2015 Baseball HOF ballot released

Allen didn't get along with the media in the early days in Philly, which probably had more to do with race than anything else. With Ali, Jim Brown and others, he was part of the first generation of outspoken black athletes, and old white writers didn't know how to handle it.

He also got into a famous fistfight with white teammate Frank Thomas that the writers painted as Allen's fault at the time, but in more recent re-tellings it's become clear that Thomas was largely in the wrong. Thomas hit Allen with a bat.

Later in his career, though, he lost interest in the game and played hard only when the urge struck him. He "retired" with 2 weeks left in the 1974 season and the White Sox in a pennant race.

Then he went back to the Phillies and threw a fit and threatened to retire again when they didn't put his buddy Tony Taylor on the postseason roster in 1976. However, several young players on that team — including Mike Schmidt — considered him a great mentor.

 

Eddie Murray's another guy who didn't get along with the writers, but it didn't affect his Hall of Fame chances. He took issue with a column written by Dick Young in 1979 (in which he wrote unflattering things about Murray's family in reference to his original contract negotiations with the Orioles). Murray basically shut it down with the media after that.

But he got to 3,000 hits and 500 home runs, so he skated into Cooperstown. (Many have noted, however, that Fred McGriff's career was very similar without the counting stats — but far better in some rate stats, such as on-base and slugging — and he's barely sniffed the Hall of Fame).

 

Interesting note on John Smoltz: he's the first pitcher to make the Hall of Fame who had Tommy John surgery. (Paul Molitor also had it, but he was obviously not a pitcher).

 

Paul Molitor was a cokehead, I wonder if Joe Williams voted for him.

 

Yes, but you can't compare the eras. Murray was leadiung the league with his 30+ HRs. McGriff was often not even among the top 5 1Bs.

 

You mean like when McGriff led his league in homers twice and finished in the Top 4 for seven straight years?

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mcgrifr01.shtml

Home Runs
1988 AL 34 (2nd)
1989 AL 36 (1st)
1990 AL 35 (4th)
1991 NL 31 (4th)
1992 NL 35 (1st)
1993 NL 37 (4th)
1994 NL 34 (4th)

Murray "led" his league in homers once, when he tied with 3 other guys in the 1981 strike year. It was the only time he finished higher than 4th.

Home Runs
1980 AL 32 (5th)
1981 AL 22 (1st)
1982 AL 32 (5th)
1983 AL 33 (4th)
1988 AL 28 (4th)

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/murraed02.shtml

 

For reference, what happens when you take both leagues into account?

 

Why yes, yes I did.
Not aware of recreational drugs enhancing athletic performances, with the possible exception of Dock Ellis' LSD.

 

The BBWAA will put out the ballots from those voters allowing it later today.

I'm sure no one will top this -- Lawrence Rocca went the Raines-Trammell ticket and no one else.

 

I apologize if someone else has already posted this...

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/h...uction-possibilities-for-the-next-five-years/

 

Bill James was on MLB Network this morning talking Hall of Fame. I guess I haven't seen him speak much, but I was really surprised at how stilted, shallow, awkward, and, frankly, bad that he was on TV.

 

A guy who devoted his life to the statistical analysis of baseball is awkward on TV? No WAY!