Posted By:
Ted ZanidakisAs I said previously, Bill Dahlen and Gil Hodges are long overdue to be in the HOF....and, I was hoping that they would have
been selected. Also, perhaps Santo, Oliva and Kaat are long overdue. In Santo's case, I think the lack of any post-season
play has hurt him.
Having said all that, and having seen Joe Gordon play, I'm quite happy with his selection to the HOF. And, I find some of the
responses here, to the contrary, somewhat amusing.
I have an advantage over most of you, in that I saw Jackie Robinson, PeeWee Reese, Phil Rizzuto, Bobby Doerr, Marty Marion,
and Joe Gordon play. And, I have a very good memory of the years from 1947 - 1957, when these guys covered their respec-
tive inside positions of the infield. They were in a class of their own......with their defensive and offensive contributions. It is
one thing to read about these players.....but, it's another thing to have seen them play. Videos are available of all the World
Series from 1941 on. I highly recommend viewing them to see these players in real action. Numbers in a BB encyclopedia don't
always tell the real story.
Yes, as Bob said, "cronyism" does have a lot to do with the selection process. HOF Committee members who were Joe Gordon's
peers, like Berra, Boudreau, Doerr, Feller, Kell, Kiner, Musial, Roberts, and Snider would understandably favor him.
TED Z