Continuing the HOF debates -- Who Should NOT be in and why

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Posted By: Brian Hodes

When he was selected to the all century team (the fans voted him in) a couple of years ago that was taking it a bit too far. He was not nearly as good as Carlton, Seaver or Maddux was or as Randy Johnson is. (Ryan never won a Cy Young award and probably never really should have).

But the Hall of Fame bar is not nearly so high as the all century team. Ryan had a very good ERA lifetime (3.19 )and, yes, he pitched for some wretched teams (esecially during some of his best seasons). He struck more than anyone ever has (or probably will unless Randy Johnson wants to go for quite a few more years). He also walked batters like crazy -- leading the league 8 times en route to the most walks ever (2795!). Ryan also has the highest hits per 9 innings of any Pitcher in History I always think of (the fictional) Crash Davis telling Luke Laloosh that Strikeouts are overrated (he used the word "facist") if he wanted to win he shouldn't go for strikeouts... I have a friend who pitched in College and a little in the minors and finds Ryan the most remarkable pithcer ever... Certainly he controlled a game like few Pitchers ever have. But, he may have sacrificed a lot of wins at the alter of all those strikeouts making him less of a winner than the real first tier Pitchers.