Goose Gossage voted into Baseball Hall of Fame
It took nine tries, but Goose Gossage finally made it into the Hall of Fame.
The former Yankee closer, who notched 310 saves during a 22-year career, became only the fifth relief pitcher to be voted into Cooperstown by the Baseball Writers' Associated of America.
Gossage is now part of a Hall of Fame bullpen that includes Hoyt Wilhelm, Rollie Fingers, Dennis Eckersley and Bruce Suttor.
Gossage, who played for the Yankees from 1978-83 and in 1989, was the kind of closer that doesn't exist anymore in Major League Baseball. He routinely worked two innings or more to save a game.
Ace relievers, including the Yanks' Mariano Rivera, now rarely work more than an inning, relying on set-up pitchers to get the team into the ninth inning.
"Now it takes three guys to do kind of what I used to do," Gossage said before the vote.
Gossage, 56, lives in Colorado Springs, Col. When Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn were elected last year, Gossage was third with 388 votes (71.2%) — 21 votes shy of the 75% needed for election.
NY Daily News..
It took nine tries, but Goose Gossage finally made it into the Hall of Fame.
The former Yankee closer, who notched 310 saves during a 22-year career, became only the fifth relief pitcher to be voted into Cooperstown by the Baseball Writers' Associated of America.
Gossage is now part of a Hall of Fame bullpen that includes Hoyt Wilhelm, Rollie Fingers, Dennis Eckersley and Bruce Suttor.
Gossage, who played for the Yankees from 1978-83 and in 1989, was the kind of closer that doesn't exist anymore in Major League Baseball. He routinely worked two innings or more to save a game.
Ace relievers, including the Yanks' Mariano Rivera, now rarely work more than an inning, relying on set-up pitchers to get the team into the ninth inning.
"Now it takes three guys to do kind of what I used to do," Gossage said before the vote.
Gossage, 56, lives in Colorado Springs, Col. When Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn were elected last year, Gossage was third with 388 votes (71.2%) — 21 votes shy of the 75% needed for election.
NY Daily News..
Sorry about mentioning Wade Boggs..
My bad Boggs was not on the ballet.
First timers were led by David Justice and Tim Raines, both who came up well short. Tainted by accusations of steroids use, Mark McGwire received around 125 votes in his second year on the ballot. Andre Dawson was right behind Rice about 25 votes shy. I am trying to remember these numbers from hearing them on ESPN Internet Radio.
wil..
My bad Boggs was not on the ballet.
First timers were led by David Justice and Tim Raines, both who came up well short. Tainted by accusations of steroids use, Mark McGwire received around 125 votes in his second year on the ballot. Andre Dawson was right behind Rice about 25 votes shy. I am trying to remember these numbers from hearing them on ESPN Internet Radio.
wil..
wow, this was the last, best chance for Rice, Morris, Dawson and Blyleven. More than likely none will ever make it. There was an interesting article about Rice on espn a week or so ago. Rob Neyer wrote it in his blog, don't really agree, but it is interesting nonetheless:
Rice doesn't belong in Hall
posted: Thursday, December 27, 2007 | Feedback | Print Entry
filed under: MLB
Dan Shaughnessy's revealed his Hall of Fame ballot. He's voting for Rich Gossage and Bert Blyleven, which is mighty enlightened of him. I wish Alan Trammell and Tim Raines were on the list, too. But Shaughnessy apparently hails from the less-is-more school, and I wish there were more voters like him.
He's also voting for Jim Rice and believes (as I do) that Rice will finally be elected this time.
Two years ago, Rice received more votes than any player who didn't earn enshrinement, but last year his chances diminished because of the introduction of new candidates Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn. The best new names on this year's ballot are Tim Raines and David Justice. Rice beats both. ...
Writers looking at the new ballot want to vote for somebody and it's clear that Gossage and Rice -- so close in recent years -- have better resumes than any of the new names.
The presence of second-year candidate Mark McGwire helps Rice, too. With 583 career homers, Big Mac would have been a slam dunk for Cooperstown if not for the steroid scandal. His name came up for the first time last year and voters categorically rejected him. With memories of his de facto congressional confession still fresh, only 23.5 percent of the electorate went for McGwire.
It can only help Rice. He was a dominant power hitter before steroids polluted the game and skewed the numbers. Rice hit 46 homers in a season back when it meant something -- before 50 became the province of guys like Brady Anderson and Luis Gonzalez. People who played and watched major league baseball from 1975-86 know that Rice was the most feared hitter of his day. Managers thought about intentionally walking him when he came to the plate with the bases loaded. He played hard and he played hurt. His managers loved him. Opponents feared him.
