Whatever Happened to the Hall of Fame?

(current mood: puzzled)

The title of this blog entry is also the title of baseball sabermetrician Bill James’s 1994 book.  In this article, I will illustrate how the Baseball and Pro Football Halls of Fame have not consistently enshrined the elite few, but rather have become wildly inconsistent.  Actually, that topic is enough for two lengthy tomes, so I will just concentrate on what's wrong with the balloting.

We were all shocked (I hope) when the BBWAA voted nobody into the Baseball Hall of Fame this year, something they’ve only done once previously in the last fifty years.  (N.B.: The Veterans Committee elected three people this year, so there will still be an induction ceremony.)  The list of first-timers on the ballot was perhaps the most impressive in history:

Craig Biggio not only had 3000 hits, but over 600 doubles.  He was never accused of using steroids.  He led the Astros to their first World Series.  Forget 75%, why couldn’t he have received 90% of the vote?

Mike Piazza holds the record for most home runs by a catcher.  He also hit .308 lifetime.  .308 for a catcher is unbelievable.  How many catchers can you think of who can hit .250 for one season?  There were some steroid allegations, but he was never proven guilty of anything.

Curt Schilling will eventually get into the HOF, but I never thought he’d get anywhere near 38.8% on the first ballot.  I personally wouldn’t have voted for him this year, but I’d vote for him on all subsequent ballots.

And then you have the others:

There were rumors that Roger Clemens- one of the greatest pitchers of all time- would come back for the Lastros at the end of the 2012 season.  He didn’t, but he should have.  Considering he got fewer votes than Curt Schilling on the first ballot, he’s not going to get in.  Might as well return to the majors and become the oldest pitcher to win a game, stealing that record from Jamie Moyer, who stole it from Jack Quinn (no relation, his real last name was Pajkos).

Barry Bonds did surprisingly well on the ballot, considering his name is almost synonymous with “steroids.”  He’s probably the only steroid-using power hitter who would have been more than good enough to get in on the first ballot if he hadn’t juiced.  His numbers were far better than any of the other cheaters, in a park that’s very good for pitchers.  (Think of the SF Giants and you will immediately think of their pitching staff.)  How many “splash hits” have you seen since he retired?  Yeah.

Conversely, I can’t understand why Sammy Sosa barely survived on the ballot.  He did worse than Mark McGwire (who was on the ballot for a seventh time).

Now, who would I have voted for?

Going down the list: Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, Mike Piazza, Tim Raines, Fred McGriff (celebrity endorser of Teaching the Mechanics of the Major League Swing II), and… wait.  Every member of the BBWAA is allowed to vote for ten people, and there were four others I would’ve also picked: Lee Smith (who held the saves record from 1993 to 2006), Dale Murphy (on his final ballot), Julio Franco (oldest player to hit a home run, plus he had over 4000 hits combined at all levels of professional baseball), and Jeff Conine (only because he’s one of my all-time favorite players, who led the Marlins to their two World Series).  I wouldn’t have chosen Jack Morris, because his 3.90 ERA was higher than any other enshrined pitcher.

Now for football:

Remember, only finalists can get in.  Here are my votes:

Jerome Bettis (13,662 rushing yards.  However, he averaged only 3.9 yards per carry, which makes him a borderline candidate), Bill Parcells (three conference championships, two Super Bowl wins, 183-138-1 career record), Cris Carter (130 receiving touchdowns), Warren Sapp, and Michael Strahan. 

I’m disappointed that Morten Andersen (the all-time scoring leader) was only a semifinalist.  The Pro Football Hall of Fame is biased against kickers, who- depending on how you look at them- are arguably the most important players on the team.  And no punters have ever been enshrined.  Something is rotten in the canton of Canton.

If I Were Commissioner, Part Two:

I would temporarily seize control of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and make the criteria for induction roughly the same as the Baseball Hall of Fame’s.  The PFHOF’s Board of Selectors only consists of 46 people.  Forty-six?!  The state of California has more representatives in Congress.  Compare that number with the 569 selectors for the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Why can’t the PFHOF Board of Selectors consist of, oh, I don’t know, at least 300 people, preferably graduates of ESPN's Bristol University School of Football?

I would change the Redskins’ name.  In today’s hyper-PC society, I don’t know why that name has lasted while inoffensive names haven’t.  “Pigskins” is a better name- in honor of their now-defunct “Hogettes”- plus it’s the nickname of footballs themselves.  Here’s what former Minnesota governor (and professional wrestling legend) Jesse Ventura wrote in his 2000 book, Do I Stand Alone?:

“Our professional sports are loaded with racial stereotypes.  Native Americans have complained for ears that they don’t like being made into mascots.  Personally, I think the name REDSKINS is offensive.  When I was a commentator, I refused to use it. I just referred to the team as WASHINGTON.  The name is a leftover from a more racist era, and we should get rid of it.  Can you imagine if someone tried to name a team that way today?  Can you imagine if they tried to start up the Philadelphia Dagos?”

Additionally, I would allow fans to take their potent potables (whatever they could carry) into the stadiums.  There’s no need to frisk everyone before they enter a football stadium; the NFL’s security procedures have slowed down the process of getting in.  All 32 NFL teams are among the 50 wealthiest sports franchises in the world, so why are they concerned that fans will smuggle beer into the stadiums instead of buying outrageously-priced alcohol inside?  The Transportation Security Administration is usually much worse than stadium security, but many Americans have no problem with either.  I do, but that’s another topic.  You can search for weapons with a metal detector and by X-raying baggage; you don’t have to do any more than that.

Final Thoughts:

There should be an old-time football video game.  Old Time Baseball was released for MS-DOS in 1995 (you can still install and play it on DOSBox if you have the disc); it allowed you to answer questions like, “How would the 1903 Red Sox fare against the 1927 Yankees?” or “How would American Association teams do against 70’s American League teams with designated hitters?”  Eighteen years later, it still looks very good.

But how would the Canton Bulldogs do against the WWII-era Steagles?  How would the undefeated 1972 Dolphins fare against the imperfect 1976 Buccaneers?  Would the 1963 AFL champion Chargers beat the 1963 NFL champion Bears in Super Bowl Minus IV?  Those questions need answering.

-Alexander (not Jack or Brady) Quinn