Comments on: Odds and Ends: Dykstra, Lowry, Howard

By: James Kay

James Kay — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 04:34:43 +0000

Hitler hit .330? He would probably be a fielding liability while positioned at second base and hit more like .250 with a hand full of surprise homers. I could envision him as a Gene Mauch type of scrappy player willing to do anything to win. The moustache would work well in advertising endorsements.

People who never saw Rose play in person really should not try to judge him for HOF induction. He played the game with a superlative level of focused intensity and a blind spirit to win that could only be fully appreciated if you were there at the park to experience it. I have never seen players on the field show more respect for another player than Rose. Pete is an irrepressible winner who belongs in Hall.

Being kicked out of the HOF is a little like being kicked out of Heaven. It just can’t happen.

By: WFC010

WFC010 — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 01:31:25 +0000

I actually DO like the Veterans Committee, since it’s a great way for under-appreciated and overlooked greats to have another chance of making the Hall. Too often, it seems like a popularity contest when deciding who goes in, so a Veterans Committee IS needed to offer another viewpoint.

By: psujoe

psujoe — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:20:54 +0000

I don’t like the vertans committee one bit.

By: The Dipsy

The Dipsy — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:15:17 +0000

George. If a player can’t garner the requisite amount of votes during his term of eligibility, I can’t see why the veteran’s committee should be able to vote that player in.

The Dipsy

By: George

George — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:15:28 +0000

The HOF can’t be judged in retrospect. Eras were different, and different criteria applied during those eras. What was HOF then might not be now; what is HOF now, might not have been then. Who, really was better, Cy Young, who won 511 games, or Robin Roberts, who won fewer than 300?

Who should be pulled out? Not many people around now actually saw some of these players in action. Nellie Fox retired decades ago, and his prime came decades before that. Maybe his stats don’t look spectacular, but it was a different era with different standards, and, as has been argued so many times on this very site, stats don’t tell the whole story, anyhow.

By: shag beta sigma delta

shag beta sigma delta — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:42:10 +0000

Ok now it is time to excited just got my home opener tickets, right next to my Sunday Package seats, April can not get here soon enough. GO PHILLIES

By: Georgie

Georgie — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:53:07 +0000

Oh boy, Pete Rose and the Hall of fame, my dad and I have had this argument many times. Dad says yes, it’s over and done, and there’s guys in there who have done worse things. I have to agree with Dips on this one, you NEVER, EVER bet on your own sport. Rose knew what he was doing, isn’t there a sign in every MLB lockerroom concerning betting? The man played ball with everthing he had, and I doubt the ’80 team would have won the WS without him. BUT, he did the ONE thing you absolutely cannot do…

Dykstra, on the other hand, fried what little brain power he did have with steroids and who knows what else, he’s really pathetic at this point.

By: bfo_33

bfo_33 — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:56:46 +0000

Unless you are an offensive lineman, there is no excuse for anyone to be as fat as Fielder. Would I like to hit the drive through on the way home, then polish off a six pack – sure, but I know what I’d look like (unfortunately, from experience). I’m not saying he does either of those things, but he obviously has some bad habits that he cannot control. At some point, you have to grow up and take care of yourself.
I agree he’ll sign for the highest, and while Cecil played well late in life with a lot of extra pounds, at some point the knees or back are going to fall apart. Not a risk I’d take.
The Hall should be re-screened – break out wings of the very best (Cobbs, Williams, Ruth, Aaron, Mays, Schmidt, Ripken, Gwynn…), the hall of really good (such as Whitey and Rizzuto, Jim Rice, Gary Carter, Tony Perez,…), the PED era (anyone from 90 on),… Baseball never admits to past mistakes, so it will never happen.

By: Evan

Evan — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:42:53 +0000

Howard will sign for a lot in 2011, but I’m fairly certain that Fielder will be the highest paid FA first baseman (assuming Pujols signs the extension everyone expects him to sign). He is already just as good as Howard at the plate and he’s got more upside because he’s so young, plus he doesn’t have the drastic lefty/righty splits. If he doesn’t drop some of that poundage though he better sign to the AL cause he will be strictly DH material.

Seriously, if you make professional baseball money there’s no excuse to be that fat!

By: Chuck

Chuck — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:13:58 +0000

It seems like the standards for admission are somewhat “variable” There is no consistency, thus one can always make an agrument that this player or that player shouldn’t be in…that he doesn’t have the career to justify it.

By: The Dipsy

The Dipsy — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:01:17 +0000

I think that guys should be thrown out mainly beacuse they were not good enough to get in in the first place.

The Dipsy

By: Chuck

Chuck — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:45:19 +0000

So it comes back to the point that the Hall of Fame is really no more than a joke.

Yeah, maybe taking player out is a good idea….Your’e kicked out of school if you cheat or do drugs ….so why not the Hall??

By: The Dipsy

The Dipsy — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 02:19:09 +0000

I think that we should start taking players OUT of the Hall. If you look at the guys that were voted in and selected during the 40′s, its just ridiculous. Tinker, Evers & Chance are in for god’s sake. The Veteran’s Commitee shouldn’t even be allowed to exist anymore. Why would they put a player like Joe Gordon in? He had every chance to be voted in and wasn’t. Same with Richie I hate to say it. Nellie Fox? Lou Boudreau? All nice players but, damn.

The Dipsy

By: The Dipsy

The Dipsy — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 02:15:34 +0000

Well, I don’t know. If he merely “consorted” with gamblers, then he should be in. But if Jackson doesn’t go on the ballot with a lower threshold of wrongdoing than Pete, that doesn’t hold out much hope for Pete.

The Dipsy

By: psujoe

psujoe — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 02:15:19 +0000

I retract my statement, I just read the court transcript. WOW.

By: psujoe

psujoe — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 02:10:19 +0000

The Dipsy,

I don’t think Jackson is out of the hall because “he fixed” the WS. ISn’t he out because he consorted(is that a word) with those that conspired to fix the WS. No?

By: shag beta sigma delta

shag beta sigma delta — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 02:08:38 +0000

I think historians have generally thought the Shoeless Joe, did not participate in the fixing of the world series. He was an illiterate and did not know what he was involved in. And did not understand the statement he signed. His stats were on par with his stats for the year. He made no errors and those who saw the games did not ever think he was with the others that were fixing the games. I may be wrong, and but I have done a little research on the topic after seeing Eight Men Out. Mostly because the movie portrays Shoeless Joe and not really being involved and I did not believe it, I thought they were all in on it. And the little historical “proof” out there leads me to believe that the film portrayed it pretty accurately, so he should be in.

By: The Dipsy

The Dipsy — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 01:25:26 +0000

He helped FIX the World Series, Chuck. No prob, I guess.

The Dipsy

By: marty

marty — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 01:19:25 +0000

Don’t feel sorry for Dykstra. His story is not a fall but one of a lying, crooked con man who stole from others. He deserves all he gets.

By: Chuck

Chuck — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 01:18:22 +0000

What about Bonds, McGwire, A-Rod….any of the “steroid” guys??