Let me return to something I wrote about a few weeks ago: the Morris Test. Named after Jack Morris, the test simply asks: If we take a player's two prime Hall of Fame credentials and downgrade them just a little, does he still have a solid case?
Actually, I don't believe the Morris Test even applies to Rice, because I don't believe he has two prime Hall of Fame credentials. Nobody cites his 382 career homers, because 382 is paltry for a player whose best-known attribute was power. He wasn't a "dominant power hitter" (as Shaughnessy says); he did lead the American League in home runs three times, but finished in the top five in his league only twice more. Mike Schmidt led the National League in home runs eight times. That's dominant. Yes, Rice hit 46 homers in a season. This was not an exceptional figure in his time. The year before Rice hit 46, George Foster hit 52. The year after Rice hit 46, Dave Kingman hit 48. Rice never hit as many as 40 home runs in another season.
Nobody cites his other career stats, because by the standards of Hall of Fame outfielders they're nothing special.
Turns out Rice has one credential: As Shaughnessy and so many others have said over the years, he was "the most feared hitter of his day" ... but was he, really? I'm still waiting for someone, anybody.
Shaughnessy cites intentional walks: "Managers thought about intentionally walking him when he came to the plate with the bases loaded." Well, that's an interesting bit of untestable trivia, but for the moment let's ignore all those imaginary intentional walks and talk about the real ones. Because yes, a great number of intentional walks would suggest that a player really was feared.
Rice's 12 best seasons -- 1975-1986 -- are usually mentioned because the rest of his career was not good. Did Rice draw more intentional walks than anyone else over those 12 seasons? From 1975 through 1986 -- remember, that range of seasons has been chosen specifically to make Rice look his best -- 32 major leaguers drew more intentional walks than Jim Rice.
Yes, he batted right-handed, and right-handed batters generally are intentionally walked less often than left-handed batters. So let's be fair. Let's ignore all those left-handed batters. Did Rice draw more intentional walks than every other right-handed batter over those 12 fearsome seasons?
Twelve right-handed batters were, by this standard, more feared, including (but far from limited to) George Foster, Ron Cey, Greg Luzinski, Jack Clark and Dale Murphy.
I've run through other stats before. Even if we limit ourselves to Rice's 12 good years, we still find that he doesn't look good next to non-Hall of Famers Keith Hernandez and Fred Lynn and is dead even with Ken Singleton. If we include the massive edge he gained from Fenway Park and his lack of defensive value, he falls farther down the list. Rice not only fails the Morris Test, he fails it spectacularly. His Hall of Fame case rests solely on an argument that wouldn't be particularly compelling even if it were true. Which it's not.
You know what? I get it. I understand that Shaughnessy and nearly every other writer in Boston have to support the local guys. With Rice clearly lacking objective Hall of Fame credentials, they're forced to fall back on the ill-founded, untestable notion that he was the "most feared" hitter for more than a year or two.
What I don't understand is why so many voters in so many other cities believe it.
Rice doesn't belong in Hall
posted: Thursday, December 27, 2007 | Feedback | Print Entry
filed under: MLB
Dan Shaughnessy's revealed his Hall of Fame ballot. He's voting for Rich Gossage and Bert Blyleven, which is mighty enlightened of him. I wish Alan Trammell and Tim Raines were on the list, too. But Shaughnessy apparently hails from the less-is-more school, and I wish there were more voters like him.
He's also voting for Jim Rice and believes (as I do) that Rice will finally be elected this time.
Two years ago, Rice received more votes than any player who didn't earn enshrinement, but last year his chances diminished because of the introduction of new candidates Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn. The best new names on this year's ballot are Tim Raines and David Justice. Rice beats both. ...
Writers looking at the new ballot want to vote for somebody and it's clear that Gossage and Rice -- so close in recent years -- have better resumes than any of the new names.
The presence of second-year candidate Mark McGwire helps Rice, too. With 583 career homers, Big Mac would have been a slam dunk for Cooperstown if not for the steroid scandal. His name came up for the first time last year and voters categorically rejected him. With memories of his de facto congressional confession still fresh, only 23.5 percent of the electorate went for McGwire.
