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December 24, 2003Hall of Fame voting's easier said than doneByRecord-Eagle staff writer It was a lot easier making my baseball Hall of Fame selections when it didn't really matter what I thought. I could look at the ballot and with minutes tell you who deserved to be in, who should be left out and why. Then, it all became real. After 10 years as a member of the Baseball Writers Association of America, a ballot arrived in my mailbox earlier this month, and suddenly, those "easy" decisions weren't so easy after all. This is the biggest professional honor I have ever received, and with it comes a huge responsibility that has made for an excruciating past few weeks. Induction into the Hall of Fame can change a man's life, both in fame and fortune. Voters are given a list of 32 names and are allowed to select as many as 10. Players must be named on at least 75 percent of the ballots submitted in order to be inducted. Ballots are due Dec. 31. Results will be announced on Jan. 6. Who belongs? Who falls short? These seven players received my vote: PAUL MOLITOR: A slam dunk, not just because he amassed 3,319 hits, but because he was smart, well-respected, a great base runner and had one of the most beautiful swings in the game. Forget that he was primarily a designated hitter late in his career, Molitor played six different positions during his 21 seasons and he played them all well. DENNIS ECKERSLEY: Another easy pick. For 12 seasons he was a solid starting pitcher - he even tossed a no-hitter - then became arguably the greatest closer of all time. He was the American League MVP and Cy Young Award winner in 1992, when he had more saves (48) than baserunners allowed (45). Eckersley finished among the top six in MVP voting three more times and among the top seven in Cy Young voting five more times. ANDRE DAWSON: In 21 seasons, Dawson racked up 438 home runs, 1,591 RBIs and 2,774 hits, and he was an exceptional outfielder, winning eight Gold Gloves - all on bad knees that ultimately ended his career. Dawson could have padded his offensive numbers by becoming a DH for a couple of seasons, but he chose not to. ALAN TRAMMELL: Don't laugh and don't say I'm prejudiced because he played for the Tigers. Some well-respected baseball historians make a strong case that Trammell was not only a better all-around shortstop that Ozzie Smith, who was a first-ballot selection in 2002, but he may even be among the top-10 all-around shortstops ever. I know it sounds hard to believe, but the numbers don't lie. There's no question that Smith was a better defensive shortstop - he had incredible range and won 13 Gold Gloves. But Trammell's defensive numbers closely match those of five post-World War II shortstops who are already in the Hall - Lou Boudreau, Phil Rizzuto, Ernie Banks, Luis Aparicio and Robin Yount. Plus he won four Gold Gloves, was the 1984 World Series MVP and finished among the top 10 in MVP voting three times. Smith? He cracked the top 10 once. Trammell's offensive numbers far outweigh Smith's while matching - or exceeding - the average of the post-WWII group. Trammell batted .285 with 185 homers, 412 doubles, 2,365 hits and 1,003 RBIs. Smith batted .262 with 28 homers, 402 doubles, 2,460 hits and 793 RBIs - in 280 more games than Trammell. The Post WWII group averaged .276 with 180 homers, 390 doubles, 2,323 hits and 1,012 RBIs in an average of 50 fewer games than Trammell. And that includes Banks' numbers at other positions (his numbers are lower at shortstop). Shake your head if you like, but Trammell deserves a spot. RYNE SANDBERG: Sandberg spent 16 seasons with the Cubs and dominated his position throughout the 1980s and early '90s. He won Gold Gloves in nine consecutive seasons (1983-91) and holds the major league record for consecutive errorless games by a second baseman (123). Sandberg had a career average of .285 with 282 homers and 1,061 RBIs, and he swiped 344 bases, an average of 20-plus. He was also a 10-time All-Star and won the 1984 N.L. MVP award. If Bill Mazeroski is a Hall of Famer, Sandberg's a shoe-in. JACK MORRIS: Another selection that may seem biased, but it's not. In fact, I despised Morris for years for shopping himself to the highest bidder for what seemed like season after season. He was also a jerk to the media. If I voted with my heart, I wouldn't look twice at Morris' name. But I like him for one reason: He was a winner. True, Morris walked too many batters, won "only" 254 games and his ERA of 3.90 would be the highest of any pitcher in the Hall of Fame, but he flat-out got it done on the mound. He was the No. 1 guy, the ace - the pitcher who took the ball with the season on the line and performed like his life depended on it. During the 14-year period from 1979-92, Morris was the dominant pitcher in the American League, winning 233 games. The next closest during that time? Dave Steib with 192 wins - or 41 less than Morris. That's like spotting the rest of the league two full seasons. Morris was MVP of the 1991 World Series, when he tossed 10 shutout innings for the Twins while winning Game 7. He also started three All-Star games and pitched a no-hitter during the Tigers' record-setting 35-5 start in 1984. GOOSE GOSSAGE: There are only two pitchers in the Hall of Fame who were primarily relievers during their careers - Hoyt Wilhelm and Rollie Fingers. Eckersley should be the third, but there is also a deserving fourth... and I don't think it's Bruce Sutter. Sutter is a popular choice. He had 300 career saves and is responsible for the split-finger fastball. But after close inspection, Sutter's career numbers aren't much better than those of the late Dan Quisenberry. So why did Quisenberry receive less than five percent of the vote - and lose his spot on the ballot - in his first year of eligibility while Sutter received 53.6 percent last year? Maybe it's the difference in media exposure and popularity of the teams they played for. Sutter pitched for three of the National League's most closely-watched teams - the Cubs, Cardinals and Braves, while Quiz toiled for the A.L.'s Kansas City Royals for most of his career. Which makes me wonder why a certain former New York Yankees reliever hasn't made it yet. Goose Gossage was the true dominant stopper of the mid-1970s and early '80s, leading the league in saves three times, finishing among the top six in Cy Young voting four times and earning 310 saves in 15 seasons after he started his last game in 1976. For years, like clockwork, the intimidating Gossage stomped out of the bullpen and blew away the opposition. And he never seemed to break down, despite being a power pitcher. NEAR MISSES: Bert Blyleven, Jim Rice, Sutter, Lee Smith and Tommy John. TEN WHO SHOULDN'T BE ON THE BALLOT (and probably won't be after this year): Danny Darwin, Doug Drabek, Jim Eisenreich, Cecil Fielder, Jimmy Key, Kevin Mitchell, Randy Myers, Terry Pendleton, Juan Samuel and Bob Tewksbury.
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