Comments on: Frank Thomas hoping for Hall of Fame enshrinement next year

By: badintent

badintent — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 08:18:04 +0000

Can we have White Sox GM Kenny Willams do the intro speech ? ” The man (frank thomas) is an idiot !”. Got love Kenny. Frank would stay up to 4 in the morning in his music studio taping the night before a doubleheader before Kenny traded him.

By: badintent

badintent — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 08:14:52 +0000

Might have won one more if not for his tragic car crash near Mill River Club in Muttontown NY,one of the very few clubs that allowed black members thanks to U-Thant and his efforts.

By: kirkvanhouten

kirkvanhouten — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 23:06:22 +0000

Don’t worry Frank, you didn’t get screwed nearly as badly on the 2000 MVP as John Olerud did when you beat him out in 1993:

By: astroman5000

astroman5000 — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 22:08:17 +0000

“I spent my whole career working my butt off and hopefully I get what I deserve”

Jeff Bagwell feels the same way. Why is The Big Hurt above suspicion? You absolutely cannot put Frank Thomas in the HOF without Bagwell there. Can’t do it!

By: braddavery

braddavery — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 18:56:35 +0000

I hope not. He may not have 3,000+ Ks or 350+ wins, but he’s one of only 9 pitchers ever to have 2,500+ Ks, 300+ wins and win 100 more games than losses. Guy had FIVE 20-win seasons, is a two-time Cy Young Award winner and was in top-3 voting SIX times for the Cy Young Award. Dude is a legend and if not for Maddux being in the same rotation, would be MUCH more famous.

By: braddavery

braddavery — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 18:49:59 +0000

“Was” hot? It has been selling for close to $1,000 recently, ungraded.

By: 1twinsfan

1twinsfan — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 18:13:30 +0000

Yeah, as a Twins fan myself, I’d grimace when the big hurt came to the plate. I hated him. An appreciative kind of hate, not a Yankees kind of hate. Thomas should be in the HOF.

By: thebadguyswon

thebadguyswon — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 17:30:01 +0000

Ok – then when exactly did Piazza’s body type change? I’ll wait. If Piazza isn’t a first ballot, neither is Thomas.

By: thebadguyswon

thebadguyswon — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 17:28:03 +0000

Exactly. These writers obviously suspect everyone. Thomas will be no different. He will not get in next year.

By: thebadguyswon

thebadguyswon — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 17:26:19 +0000

Really? Ok…then give me your proof that Thomas is clean and Piazza isn’t. How do you people actually think Thomas gets off scot-free when no one else does? Seriously. Wake up. They are going to lump Thomas in with all the others. Its ridiculous – I KNOW – but they’re going to do it.

By: The Dangerous Mabry

The Dangerous Mabry — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 16:33:16 +0000

The lesson is: if you’re going to build muscle, do it before you’re drafted. Otherwise you will be branded a cheater.

By: mrbiz8505

mrbiz8505 — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 16:28:27 +0000

Look at Frank as a rookie…… Now look at Bonds and Sosa as rookies. Frank was HUGE his entire career…and still is. 1st ballot no doubt

By: jackrabbit56

jackrabbit56 — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 15:09:51 +0000

To quote Walter Brennan as Will Sonnet – “No brag, just fact”.

By: paperlions

paperlions — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 14:56:12 +0000

Yep, that same rule covered amphetamine use as well….which were freely available in every MLB clubhouse for decades after the “rule”.

By: paperlions

paperlions — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 14:54:27 +0000

Frank Thomas most certainly was NOT the same size when he started in pro ball until he retired. Go find his rookie card and then find one from 10 years later. He was always a big guy, but he added a lot of muscle mass (and then other kinds of mass) throughout his career. I am not implying anything about how he got there, but to say that he was the same size throughout his career is just wrong.

By: ugglasforearms

ugglasforearms — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 12:18:21 +0000

I have a couple of 1990 Leaf #300s
Those are my favorite rookie cards.

By: dan1111

dan1111 — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 10:37:37 +0000

That is not true. Steroid users were breaking baseball’s rules since 1971, and in 1991 a policy was introduced that explicitly banned steroids.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1151761/index.htm

By: dan1111

dan1111 — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 10:35:09 +0000

See this article for more details. Steroids were explicitly banned since 1991: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1151761/index.htm

By: dan1111

dan1111 — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 10:33:48 +0000

Steroid use was against the rules throughout the relevant period, though obviously they didn’t treat it nearly as seriously as they do now.

By: Chris Fiorentino

Chris Fiorentino — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 07:37:04 +0000

I LOVE all the commenter who just say “He was the best non-PED” user. Really? How do you know he didn’t use PEDs? What, he didn’t fail a test? Neither did a lot of guys. He wasn’t “suspected”? Hmm. Sure sounds like communism and Joe McCarthy to me. If Thomas and Maddux make it next year, it will be the biggest sham in the history of the Hall of Fame and it will add to an already ridiculous and shameful issue.

Let them ALL in or don’t let ANY of them in. Period.

By: kalinedrive

kalinedrive — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 06:56:01 +0000

The Frank Thomas No Name Topps card was hot hot hot back in the day.

By: phillyphever

phillyphever — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 04:49:56 +0000

Eh, he did get a little bigger towards the ends (must have hit the buffet lines hard later in his career).

By: lionsplayoffs

lionsplayoffs — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 04:00:53 +0000

He’ll get in eventually but not the first ballot. He was great in his prime but it didn’t last long enough. He was hurt too much, which helps his case when people accuse him of doping.

By: genericcommenter

genericcommenter — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 03:30:02 +0000

The people who vote for MVP and Cy Young are terrible with or without “cheaters.” Some “PED guys” won things when they weren’t even the best on their team, and teammates who should have won were top 10 at best.

By: genericcommenter

genericcommenter — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 03:26:48 +0000

Tom Glavine wasn’t as good as some of the pitchers already on the ballot and some more joining him who won’t get in. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is a “first balloter,” though- since he hit some magic numbers. Then again, Biggio hit magic HOF numbers and didn’t make it. Will Glavine have to wait?

By: ireportyoudecide

ireportyoudecide — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 02:57:21 +0000

It wasn’t cheating until 2005 Frank, get over it. You weren’t willing to do whatever it took within the rules to win. Giambi was. Call Manny a cheat, he broke the rules. Giambi did not.

By: ireportyoudecide

ireportyoudecide — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 02:53:42 +0000

Cheating? What rule did they break.

By: historiophiliac

historiophiliac — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 02:43:41 +0000

You know, I don’t believe in false modesty. If you’re good, say so. There’s a difference between bragging and being self-aware.

By: cowboysoldiertx

cowboysoldiertx — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 02:30:43 +0000

The “big Hurt” was the scariest hitter alive during his prime. Unquestionably a HOFer!

By: brewcrewfan54

brewcrewfan54 — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 01:57:24 +0000

Guys who deserve to get in right away, do. And going back all the way to the Hall’s beginnings can skew the numbers because voting practices or methodology may have changed. Either way first ballot happens enough to me to make his statement untrue.