Nevertheless, the idea that Rice was the "most feared" hitter of his era, a notion that is both unproven and unprovable, has carried the day.
Five years after he played his final game, when the idea that he was the most feared slugger of his era should have been most fresh in the minds of the electorate, Rice finished eighth in the balloting with 137 votes, just shy of 30% of the pool. He was the second-highest vote getter among corner outfielders, just behind Tony Oliva. Four years later, on an admittedly deep ballot, Rice garnered 146 votes, appearing on 29.4% of the ballots. The idea that Rice was the most feared hitter in baseball during his career, which again should have been fresh in the minds of the voters, carried little weight with more than 70% of those with ballots.
about 3 years ago
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I think....
I think we need to find out who left Rickey Henderson off of their ballots and revoke their voting rights.
I don’t care if he was a lock leaving him off the ballot so they can vote in another one of their gutsiest or most feared players should be punishable.
Baseball H.O.F voting is a joke.
The idea that Rice was the most feared hitter in baseball during his career, which again should have been fresh in the minds of the voters, carried little weight with more than 70% of those with ballots.
Rock Raines got 21% of the vote this year I think so those numbers mean little. The idea that these guys become eligible in the minds of voters after certain numbers of tries just spoils the system. The idea that Babe Ruth didn’t garner 100% of the vote so no one should is just plain dumb.
It takes 46 muscles to frown but only 4 to flip 'em the bird.
FEAR
Say hello to HOFers Juan Gonzalez and Albert Belle
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
Jose Offerman!
FEAR, BABY!
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by Matt Klaassen on Jan 12, 2009 9:55 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
interestingly
Mark McGwire garnered a smaller percentage of the vote this year. One would think that with time perhaps beginning to mitigate the memory of his disastrous Congressional testimony (if only slightly), that he would be getting more support for the HOF. All I can say is, baseball writers need to get off their pedestals. They were happy to cover McGwire while he and Sammy Sosa were making baseball tons and tons of money.
Don't worry
Nobody will visit Rice’s exhibit/plaque.
That’ll be our payback.
If it were up to me, Mr. Rice would have no place in the HoF but now that it’s over, who cares. It’s done and over and there’s nothing we can do to change it.
I just find it funny that his stats didn’t get any better but this idea that he’s “worthy” of the HoF got stronger, whatever.
I’m glad Rickey got voted in though!
by Royal from Queens on Jan 12, 2009 9:14 PM EST reply actions
I might give up my firstborn to be there for Rickey's induction speech
I think Bill Simmons proleptically gave it a 99 or something on the Unintentional Comedy Scale already years ago
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by Matt Klaassen on Jan 12, 2009 9:18 PM EST up reply actions
My Favorite Rickey
Story; Rickey is on 3B, taking a perfunctory lead. The 3B coach is going over the various scenarios as to what to do if this or that happens while Rickey gazes obliviously at the field of play. When the coach is done with his spiel, Rickey turns to him and says, “Man, no one throw Rickey out.” End of discussion.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Jan 12, 2009 9:51 PM EST up reply actions
Jim Rice is like a fine plum wine
it apparently gets better and better with age
The concept of progress acts as a protective mechanism to shield us from the terrors of the future. - Collected sayings of Muad'Dib
by buddyball on Jan 12, 2009 9:26 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
yes!
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by Matt Klaassen on Jan 12, 2009 9:27 PM EST up reply actions
Really don't get
The Alan Trammell vote
Or why Dale Murphy is considered so much less a candidate than Rice or Dawson.
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
Trammell: Cal Ripken
Sam Bradford: Tim Tebow
I guess “there can only be one” also applies to saints
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by Matt Klaassen on Jan 12, 2009 9:52 PM EST up reply actions
Bradford's inability to snap the ball without looking to the sideline for last minute instructions...
kinda annoying
I think that's just their goofy offensive system
also — he doesn’t have the advantage of divine omnipotence like certain life-changing young men. Give him a break.
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by Matt Klaassen on Jan 12, 2009 10:01 PM EST up reply actions
Bradford equals overrated
He plays primarily in a shotgun offense one in which he rarely gets touched. Reading a defense while you dropback sounds easy but just checkout the coaches coaching the guys who haven’t done it at the senior bowl, very funny. Plus he negates his heighth with a earhole release point. That combined with a average arm appears like a bust to me. That being said if he goes to Detroit he has a chance at being at least average. Any QB worth a damn in Detroit needs to realize he should throw the ball in Calvin Johnson’s direction 15 times per game. That is how bad Marinelli and the rest of those bums were they have quite possibly the best overall talent in the league on the field and they don’t realize they need to just get him the damn ball.
Oh by the way Tebow will suck in the pros too.
It takes 46 muscles to frown but only 4 to flip 'em the bird.
You think Tebow will suck?
I do wonder if all the college shotgun spread offenses aren’t doing these guys any favors, but does Tebow’s size, speed, and strength remind you a little of the Good Daunte Culpepper (before the injuries and boat trip)? Maybe that was just Moss…
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by Matt Klaassen on Jan 12, 2009 11:40 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
That was just Moss
Tebow has a long throwing motion. That is a tough thing to change and keep your accuracy. I distrust most Top 5 college team QB’s. They are surrounded with top end talent that makes them look alot better than they usually are. Look at the good young QB’s to play in this league recently.
Rivers – NC State
E. Manning – Ole Miss
Rothlesberger?- Miami of Ohio
M. Ryan- Boston College
Flacco- Delaware via Pitt
Cassel-Road the bench at USC
It takes 46 muscles to frown but only 4 to flip 'em the bird.
tom brady, peyton manning, carson palmer
TPJ...you're dead to me
by billybeingbilly on Jan 13, 2009 2:36 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Brody Croyle...
