All time non-Hall of Fame Team

[Archive]

Posted By: Chris Counts

1B — Richie/Dick Allen
2B — Buddy Myer
SS — Cecil Travis
3B — Ron Santo
OF — Jim Rice
OF — Minnie Minoso
OF — Tony Oliva
C — Thurmon Munson
RHP — Bert Blyleven
LHP — Jim Kaat

I've excluded banned players like Joe Jackson and Pete Rose only because I wanted to shine a little light on the merits of Oliva and Minoso, who I believe belong in the HOF. There are few injustices in baseball more glaring than the ommission of Minoso from Cooperstown. Besides being arguably the second best all-around player in his league for a decade (next to Mantle), he didn't come up until he was nearly 29 because of the color of his skin. Add to that his other accomplishments (as a kid in the late 70s, I actually watched him get a hit off an Angels' reliever named Sid Monge. He was 53 years old!), and you have a guy who is more worthy of induction than about two dozen guys who are enshrined. Wouldn't it be great to Minnie get in while he's still alive? Maybe he can ride the recent success of the White Sox into Cooperstown ...

As for the rest of the guys, I believe they're all worthy except Myer. Like Lou Whitaker, he comes up just a bit short in my estimation. I'd better stop my post now before I start pressing my case for the enshrinement of Lefty O'Doul ...