July Autograph Pick-ups

[HexsHeroes]

Originally Posted by Klrdds

Great pick up, he is a future Hall of Famer. Just look at his record as an owner, and how he along with Branch Rickey pioneered and successfully developed the minor league system to develop and keep talent within one organization.
He and Walter Briggs in my opinion are the 2 preeminent owners pre 1950 not yet in Cooperstown.

Klrdds: Interesting observation. But it seems that former Detroit Tigers Owner Frank Navin's name is more often mentioned as a potential HOFer, and not so much that of Walter Briggs (but whose money was without-a-doubt pivotal to Tigers/Navin's success in the early 1930's).

[Klrdds]

Agree totally about Navin, but the money talks and gets noticed in most cases.
As an aside with your location being in Michigan who do you feel is most deserving Navin or Briggs, or both?

[HexsHeroes]

Originally Posted by Klrdds

Agree totally about Navin, but the money talks and gets noticed in most cases.
As an aside with your location being in Michigan who do you feel is most deserving Navin or Briggs, or both?

I struggle with such decisions as I tend to lean more towards being a purist and think the HOF bar has been lowered too much. Personally, I would not admit either. Nor many of the executives and managers that have already been inducted. I realize that managing people and money, and building a team takes skills. But I am sure there are several former managers over the decades who did an admirable job managing wins with limited year-to-year talent for middling-to-bottom tier teams. But since pennants and world series titles were not won, they are not in the HOF. But switch those individuals with (as an example) Yankee dynasties managers, and the deep talent they had at their disposal, and we might have a different group of manager names in the HOF. Similar case for owners and executives. Those with large gate receipts could afford to buy more than those without. Those with large gate receipts could cherrypick from those without.

Now, I do believe there are some owners that do belong. Branch Rickey would be one example, as his contribution to baseball impacted the game as a whole. Guess that is why I am a quiet supporter for Frank Lefty O'Doul's induction into the Baseball HOF. Certainly not as a player, but for his contribution to Japanese baseball that now impacts the Major League level many, many decades later. Isn't that some measure of greatness? Of course, he certainly did not do it alone. So perhaps not greatness.

Ok, time to get off the soapbox. Probably should keep my mouth shut as I am far from being a deep or skilled thinker. I just know that as a kid playing ball against himself, my two opposing teams were made of the best-of-the-best, and none of the marginal HOF members. And maybe alittle as a longtime Tiger fan, and lover of Detroit baseball history.

Should either/both Navin & Briggs gain admittance into Baseball's HOF, it would give me little cause to celebrate, other the the potential monetary gains from having obtained numerous autographs examples of both over 15 or so years of collecting vintage Detroit Tigers autographs. Well, maybe alittle pride as a long time Tigers fan, and of Detroit baseball history.