Andre Dawson elected to Hall of Fame...

[posty]

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20...sp&c_id=mlb

 

Dawson earns long-awaited Hall call

 

NEW YORK -- Andre Dawson is this year's sole electee to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, it was announced on Wednesday.

 

Dawson, an outfielder, made it on his ninth try. Robby Alomar, Barry Larkin and Bert Blyleven didn't make the cut. The right-handed pitcher Blyleven was shut out on his 13th. Alomar, a second baseman, was among 13 players on the ballot for the first time. Larkin, a shortstop, was also a first-timer.

 

Dawson will be inducted on July 25 in Cooperstown, N.Y., along with manager Whitey Herzog and umpire Doug Harvey, who were elected in December by a Veterans Committee.

 

Players only have 15 years of eligibility on the ballots sent to eligible members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America each December. That's after a five-year waiting period upon retirement. It's the third time in the last five years that the BBWAA has elected only one player -- Bruce Sutter was chosen in 2006 and his fellow reliever Rich "Goose" Gossage followed him in '08.

 

Last year, Rickey Henderson, outfielder and lead-off hitter extraordinaire, was a first ballot electee with 94.8 percent of the vote. Jim Rice, an outfielder, who played his entire career for the Red Sox, was elected in his 15th and final year on the ballot, sneaking seven votes over the 75 percent threshold and garnering 76.4 percent.

 

Dawson had 438 homers and 1,591 RBIs for four teams. He played 21 seasons, his first 11 with the old Montreal Expos and his next six with the Cubs, but never was a member of a team that went to the World Series. Last year at this time he missed the cut with 67 percent of the vote.

 

Dawson could very well be the second player in history to don an Expos cap on his Hall of Fame plaque. Catcher Gary Carter was the first when he was elected in 2003. Carter, like Dawson, played his first 11 years of a 19-year career in Montreal before moving to New York where he played his next five years with the Mets.

 

The Expos moved to Washington in 2005, ending a 36-year stint in Montreal.

 

Alomar was a 12-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove second baseman, who batted .300 with 2,724 hits during a 17-year career for seven teams. He came up in San Diego with the Padres in 1988 and played three seasons there before being traded to the Blue Jays where he played another five, winning the World Series in 1992 and '93.

 

He's the son of former big-league infielder and coach Sandy Alomar Sr. His brother, Sandy Alomar Jr., is a six-time All-Star catcher, who returned to the Indians during the offseason as a coach.

 

The Alomar family hails from Salinas, Puerto Rico, near the southern coast of the island, and Roberto Alomar would've been the first native of that Commonwealth to be elected by the eligible members of the BBWAA since Roberto Clemente was enshrined in a special 1973 election that came just shortly after his death in a New Year's Eve plane crash.

 

He could also have been the first Blue Jay to go into the Hall wearing that team's cap if that's the way officials deem it. Since 2001, Hall officials make that call rather than the player.

 

Blyleven also missed the cut last year with 62.7 percent of the vote. He won 287 games and recorded 3,701 strikeouts (fifth highest all-time) for five big league teams in 22 seasons. He had two stints with the Twins, coming up in that organization where he played his first six seasons. Blyleven later returned for a little longer than three more. During that second stint, he was a member of Minnesota's 1987 World Series-winning team.

 

Larkin, another first timer on the ballot and likely electee, didn't make it this time around, although he was a distinct possibility. Like Alomar, he also was a 12-time All-Star, who played on the Reds' 1990 World Series-winning team. He batted .295 and had 2,340 hits. Comparatively on offense, Ozzie Smith, the last pure shortstop elected (on the first ballot in 2002), batted .267 with 2,460 hits in 19 seasons for the Padres and Cardinals. Smith got in so quickly because of his defensive ability.

 

Ripken Jr. was also an All-Star shortstop, but finished his career at third base.

 

A player has to garner at least 5 percent of the vote to be carried over from year to year. He has 15 years of eligibility on the BBWAA ballot, beginning five years after he retires. BBWAA members with at least 10 consecutive years of membership are eligible to vote. The last time the BBWAA failed to elect anybody was 1996.

[Chief Dick]

Blyleven deserves to be in there.

[HowboutthemCowboys]

Blyleven deserves to be in there.

If I heard it correcectly he missed out by .8 of a percentage point.

[THE SIX KINGS]

If I heard it correcectly he missed out by .8 of a percentage point.

 

5 votes

[isleseeya]

i agree on Byleven

 

sick curveball and of pitchers who are in top 10 in K's for a career i believe he is only one not in HOF

 

Randy Johnson on that list but he just retired and he will make it in for sure

 

Good for the Hawk in meantime ..Andre Dawson was very solid player for many years

[Gopher]

Here is part of what I had to say about the topic of Dawson and Blyleven not getting in two years ago:

 

I agree with your Blyleven comment (obviously, based on my earlier statments). If I'm not mistaken, I believe Dawson was one of only 3-4 players to hit 400+ homers and have 300+ steals. That, combined with the 8 GG's, should justify him being in, IMO. I get what you're saying about having only one truly "dominant" season, though. The one thing that is hard to keep in perspective, though, is that the definition of a dominant season power-wise has changed a lot in the last 20 years. Dawson's MVP season of 1987 (49 HR, 137 RBI) was one of the best individual season's of the entire 80's, not just that year. He hit 20+ homers 12 other times, and topped 30 three times. He played for 21 seasons total, Rice played 16. The defense and the 300 steals is what puts Dawson SLIGHTLY ahead of Rice in my mind.

