Gopher Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Took 14 years for him to get there... It's about time. I think the stat that really sticks in my mind is that he had 60 shutouts... more than Glavine and Maddux combined. Congratulations, Bert. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gopher Posted January 5, 2011 Author Share Posted January 5, 2011 287 wins 3701 K's (5th all-time) 242 complete games 60 shutouts (9th all-time) 4970 innings pitched 3.31 career ERA 1.19 career WHIP 5-1 in post-season play 2.47 post-season ERA 2 WS rings Not to mention, one of the best curve balls the game has ever seen. Why it took 14 years for this to happen, I have no idea. Considering all of the (mostly) crappy teams this guy played on, he should have been voted in 10 years ago. Robbie Alomar was the only other player voted in this year, meaning the following will have to wait until next year: The Hall doors stayed shut for several veterans of this process, including Jack Morris, Dale Murphy, Don Mattingly, Alan Trammell and Lee Smith. The was Dave Parker’s 15th and final chance to be elected by the writers; his future Hall of Fame chances will rest with the veterans committee. An impressive group of relative newcomers missed out this year, led by Tim Raines, Jeff Bagwell, Barry Larkin, Larry Walker. All of those players have at least a decent chance of eventually being elected to the Hall. LINK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Dick Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Not to mention, one of the best curve balls the game has ever seen. Why it took 14 years for this to happen, I have no idea. LINK I read a story about him by Tom Verducci which detailed some of his personality traits. I'm guessing some of this may have been the reason. He's deserving though for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gopher Posted January 5, 2011 Author Share Posted January 5, 2011 I read a story about him by Tom Verducci which detailed some of his personality traits. I'm guessing some of this may have been the reason. He's deserving though for sure. Yeah, he's an interesting character, no doubt. I think he's mellowed out quite a bit, since moving into the broadcast booth, though. Probably realizes what an idiot he appeared to be, in some of those instances. Speaking strictly about longevity and career numbers, he's a no-brainer for the HOF. From a post I made in 2008, pleading Bert's case: 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. I'm as big of a Jack Morris fan as there is (at least in terms of people not from Detroit), but the numbers don't lie. Morris might be the better choice for a single game (after all, he pretty much single-handedly won Game 7 for MIN in 1991), but Blyleven's career numbers (ERA and WHIP included) blow Morris away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Dick Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Yeah, he's an interesting character, no doubt. I think he's mellowed out quite a bit, since moving into the broadcast booth, though. Probably realizes what an idiot he appeared to be, in some of those instances. Speaking strictly about longevity and career numbers, he's a no-brainer for the HOF. From a post I made in 2008, pleading Bert's case: I'm as big of a Jack Morris fan as there is (at least in terms of people not from Detroit), but the numbers don't lie. Morris might be the better choice for a single game (after all, he pretty much single-handedly won Game 7 for MIN in 1991), but Blyleven's career numbers (ERA and WHIP included) blow Morris away. Agree completely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddahj Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 It's about time. Congrats Bert . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby's Hubby Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Yay! I would like to hear his speech. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby's Hubby Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 of those listed I would say maybe Larkin, but that is only b/c of his position, durability, world series and MVP, not to mention he played for only the Reds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isleseeya Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Very Happy for Bert ..one of the nastiest curve balls in Baseball history Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAYER Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Congrats Bert It's about time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Twins fans watching on TV get to hear him as one half of the best baseball announcing pair IMO there is, along with Dick Bremer. Totally different men, they are absolute magic in the booth. If ever a HoF elevation was deserved, this is it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Like Soup Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Yeah, he's an interesting character, no doubt. I think he's mellowed out quite a bit, since moving into the broadcast booth, though. Probably realizes what an idiot he appeared to be, in some of those instances. Speaking strictly about longevity and career numbers, he's a no-brainer for the HOF. From a post I made in 2008, pleading Bert's case: I'm as big of a Jack Morris fan as there is (at least in terms of people not from Detroit), but the numbers don't lie. Morris might be the better choice for a single game (after all, he pretty much single-handedly won Game 7 for MIN in 1991), but Blyleven's career numbers (ERA and WHIP included) blow Morris away. No doubt Bert should have been voted in years ago, just ridiculous. If it were up to me, Jack Morris wouldn't get in. The Hall of Fame isn't the Hall of Very Good...of course, I think it is already watered down to an extent from what I think it was originally intended for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gopher Posted January 6, 2011 Author Share Posted January 6, 2011 No doubt Bert should have been voted in years ago, just ridiculous. If it were up to me, Jack Morris wouldn't get in. The Hall of Fame isn't the Hall of Very Good...of course, I think it is already watered down to an extent from what I think it was originally intended for. That's what makes watching who gets in, and who doesn't, so interesting and frustrating at the same time. Each writer seems to have their own criteria, in terms of what it takes to be in the HOF, and there's no set list of requirements/criteria. How they compared to their peers (players at their position, during that same time-frame) is a big part of it, but where does everything else fit in? All-star appearances, gold gloves, post-season appearances, post-season numbers, how long they played... all of those things play a part, as well as their career numbers, obviously. Not to mention, off-the-field events sometimes play a part as well. LIke I said, Bert probably wasn't any/much better than Morris was, at any given time. But, I do think longevity should also play a role in who gets in. Somebody who can compete, at a fairly high level, for 20+ years should receive more consideration than someone that did so for 10-12 years, or even 15. That's what makes players like Terrell Davis (for the Broncos) an interesting HOF candidate to discuss/debate... He didn't have a very long career, but he was the best in the league for a short stretch. In my opinion, that's not always enough, but it's a tough call. My favorite player of all-time (Puckett) had his career shortened significantly by health issues, but still got in. He was at the top of the game, in terms of offensive and defensive statistics, for a few years. If his career was what it was, without the health issues, I'm not sure he would have gotten in (at least not as quickly). Don Mattingly is an example of someone who also had a shorter (relatively speaking) career. Mattingly also had some health issues that contributed to his retirement, but since his health issues maybe weren't as "tragic" or abrupt as Puckett's, he's having a tougher time getting in (so far). Back to Blyleven and Morris... While Morris may have been more of the "bulldog" type of pitcher that could get the job done, in a one-game situation, Blyleven did have the better ERA and WHIP (so his numbers being superior wasn't just because of how long he played). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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