It can only help Rice. He was a dominant power hitter before steroids polluted the game and skewed the numbers. Rice hit 46 homers in a season back when it meant something -- before 50 became the province of guys like Brady Anderson and Luis Gonzalez. People who played and watched major league baseball from 1975-86 know that Rice was the most feared hitter of his day. Managers thought about intentionally walking him when he came to the plate with the bases loaded. He played hard and he played hurt. His managers loved him. Opponents feared him.
Let me return to something I wrote about a few weeks ago: the Morris Test. Named after Jack Morris, the test simply asks: If we take a player's two prime Hall of Fame credentials and downgrade them just a little, does he still have a solid case?
Actually, I don't believe the Morris Test even applies to Rice, because I don't believe he has two prime Hall of Fame credentials. Nobody cites his 382 career homers, because 382 is paltry for a player whose best-known attribute was power. He wasn't a "dominant power hitter" (as Shaughnessy says); he did lead the American League in home runs three times, but finished in the top five in his league only twice more. Mike Schmidt led the National League in home runs eight times. That's dominant. Yes, Rice hit 46 homers in a season. This was not an exceptional figure in his time. The year before Rice hit 46, George Foster hit 52. The year after Rice hit 46, Dave Kingman hit 48. Rice never hit as many as 40 home runs in another season.
Nobody cites his other career stats, because by the standards of Hall of Fame outfielders they're nothing special.
Turns out Rice has one credential: As Shaughnessy and so many others have said over the years, he was "the most feared hitter of his day" ... but was he, really? I'm still waiting for someone, anybody.
Shaughnessy cites intentional walks: "Managers thought about intentionally walking him when he came to the plate with the bases loaded." Well, that's an interesting bit of untestable trivia, but for the moment let's ignore all those imaginary intentional walks and talk about the real ones. Because yes, a great number of intentional walks would suggest that a player really was feared.
Rice's 12 best seasons -- 1975-1986 -- are usually mentioned because the rest of his career was not good. Did Rice draw more intentional walks than anyone else over those 12 seasons? From 1975 through 1986 -- remember, that range of seasons has been chosen specifically to make Rice look his best -- 32 major leaguers drew more intentional walks than Jim Rice.
Yes, he batted right-handed, and right-handed batters generally are intentionally walked less often than left-handed batters. So let's be fair. Let's ignore all those left-handed batters. Did Rice draw more intentional walks than every other right-handed batter over those 12 fearsome seasons?
Twelve right-handed batters were, by this standard, more feared, including (but far from limited to) George Foster, Ron Cey, Greg Luzinski, Jack Clark and Dale Murphy.
I've run through other stats before. Even if we limit ourselves to Rice's 12 good years, we still find that he doesn't look good next to non-Hall of Famers Keith Hernandez and Fred Lynn and is dead even with Ken Singleton. If we include the massive edge he gained from Fenway Park and his lack of defensive value, he falls farther down the list. Rice not only fails the Morris Test, he fails it spectacularly. His Hall of Fame case rests solely on an argument that wouldn't be particularly compelling even if it were true. Which it's not.
You know what? I get it. I understand that Shaughnessy and nearly every other writer in Boston have to support the local guys. With Rice clearly lacking objective Hall of Fame credentials, they're forced to fall back on the ill-founded, untestable notion that he was the "most feared" hitter for more than a year or two.
What I don't understand is why so many voters in so many other cities believe it.
More numbers.
<TABLE class=arialblack13 cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Jim Rice was denied once again. The former Red Sox slugger fell just 14 votes and 2.8% shy of entry into the Hall. Rice will be on the ballot for the 15th and final time next year.
Andre Dawson picked up 65.9% of the vote from writers. Bert Blyleven finished 4th with 61.9%.
Mark McGwire is almost exactly where he was last year with the Baseball writers. The former Home Run champ received just 23.6% of the vote. That's up just .1% from 2007, his first year on the ballot.
wil.
</TD></TR><TR><TD background=/images/layout/mid_divider.gif height=13>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE class=arialblack13 cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Jim Rice was denied once again. The former Red Sox slugger fell just 14 votes and 2.8% shy of entry into the Hall. Rice will be on the ballot for the 15th and final time next year.
Andre Dawson picked up 65.9% of the vote from writers. Bert Blyleven finished 4th with 61.9%.
Mark McGwire is almost exactly where he was last year with the Baseball writers. The former Home Run champ received just 23.6% of the vote. That's up just .1% from 2007, his first year on the ballot.
wil.
</TD></TR><TR><TD background=/images/layout/mid_divider.gif height=13>
I would have picked Blyleven before Gossage! Without a doubt Vern Stephens is my example of someone who should be in but isn't. The reasons why he isn't I think is because he died early 51, came from a small state New Mexico, & retired early because of injury.
