Posted By:
CyJeff,
There are so many thoughts on how a player should be picked. The problem I have with future picks is that everyone now compares marginal players to the lowest common denominator. I feel tht the electors should at least look to the middle of the pack to compare.
If I were king of the Hall, I would rank the players of each position from best to worst. Of course this is a subjective choice. But I don't think it will matter much. Then take a few of the median ballplayers from that position, maybe five, and see if the perspective Hall of Famer can carry their jocks.
For example, if a pitcher is being considered, don't compare him to Phil Niekro and Don Sutton who have no place in the Hall. Compare to the median pitcher. Just off the top of my head I'd say, Dizzy Dean, Whitey Ford(definitely over-rated by the way), Bob Feller, Walter Johnson (just threw him in to see if anyone is paying attention). Is this possible inductee reasonably close in ability and accomplishments to these? If he is even close, let him in. Since he is being compared to the median, a little leeway is OK. If he is not considered in the same breath, hit the road.
If this was done previously, Sutton, Niekro and a few others would never had been inducted. So if I am elected to be the Hall of Fame Senator (I am still waiting to see if the courts will allow me on the ballot since I didn't announce my candidacy until the third inning of the A's/Twins game) then this will be the criterion for choosing future Hall of Famers.
Cy
Epilogue: Albert Bell in the Hall? Are you crazy? If Pete Rose is not in for questionable practices, Belle shouldn't be in for disruptive nature to every team he has touched. I don't care what his stats are.
Here is my choice for someone who is not in the Hall but should be in .
Dave "The King of Swing" Kingman. Hell, he hit 442 home runs with a .236 batting average and 15.1 at bats per home run. Plus every single at bat was pure excitement. He never got short changed on his swing. There has to be something said for "eye appeal", just like in cards. Plus I doubt if he ever hit into a double play. He probably never hit a ground ball in his life!
