Letters to the Editor
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So Mr. Lowenfish is a scholar
Who thinks that wins are the best way to evaluate pitchers? Obviously he has heard of Bill James, but apparently not read much past the introduction of his books or become acquainted with any better statistics for evaluating players. Also the problem with the evaluation of Carter is that it makes no allowance for the fact that his offensive production came as a catcher. How many catchers have put together such an offensive resume?
I do agree with the ridiculous number of 30's players in the Hall and I also do think that our treatment of different forms of cheating and bad conduct is inconsistent. Get rid of any character requirement, written or not, and allow in Shoeless Joe, Rose, and McGuire if they are qualified based on their play.
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Another 5 year waiting period?
How interesting would it be that after 5 years of enshrinement, a player could be taken out of the hall? Same deal, 75% vote.
If nothing else, it would put the onus on HOF players to keep their noses clean and refrain from writing books bragging about how they cheated.
A can of worms, I grant you...but an intriguing can of worms.
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The Hall of Fame will never even approach legitimacy
until they elect Roger Maris.
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Gary Carter?
Lowenstein does a fine job of picking out some of the classic early Hall of Fame errors (although he is very weak regarding pitchers), and I don't particularly fault him for clearly doing so by shamelessly following the lead of Bill James. "Whatever Happened to the Hall of Fame" should be read by anyone with an interest in the institution. But by citing Gary Carter as a likely candidate for exclusion, he demonstrates a frankly laughable understanding of baseball analysis. Gary Carter was a catcher, and a damn fine one according to both Bill James and Gold Glove voters. A Hall of Fame without Gary Carter would reasonably include fewer than ten Catchers and thus in no way model the size of the actual Hall of Fame. Five minutes on Baseball-reference.com will demonstrate how few catchers ever offered the kind of value that he did while playing for Montreal (showing pretty conclusively that Lowenstein has precisely the big city bias he accuses others of possessing).
For a much more thought out perspective on which players are deserving of their Hall of Fame plaques, I highly recommend taking a look at The Hall of Merit located at baseballthinkfactory, which has just completed an exhaustive and exhausting process of rerunning Hall votes starting in 1898 and continuing to the present. They have created a Hall of the same size as the current institution using modern statistical tools, and found the plaques of the following 56 players to be dubious (note that they only accounted for playing value, hence the listing of John McGraw as unworthy and a couple other oddities). Also note the lack of Wynn, Sutton, or Carter as questionable selections.
1 Aparicio, Luis
2 Bancroft, Dave
3 Bender, Chief
4 Bottomley, Jim
5 Brock, Lou
6 Cepeda, Orlando
7 Chance, Frank
8 Chesbro, Jack
9 Combs, Earle
10 Cooper, Andy
11 Cuyler, Kiki
12 Dandridge, Ray
13 Day, Leon
14 Dean, Dizzy
15 Duffy, Hugh
16 Evers, Johnny
17 Ferrell, Rick
18 Gomez, Lefty
19 Grimes, Burleigh
20 Hafey, Chick
21 Haines, Jesse
22 Hooper, Harry
23 Hoyt, Waite
24 Hunter, Catfish
25 Jackson, Travis
26 Johnson, Judy
27 Joss, Addie
28 Kell, George
29 Kelly, George
30 Klein, Chuck
31 Lazzeri, Tony
32 Lindstrom, Freddie
33 Lombardi, Ernie
34 Manush, Heinie
35 Maranville, Rabbit
36 Marquard, Rube
37 Mazeroski, Bill
38 McCarthy, Tommy
39 McGraw, John
40 Pennock, Herb
41 Perez, Tony
42 Puckett, Kirby
43 Rice, Sam
44 Rizzuto, Phil
45 Schalk, Ray
46 Schoendienst, Red
47 Smith, Hilton
48 Sutter, Bruce
49 Taylor, Ben
50 Tinker, Joe
51 Traynor, Pie
52 Waner, Lloyd
53 Welch, Mickey
54 Willis, Vic
55 Wilson, Hack
56 Youngs, Ross
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I know why the writer wants to defenestrate Gary Carter and Don Sutton
Arguably, no two white men in history have donned the Jheri Curl better than Misters Carter and Sutton. What's the matter, Mr. Lowenfish? Are you some alopecia-stricken loser jealous of their shimmering, tightly curled manes and how gloriously regal they look?
Having a personal vendetta against white men with the God-given ability to pull off the Jheri Curl will get you no where in life. Just acknowledge and accept your hair-related shortcomings. You'll be a much happier person.
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Once you're in you're in.
What a ridiculous assertion it is to suggest that people should be thrown out of the hall of fame.
Once you're in you're in.
That said, if the 1919 White Sox players are banned from the hall of fame for a one time indiscretion how do you ever justify accepting players that for over a decade knowingly broke the spirit of what it takes to get into any hall of fame.
Whether or not I agree with the 1919 White Sox players and Pete Rose being shut out of the hall of fame I have always admired the stand that the hall has taken.
It seemed somehow to exemplify a time when Americans weren't afraid to take the unpopular moral high road. Baseball to me has exemplified the more decent part of American standards.
Now I hear the vast majority of Americans just accepting that Barry Bonds growth was natural and that he should be allowed to keep his home run record and be fast tracked into the hall of fame. It's obvious that Bonds, along with many others, have outright cheated and could still get into the hall of fame.
Lowenfish should worry less about throwing the bums out of the hall of fame and worry more about letting the bums in.
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They think anyone who does drugs is on the wrong track. Thank goodness someone knows right from wrong.
If every cheater is allowed to clamber into the Hall of Fame (or Infamy), where do we put the honest players. How undignified to be in the same category with B Bonds. Why in this day and age must we always resort to categorizing. Because players exploit the system from cycling to baseball. There is no more honor. Fame is worthless if based on the drug-enhancement.
Cruelty a la Mike Vick is another Curse. Sports today equates filth. Why do they do it? For The $$$$$. Money has been a factor in the decline of sports. Oversimplified but there it is in a nutshell all the same.
I explained to my sons about B Bonds, M Vick and sports. They think Vick is sick. They think anyone who does drugs is on the wrong track. Thank goodness someone knows right from wrong.