hall. Why? Because he belongs to the same "old boy's club" as Bavasi ...