 

Just to put some things in perspective regarding Blyleven... Comparing him to Jack Morris (another top starting pitcher on the list), Blyleven pitched 5 more seasons than Morris (23 - 18), pitched 1000 more innings (4970 - 3874), had over 1200 more strikeouts (3701 - 2478), over TWICE as many shutouts (60-28), and a significantly better ERA (3.31 - 3.90) and WHIP (1.19 - 1.29). Not saying anything against Morris, but Blyleven should have been in a long time ago, and it will be a shame if he gets left out.

 

Link to entire thread from January 2008

 

Bert's got two more chances, I believe... If he doesn't get in, it would be one of the greatest travesties in the history of all sports HOF's.

[buddahj]

congrats to "the hawk"

[muck]

Blyleven also lost 250 games (albeit he did play on some lousy teams, going 136-121 from 1970 to 1978 while sporting a 2.81 ERA over the entire period) and didn't get to 300 ...

 

PS - While they were both very very good players, I'm not sure that Dawson or Blyleven should have been elected to the HOF. I'm not sure that I would have cast a ballot for anyone on the ballot this year FWIW. IMO, Jim Rice is in this category, too. Would not have voted for him last year either.

[Gopher]

Blyleven also lost 250 games (albeit he did play on some lousy teams, going 136-121 from 1970 to 1978 while sporting a 2.81 ERA over the entire period) and didn't get to 300 ...

 

PS - While they were both very very good players, I'm not sure that Dawson or Blyleven should have been elected to the HOF. I'm not sure that I would have cast a ballot for anyone on the ballot this year FWIW. IMO, Jim Rice is in this category, too. Would not have voted for him last year either.

I hear what you're saying, but I think BB's number of losses is a direct derivative of the teams he played on. No matter how you cut it, the numbers I posted above (especially the 60 career shutouts) are hard to argue with... The only thing keeping him out of the HOF is the fact that he failed to reach 300 wins. In other words, his team(s) have kept him from getting in. If he had played for the Yankees, he would in theory have the same ERA, number of strikeouts, and shutouts. The difference is that, with a team like NY or LA, he would have won 350 games, and would be a shoe-in for the HOF.

[Cyclones]

Blyleven also lost 250 games (albeit he did play on some lousy teams, going 136-121 from 1970 to 1978 while sporting a 2.81 ERA over the entire period) and didn't get to 300 ...

 

PS - While they were both very very good players, I'm not sure that Dawson or Blyleven should have been elected to the HOF. I'm not sure that I would have cast a ballot for anyone on the ballot this year FWIW. IMO, Jim Rice is in this category, too. Would not have voted for him last year either.

 

Alomar should have gotten in too. I know it was close, but this practice of certain voters letting guys hang that are going to get in eventually anyway is stupid. Alomar is one of the top 4 second basemen of all time, period. To me, he was a no brainer.

[Ursa Majoris]

I hear what you're saying, but I think BB's number of losses is a direct derivative of the teams he played on. No matter how you cut it, the numbers I posted above (especially the 60 career shutouts) are hard to argue with... The only thing keeping him out of the HOF is the fact that he failed to reach 300 wins. In other words, his team(s) have kept him from getting in. If he had played for the Yankees, he would in theory have the same ERA, number of strikeouts, and shutouts. The difference is that, with a team like NY or LA, he would have won 350 games, and would be a shoe-in for the HOF.

Completely agree with this. I'd add that he had over 250 complete games too - good luck with finding anyone to do THAT ever again.

[buddahj]

i don't understand why the HOF voters think they are gods. it reminds me of a high school popularity contest @ best. they need to come up with a better way to vote in players.

[Shaman]

i don't understand why the HOF voters think they are gods. it reminds me of a high school popularity contest @ best. they need to come up with a better way to vote in players.

 

+1,000,000

[buddahj]

I thought the player got to choose the team (if they played for multiple teams) to enter the hall as. I guess I was wrong.

Linky

[keggerz]

I thought the player got to choose the team (if they played for multiple teams) to enter the hall as. I guess I was wrong.

Linky

i thought they were allowed to pick too...fwiw, I think he should have gone in as an Expo too, so I agree with what the HOF did.

[buddahj]

i thought they were allowed to pick too...fwiw, I think he should have gone in as an Expo too, so I agree with what the HOF did.

But do you think of the Expo's when you think of Andre Dawson? It's kind of like Gary Carter...does anyone really remember that he was an Expo, too.

[keggerz]

But do you think of the Expo's when you think of Andre Dawson? It's kind of like Gary Carter...does anyone really remember that he was an Expo, too.

actually, I do...for both :showingmyage:

[buddahj]

actually, I do...for both :showingmyage:

and Pete Rose?

[keggerz]

and Pete Rose?

he may have helped us win a WS but Rose is a Red