The reasons why he should be in are 1) Led Browns to their only World Series 2) Was the only player in Baseball history to hit more homers in a season than all the other players at his position combined & a lot of those same position players Reese, Rizzuto, Boudreaux & Luke Appling are in the Hall. 3)From 1940 to the STEROID era which really fouled up Baseball stats that's over 50 years no one had more RBI's in a season than Junior Stephens and over a 3 year period in that same time frame
he amassed 440 RBI's noone not Mantle, Musial, Mays, Aaron or even Ted Williams approached that. Some say his fielding at short wasn't A+
but it was certainly good enough so that Johnny Pesky a very good SS was moved to 3rd Base when the Sox aquired Vern Stephens.
The reasons why he should be in are 1) Led Browns to their only World Series 2) Was the only player in Baseball history to hit more homers in a season than all the other players at his position combined & a lot of those same position players Reese, Rizzuto, Boudreaux & Luke Appling are in the Hall. 3)From 1940 to the STEROID era which really fouled up Baseball stats that's over 50 years no one had more RBI's in a season than Junior Stephens and over a 3 year period in that same time frame
he amassed 440 RBI's noone not Mantle, Musial, Mays, Aaron or even Ted Williams approached that. Some say his fielding at short wasn't A+
but it was certainly good enough so that Johnny Pesky a very good SS was moved to 3rd Base when the Sox aquired Vern Stephens.
FWIW - Vern Stephens was voted into the Red Sox HOF in 2006.
Members of Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame.
Automatically entered when Red Sox Hall was established in 1995 because of being in Baseball HOF:
Eddie Collins (front office)
Jimmy Collins
Joe Cronin
Bobby Doerr
Jimmie Foxx
Curt Gowdy (broadcaster)
Lefty Grove
Harry Hooper
Rick Ferrell
Babe Ruth
Tris Speaker
Ted Williams
Carl Yastrzemski
Tom Yawkey (longtime owner)
Cy Young
Inductees
1995
Tony Conigliaro
Joe Cronin (1956 NBHOF)
Dom DiMaggio
Bobby Doerr (1986 NBHOF)
Jean R. Yawkey (front office)
Frank Malzone
Johnny Pesky
Jim Rice
Babe Ruth (1936 NBHOF)
Ted Williams (1966 NBHOF)
Smoky Joe Wood
Carl Yastrzemski (1989 NBHOF)
1997
Carlton Fisk (2000 NBHOF)
Jimmie Foxx (1951 NBHOF)
Harry Hooper (1971 NBHOF)
Dick O'Connell (front office)
Mel Parnell
Rico Petrocelli
Dick Radatz
Luis Tiant
Cy Young (1937 NBHOF)
2000
Ken Coleman (broadcaster)
Dwight Evans
Larry Gardner
Curt Gowdy
Jackie Jensen
Ned Martin (broadcaster)
Bill Monbouquette
Reggie Smith
Tris Speaker (1937 NBHOF)
Bob Stanley
2002
Rick Burleson
Boo Ferriss
Lou Gorman
John Harrington
Tex Hughson
Duffy Lewis
Jim Lonborg
Fred Lynn
2004
Wade Boggs (2005 NBHOF)
Bill Carrigan
Jimmy Collins (1945 NBHOF)
Dennis Eckersley (2004 NBHOF)
Billy Goodman
Bruce Hurst
Pete Runnels
Haywood Sullivan (front office)
Ben Mondor (Pawtucket Red Sox owner)
2006
Dick Bresciani (front office)
Ellis Kinder
Joe Morgan (manager)
Jerry Remy (player and broadcaster)
George Scott
Vern Stephens
Dick Williams (manager)
wil.
Members of Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame.