The concept of progress acts as a protective mechanism to shield us from the terrors of the future. - Collected sayings of Muad'Dib
FWIW
Flacco wasn’t very good this year and Cassell is a good example of a guy being “surrounded with top end talent that makes him look a lot better than he actually is”…but in the NFL.
The immoderate moderator
by Scott McKinney on Jan 13, 2009 3:24 AM EST up reply actions
flacco
he wasn’t great but remember he was a rookie from a D-II school. still, he is a QB I’d consider building a franchise around. I think he’s going to be great. he might have the best arm in the league already.
Founder of the Johnny Giavotella fan club.
I’d rather have a good QB than a “great arm”, just as I’d rather have a good pitcher than a “live arm” that can’t really pitch. And other skills in addition to a great arm are even more important for QB’s than it is for pitchers.
The immoderate moderator
by Scott McKinney on Jan 13, 2009 3:33 AM EST up reply actions
i know
i think he will be great. it’s not just the arm. i was hoping the chiefs could get him last year in the second round, although the Ravens jumped way up and got him. the learning curve is going to be bigger because he was a small school guy.
Founder of the Johnny Giavotella fan club.
I have to keep reminding myself
that people like Joe Posnanski are big-time outliers among the BBBWWWWAAAAA or whatever.
Most (or enough) of the voters simply think they don’t need to know much of anything about the sport to vote on it.
The funny thing is, I’d bet most of the are East and West Coasters who think of Middle America as full of benighted souls…
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by Matt Klaassen on Jan 12, 2009 9:54 PM EST up reply actions
i listen to the radio a lot while i'm "working"
and when I saw that today was HOF announcement day, i realized that i was going to have to switch to FM or listen to CDs
generic sports radio guys of a certain age love them there Jim Rice…
I wonder if this makes Bobby Grich want to kill someone?
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by Matt Klaassen on Jan 12, 2009 10:01 PM EST up reply actions
Joey is much scarier though
I mean, Rice may have been a “feared” hitter but Joey is a scary human being.
Don’t f- with Joey.
by Royal from Queens on Jan 12, 2009 10:00 PM EST up reply actions
in all seriousness...
during his peak years… what an animal
every time he swung i expected a line drive
I'm a bit young
And only caught Belle in his final years but man, even when he was 30+ years old, he was awesome. I won’t say he was a favorite player of mine but even as a kid I enjoyed watching him bat. He was one guy I can say I stopped what I was doing to watch him bat.
The only guy who has that aura now is Albert Pujols, and he’s not favorite player of mine either.
by Royal from Queens on Jan 12, 2009 10:06 PM EST up reply actions
I sort of compare him to Vlad
The concept of progress acts as a protective mechanism to shield us from the terrors of the future. - Collected sayings of Muad'Dib
Amazing you say that
because Vlad is his number two comp on baseball-reference.com
by Royal from Queens on Jan 12, 2009 10:46 PM EST up reply actions
sheer luck
they both swing real hard and are/were good at making contact. plus they are both monsters.
The concept of progress acts as a protective mechanism to shield us from the terrors of the future. - Collected sayings of Muad'Dib
Jim Rice, career park- and league adjusted batting wins: 28.9
Albert Belle, the same: 33.9
Jim Rice, career plate appearances: 9058
Albert Belle, career PAs: 6673
Let’s player “best three”
Best three BTWn seasons:
Peter Gammons’ Mission: 4.4, 4.8, 3.9
Joey Asshole: 5.2, 5.6, 6.0
wow, that’s a really tough call… I just can’t tell you who was better
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by Matt Klaassen on Jan 12, 2009 10:08 PM EST up reply actions
Bernie Williams
28.4, played CF. Best hitter on the “Yankees Dynasty” of the 1990s.
I wonder how hard Gammons, Shaughnessy, and Simmons are going to campaign for him.
Jason Giambi: 44.9
Jose Canseco: 30.3
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by Matt Klaassen on Jan 12, 2009 10:14 PM EST up reply actions
Nah
I just don’t see it with Bernie. I don’t think the BBWAA will put Bernie in, atleast not until quite possibly 2026, his last year of eligibility.
by Royal from Queens on Jan 12, 2009 10:16 PM EST up reply actions
but that's what I mean
he has better numbers than Rice, and I’d say was clearly the better player.
Better hitter than Kirby Puckett, too, even if he wasn’t quite the defender (of course, Puckett didn’t “get” to have a decline phase.
I guess Bernie just isn’t quite the wonderful human being Kirby was.
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by Matt Klaassen on Jan 12, 2009 10:18 PM EST up reply actions
Bernie is boring
he was quiet and played the guitar.
If he did magic tricks or told knock-knock jokes to the media, it might take him 5 years to make the hall of fame rather than the 15 it will probably take.
by Royal from Queens on Jan 12, 2009 10:34 PM EST up reply actions
should've slapped more women around
I’m not sure whether he should make it or not, quite honestly, but I do think he was in the same class of player as Kirby Puckett.
Best three seasons, Batting Wins:
Kirby: 4.3, 3.4, 3.2
Bernie: 4.3, 4.2, 3.7
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by Matt Klaassen on Jan 12, 2009 10:37 PM EST up reply actions
Rice had the advantage of the
Boston fans and media pushing him all these years. Is anybody (other than Poz) going to do that for Raines? I don’t see it happening for him.
Some think that now that Rice is in, Bill James will get back on board
Also check Tom Tango’s site:
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by Matt Klaassen on Jan 12, 2009 10:32 PM EST up reply actions
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