Comments on: Ken Davidoff’s awesome Hall of Fame ballot

By: JBerardi

JBerardi — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 23:37:07 +0000

"And for Palmiero, he would have voted hi in last year, but he hit the 11 player threshold so he didn’t. But this year, he did because he had a spot for him. And to be frank, a guy like Palmiero deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. He had a great career." See, this is where the steroid hysteria figures to REALLY screw things up. If guys like Davidoff are already leaving players off the ballot just because they can only vote for ten, just imagine what's going to be happening once Bonds, Clemens, Bagwell, Sosa, etc. start to pile up on there. You could see something truly stupid like Jeter not getting in first ballot because so many guys are still trying to vote in all these obviously qualified candidates in and they're running out of votes for everyone. Tim Raines really needs to start building some momentum, that's for sure.

By: jwbiii

jwbiii — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 21:56:20 +0000

C’mon, those were touchdown passes. The Buffalo Bills are all God’s children, too! Except maybe Scott Norwood.

By: jwbiii

jwbiii — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 17:41:03 +0000

It certainly matters for marginal starting pitchers:
1988
74.2 Bunning, Jim
30.9 Tiant, Luis
25.5 Lolich, Mickey

Bunning was THIS CLOSE, Tiant did very well in his first year, and Lolich was steadily increasing his vote %. Then some better pitchers came on the ballot:
1989
68.0 Perry, Gaylord
63.3 Bunning, Jim
52.3 Jenkins, Fergie
19.5 Kaat, Jim
10.5 Lolich, Mickey
10.5 Tiant, Luis

Then another better pitcher became eligible:
1990
92.6 Palmer, Jim
72.1 Perry, Gaylord
66.7 Jenkins, Fergie
57.9 Bunning, Jim
17.8 Kaat, Jim
09.5 Tiant, Luis
06.1 Lolich, Mickey

I haven’t looked at position players to see if there is a similar effect, but it’s pretty dramatic for starting pitchers.

By: bigleagues

bigleagues — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 17:04:38 +0000

THANK GOD for Davidoff. I have had the argument about Larkin with anyone and everyone who cared.

How Alomar was a no-brainer first ballot candidate and Larkin isn’t, to me, is something that can only be explained by BL’s having played in Cincinnati. It’s most certainly not an argument based on numbers.

By: Chris Fiorentino

Chris Fiorentino — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 17:00:07 +0000

Great article. Wish every voter would do something like this. Also wish every voter would vote for Raines and Edgar. And I think his take on steroids is absolutely 100% perfect. If they weren’t being tested for in the game of baseball, then he doesn’t factor them into his vote…i.e. McGwire, etc. And for Palmiero, he would have voted hi in last year, but he hit the 11 player threshold so he didn’t. But this year, he did because he had a spot for him. And to be frank, a guy like Palmiero deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. He had a great career.

I just hope the voters get their heads out of their asses the next few years and start putting guys in who deserve to be in there…Bonds, Clemens, McGwire, Sosa. Without them, it just becomes the Broom Closet of Fame, where there will be about 8 people who played during my late 20′s and early 30′s and that would be a shame.

By: 78mu

78mu — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 17:00:07 +0000

Davidoff obviously does not read Chimelis. Once he gets a look at Martinez’s and McGwire’s stolen base totals and compares them to Vince Coleman’s he’ll realize he doesn’t understand baseball the way Chimelis does and resign in disgrace from the BBWAA.

By: Kevin S.

Kevin S. — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:59:00 +0000

Perhaps, but do you think they ignore magnitude entirely? I would think the vacuum at the top of the ballot would have a greater effect on the guys who aren’t getting support than positional “blocking.”

By: kiwicricket

kiwicricket — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:48:34 +0000

Nice article, pretty terrible format.

By: marshmallowsnake

marshmallowsnake — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:48:13 +0000

Just the land of misfit toys.

By: jwbiii

jwbiii — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:36:22 +0000

I have to disagree with Davidoff on one point:
“this might be [Alan Trammell's] last and best chance in his 11th year on the ballot.”

Many voters balance their ballots by position. Barry Larkin will be elected this year. Next year, Trammell will be by far the best middle infield candidate.

By: jwbiii

jwbiii — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:25:25 +0000

Those two fourth quarter touchdown passes really did it for me.

By: sdelmonte

sdelmonte — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:21:12 +0000

I give him points just for quoting A Bronx Tale (I should see if that’s on Netflix).

But yeah, that was just fun to read and also so very well thought out. Not many this side of JoePo approach the HoF ballot with this much love of the people who played the game.

By: sdelmonte

sdelmonte — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:19:35 +0000

Isn’t it in Delphi?

By: kiwicricket

kiwicricket — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:12:28 +0000

Go away.

By: Old Gator

Old Gator — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:10:53 +0000

Is there a hall of fame for mystified oracles?

By: acheron2112

acheron2112 — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:04:06 +0000

Wow. More, if not all, of the HOF voters should write something like this. Promise us, Craig, that when you get a vote you’ll write your justifications.

(Preferably with a liberal amount of Star Trek references, of course. Or Batman will do in a pinch.)

By: test2402

test2402 — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:03:34 +0000

Hall of fame = Tim Tebow.