Automatically entered when Red Sox Hall was established in 1995 because of being in Baseball HOF:
Eddie Collins (front office)
Jimmy Collins
Joe Cronin
Bobby Doerr
Jimmie Foxx
Curt Gowdy (broadcaster)
Lefty Grove
Harry Hooper
Rick Ferrell
Babe Ruth
Tris Speaker
Ted Williams
Carl Yastrzemski
Tom Yawkey (longtime owner)
Cy Young
Inductees
1995
Tony Conigliaro
Joe Cronin (1956 NBHOF)
Dom DiMaggio
Bobby Doerr (1986 NBHOF)
Jean R. Yawkey (front office)
Frank Malzone
Johnny Pesky
Jim Rice
Babe Ruth (1936 NBHOF)
Ted Williams (1966 NBHOF)
Smoky Joe Wood
Carl Yastrzemski (1989 NBHOF)
1997
Carlton Fisk (2000 NBHOF)
Jimmie Foxx (1951 NBHOF)
Harry Hooper (1971 NBHOF)
Dick O'Connell (front office)
Mel Parnell
Rico Petrocelli
Dick Radatz
Luis Tiant
Cy Young (1937 NBHOF)
2000
Ken Coleman (broadcaster)
Dwight Evans
Larry Gardner
Curt Gowdy
Jackie Jensen
Ned Martin (broadcaster)
Bill Monbouquette
Reggie Smith
Tris Speaker (1937 NBHOF)
Bob Stanley
2002
Rick Burleson
Boo Ferriss
Lou Gorman
John Harrington
Tex Hughson
Duffy Lewis
Jim Lonborg
Fred Lynn
2004
Wade Boggs (2005 NBHOF)
Bill Carrigan
Jimmy Collins (1945 NBHOF)
Dennis Eckersley (2004 NBHOF)
Billy Goodman
Bruce Hurst
Pete Runnels
Haywood Sullivan (front office)
Ben Mondor (Pawtucket Red Sox owner)
2006
Dick Bresciani (front office)
Ellis Kinder
Joe Morgan (manager)
Jerry Remy (player and broadcaster)
George Scott
Vern Stephens
Dick Williams (manager)
wil.
Player on that list that gets the least credit for having an excellent career
Dwight Evans ...
Dewey Evans was one of the best defensive right fielders of the modern era, winning eight Gold Glove Awards (1976,1978-79 & 1981-85) while playing in the tricky right field at Fenway Park. Evans also had a gun for a throwing arm, he combined accuaracy with range.
Few outfielders (if any) ever played right field any better for 18 years than Dwight Evans did for The Boston Red Sox.
Career Highlights:
American League pennant: 1975, 1986
All-Star (AL): 1978, 1981, 1987
Gold Glove Award (AL OF): 1976, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985
Silver Slugger Award (AL OF): 1981, 1987
1391 career bases on balls is 25th on all-time list
Led the American League in bases on balls (85, 114, 106) in 1981, 1985 and 1987
Co-led the American League in home runs (22) in 1981
Led the American League in on base percentage (.402) in 1982
Led the American League in runs (121) in 1984
I know he will never make it to the Baseball HOF but he was one hell of a player for a long time.
wil..
Dwight Evans ...
Dewey Evans was one of the best defensive right fielders of the modern era, winning eight Gold Glove Awards (1976,1978-79 & 1981-85) while playing in the tricky right field at Fenway Park. Evans also had a gun for a throwing arm, he combined accuaracy with range.
Few outfielders (if any) ever played right field any better for 18 years than Dwight Evans did for The Boston Red Sox.
Career Highlights:
American League pennant: 1975, 1986
All-Star (AL): 1978, 1981, 1987
Gold Glove Award (AL OF): 1976, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985
Silver Slugger Award (AL OF): 1981, 1987
1391 career bases on balls is 25th on all-time list
Led the American League in bases on balls (85, 114, 106) in 1981, 1985 and 1987
Co-led the American League in home runs (22) in 1981
Led the American League in on base percentage (.402) in 1982
Led the American League in runs (121) in 1984
I know he will never make it to the Baseball HOF but he was one hell of a player for a long time.
wil..
CAN WE FINALLY END THIS JIM RICE FOR THE HALL OF FAME.I WAS A HUGE RED SOX FAN BACK WHEN RICE WAS PLAYING AND THE KNOCK ON HIM WAS ALWAYS HE COULDNT HIT IN THE CLUTCH.FROM THE 7TH INNING ON THIS GUY WAS THE BIGGEST CHOKER IN RED SOX HISTORY THIS IS WHY HE ISNT AND NEVER SHOULD BE IN THE HALL OF FAME UNLESS HE IS APPLYING FOR THE CUSTODIENS JOB.JIM RICE WAS A GREAT HITTER FOR THE FIRST 6 INNINGS WHEN THE GAME WAS ON THE LINE JIM RICE WAS PROBABLY BATTING 199.
JIM RICE NEVER HAD THE NUMBERS FOR THE HALL OF FAME END OF STORY
JIM RICE NEVER HAD THE NUMBERS FOR THE HALL OF FAME END OF STORY
here is his hall of fame acceptance speech....
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