Kickers and Closers and the HOF

[JollyElm]

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With Billy Wagner, a relief pitcher, being elected to Cooperstown, the usual (for lack of a better word) anger of the selection begins to start boiling over.

I have no opinion regarding Wagner, and most of us can see both sides of the argument. The same pros and cons were stated about Mariano Rivera and every other closer before and after him.

But my take on it is this. Closers are a part of the game, so if you did the job well enough (the definition of which is obviously open to debate) for enshrinement, then you are deserving.

There seems to be a clear parallel with the NFL Hall of Fame and it's almost complete dismissal of place kickers and punters. They fill an important position in the game (as a Bills fan, do I really need to explain how great it would've been for us if we had a Vinatieri-esque kicker?), so even though they are not subject to the physical punishment of the first three downs - which seems to many to be the biggest reason they are disregarded, because they are a distinctly 'separate' part of the actual on-field game - the voters really should add more of these guys, based on the role they play in each and every game.

Like closers, you can't just ignore the entire position. Thoughts?