Who needs the Hall of Fame anyway?!

[53Browns]

Maybe I'm bored but I was thinking it might make an interesting thread. Can you name any player/coaches/managers, etc. in MLB history who didnt get into the Hall of Fame because of scandal, shortened career, etc., but it doesnt seem to matter. They have reached iconic status anyway through their famous or infamous acts on or off the field? Does this make sense? Anyway, here are the three that came to mind for me....

Joe Jackson (.356 lifetime BA)

Pete Rose (all time hit king)

Thurman Munson (first Yankee captain since Gehrig and only Yankee to have won both an MVP and ROY awards.)

[bbcard1]

Hal Chase is generally acknowledged as being self destructive and is sort of borderline anyway.

Ken Hubbs was way too early to tell, but seemed to be off to a good start.

Maury Wills' post career tarnished a pretty good case for being a hall of famer.

Pete Reiser may have been among the best had he just not played so darn hard.

And, you know, his career was brief, but Bo Jackson had the potential to do things no one else could.

Herb Score is another whose career was probably altered by an injury.

[Mrc32]

Mark McGwire

[Robextend]

Ed Cicotte, Lefty O'Doul

[MacDice]

Thurman Munson? Just because you play for the Yankees does not mean that you should be in the Hall of Fame. From his ERA alone, I will take Bench, Fisk and Carter over him.

[quinnsryche]

Smoky Joe Wood

[bbcard1]

Originally Posted by MacDice

Thurman Munson? Just because you play for the Yankees does not mean that you should be in the Hall of Fame. From his ERA alone, I will take Bench, Fisk and Carter over him.

I am not a Munson hater...and think with a few more productive years he would have been worthy of consideration, but another from this era that REALLY gets overlooked is Ted Simmons. His stats are right in line with many catchers in the HOF, but few people even remember him.

[slidekellyslide]

Originally Posted by Robextend

Lefty O'Doul

The HoF should consider lifetime statistics that include PreWW2 Pacific Coast League.... IMO.

[John V]

Ken Williams ....319 lifetime BA

Thoughts?

[bh3443]

These are good instances where players should not have been omitted.
As for those banished, I can say that we are all only human. I like my baseball like the real world: where people make mistakes.
This makes me wonder if there was a card collectors Hall of Fame if I'd be banned for "off the cardboard" things I did!
Have a great weekend my friends!
Bill Hedin

[kcohen]

In going with the the OP's premise, Dave Orr fits perfectly. A stroke closed down what was surely a HOF career. He hit in the .340s over 8 years.

[packs]

Larry Doyle should be in. He was the greatest second baseman of his generation, I'd even say the greatest second baseman the game had ever seen when he retired. That makes you a HOFer in my opinion.

I don't know why Jimmy Ryan isn't in.

Fred McGriff and Larry Walker are HOFers to me. If either ever get in I think it's going to be a while.

His vote hasn't come up yet, but I think Andy Pettite is a HOFer as well. He has the HGH cloud over him, but I still think he belongs in the Hall.

[Jcfowler6]

Sam Leever

[howard38]

[QUOTE=packs;900591]Larry Doyle should be in. He was the greatest second baseman of his generation, I'd even say the greatest second baseman the game had ever seen when he retired. That makes you a HOFer in my opinion.
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A worthy hall of famer and perhaps the greatest 2B in the NL at the time but ALers Nap Lajoie and Eddie Collins were both head and shoulders above him.