New kids at Cooperstown
I just wanted to throw out a quick congratulations to the newest members of the baseball hall of fame Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn. Both legendary players slid easily past the required 75% of votes, Gwynn netted more than 97% and Ripken Jr had the third highest number of votes ever at almost 99%.
Both of these men compiled over three thousand hits in their illustrious careers. Tony Gwynn, in my opinion, had one of the best swings in baseball history, in a twenty plus year carreer he hit with a batting average of over .338, on a team where he got very little offensive support from others a good portion of those years.
Ripken - baseball’s true iron-man, could play on both sides of the ball as good as anyone, during his career he broke the all-time home run record for shortstops, then he hit nearly a hundred more as a third baseman.
Looking at Cal here, in careful consideration of his own book, has caused me to want to ponder, and what better topic than hall of fame inductions.
Big Mac did not get the nod, and I’m happy about that. Not that I have anything personal against him, I used to enjoy watching the bash brothers in Oakland, but Cooperstown is about talent and being an ambassador for the game. Steroids are not only illegal, but give those that use them an unfair edge over the competition when it comes to strength and power. If you take away McGuire’s power, you take away his home runs, if you take away his home runs he barely belongs in professional baseball let alone the hall of fame. I’m actually disappointed that he got as many votes as he did.
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