The Future of Negro League Players in the Hall

[pclpads]

The obvious reply is, "dim." This is why the HOF is such a pathetic embarrassment. For all he did for baseball, Negro leagues and the bigs, to have have passed on Buck O'Neill tells you all you need to know about the joke known as the HOF.

[Jason19th]

Buck O'Neil was a great man, a trailblazing coach and scout, a tremdous story teller and the sole reason that the Negro League museum exists. He was a utility player who was not a hall of fame player on his best day. He would tell you that. There is really no one who is in the hall with his type of credentials.

[pclpads]

So he didn't hit over 600 HR's and bat over .300 over 20 years. No NL hofers did. Records from the NL's are so sketchy today. But, for what he did, his overall contributions to the game, I submit he is deserving. A voice in the wilderness I agree, but, as noted in my first post, prospects are sadly dim for any more Negro leaguers getting to Cooperstown. Most are dead and unheard of, so lobbying on their behalf is futile.

[rats60]

There have been two special committees to elect Negro League players and in between 9 more players elected, including a 7 year mandate to elect one per year. The Hof has been very thorough in attempting to represent the NL in the Hof. Unless there is new information discovered, I would say that it is unlikely we will have any new members elected from the NL.

[Scocs]

I don't know. A decade has past since the last committee convened. At that time they had whittled a list of 39 names down to the final 17 (and five of those people never even PLAYED baseball).

If the HOF could ultimately induct Ron Santo after all those rejections, slights, and overlooking, perhaps Cooperstown will at least revisit those other 22 Negro Leaguers who almost made the final cut, like Dick Lundy, Oliver Marcelle, Alejendro Oms, Dobie Moore, John Donaldson, John Beckwith, Grant (Home Run) Johnson, etc.

[Jason19th]

Originally Posted by Scocs

I don't know. A decade has past since the last committee convened. At that time they had whittled a list of 39 names down to the final 17 (and five of those people never even PLAYED baseball).

If the HOF could ultimately induct Ron Santo after all those rejections, slights, and overlooking, perhaps Cooperstown will at least revisit those other 22 Negro Leaguers who almost made the final cut, like Dick Lundy, Oliver Marcelle, Alejendro Oms, Dobie Moore, John Donaldson, John Beckwith, Grant (Home Run) Johnson, etc.

To some extent this is how the hall gets in trouble with the idea that you can only let so many people in for a particular year. If Dick Lundy isn't a hofer in 2006 how does he become one in 2017. The hall has to stop being afraid. To just put in a ton of people if such is warranted. I understand that this is done in part because they want market the induction weekends but all it really does is lead to arguments about who should be in. I also wonder to what extent we should apply new sabrrmetrics to old players. It's the hall of fame and I think there is an argument that we should recognize those who were reconginzed at their time.
If we look back we now can say that players like Maxie bishop who drew huge Numbers of walks before we valued them were really good players, but does that make them a Hofer. Does that mean we should take out the players who we can now look at and say that hey were actually pretty average players i.e. Fred Linstrom

[tazdmb]

Originally Posted by Scocs

If the HOF could ultimately induct Ron Santo .

That committee had a former Cubs Beat Writer, Cubs Manager and Cubs HOF Player on it to push his campaign-plus no Joe Morgan

Seriously, if these committees can't get Marvin Miller in, who has had countless supporters on the committee, I don't know how they are going to get a long deceased Negro League player in with the current format. Honestly, if I had to bet on one person getting in, it would be Buck O'neil-since the 2006 committee had an entirely different makeup than the committees today (2006 were all Historians) plus he served on all the older veterans committees until their disbandment in 2001. I bet his name never came up since he was on the committee. IE-He never got a realm chance under the current makeup which was similar to now, where as all other Negro Leaguers did. Plus he also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and other countless awards and recognition that 2020 members were alive to see. Just my 2 cents.

[mr2686]

Well, technically, Buck O'Neil IS in the HOF. He has an award named for him, and was the first recipient of, the Buck O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award (not to mention the statue of him at the hall). I treat him no less than the sports writers or the announcers that are enshrined with their respective awards. I'd take a statue and an award named after me over a little plaque any day of the week. LOL

[Klrdds]

[QUOTE=tazdmb;1686826]plus no Joe Morgan



Agreed 100%

[aljurgela]

Originally Posted by Scocs

I don't know. A decade has past since the last committee convened. At that time they had whittled a list of 39 names down to the final 17 (and five of those people never even PLAYED baseball).

If the HOF could ultimately induct Ron Santo after all those rejections, slights, and overlooking, perhaps Cooperstown will at least revisit those other 22 Negro Leaguers who almost made the final cut, like Dick Lundy, Oliver Marcelle, Alejendro Oms, Dobie Moore, John Donaldson, John Beckwith, Grant (Home Run) Johnson, etc.

All Great choices....

[packs]

“Coimbre could not be pitched to. No one gave me more trouble than anyone I ever faced, including Josh Gibson and Ted Williams,”

- Satchel Paige

[Jason19th]

A would give a strong vote form Alejandro Oms. I don’t think most know just how good he was. Below I have put his 162 game pace to give some idea of his greatness. Negro league stats from seamheads. Cuban from Beisbol Cubano 1955. Also you have to consider these numbers are over a long Career that went from the 1920-1940’s.

Negro League
327 ba
37 doubles
10 triples
909 Ops

Cuban
351 ba
47 doubles
17 triples
360 total base