Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn were both elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday by huge majorities. Yes, you read that correctly - huge majorities. Which means that there were actually some schmucks who did NOT vote for their induction into the honored fraternity. This is amazing to me. It shouldn't surprise me because we all know that there's never been an unanimous pick for the Hall of Fame: not Ruth, not Mays, not Aaron. Now who in their right mind could think to themselves, "Willie Mays? No, he doesn't really belong in the Hall of Fame." Somebody did!
The easy solution is to make the votes a matter of public record - everyone's votes get printed. This will accomplish at least one of two things. First, it should embarrass any self-respecting sportswriter from making a fool of his or herself by not voting for a Willie Mays or a Cal Ripken Jr. or a Tony Gwynn. If it doesn't prevent that, then at least we'll know who, in essence, voted against them and immediately take away their voting privileges.
Aside from both of these player's Hall of Fame statistics is the fact that they were both two of the best ambassadors the game has ever had. In a time when sports superstars often show themselves to be self-absorbed, greedy, sometimes criminal, jerks along comes Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn to show you that there still are some guys who "get it." They understand that they were blessed with special talents. They understand they were, and are, able to make a hell of a good living because of these special gifts they have. They have both been active in the communities in which they played and have given back to the baseball community in both time and money. You'd be hard pressed to find two better role models for young athletes or young kids in general.
There are other reasons to be happy about this year's selection. In this steroid-crazed era in baseball history, neither player was known for his home run hitting. Yes, Ripken had 431 home runs but the truth is over 21 seasons he only hit 30 or more runs one time. In today's game, 30 home runs is an off-year for most sluggers. No, Ripken will always be remembered for his Iron Man reputation for having played in 2,632 consecutive games, obliterating the record of Lou Gehrig which stood for over 55 years before Cal came along. Ripken was consistent, responsible, reliable, hard-working - everything today's athlete seems NOT to be. Tony Gwynn was the closest thing baseball has come to a Ted Williams since, well, Ted Williams. In fact, Williams loved talking hitting with Gwynn. In 20 seasons, Tony Gwynn batted under .300 just one time. ONCE!!!! And that was his rookie year - he played in 54 games and batted .289. Remarkable.
And now the most remarkable statistic in the career of both of these gentlemen. They both played for one team in their entire 20 year careers. NO ONE does that anymore - no one. This Hall of Fame induction will mean more to the cities of Baltimore and San Diego than most baseball fans could ever imagine.
Living in Rochester, NY, I and my fellow Rochestarian baseball fans also feel as though we have a share in this election. Cal Ripken Jr. played his AAA ball for our Rochester Red Wings in the Summer of 1981. Those of us who saw him play back then knew he was a special ballplayer but I don't think any of us imagined that he would become such an iconic figure in the sport.
That's all the good stuff - now for the slightly more controversial. Is the Hall of Fame even
relevant? Many people argue this point. Pete Rose isn't in the Hall of Fame but there are people who think he should be. Last year, Bruce Sutter was inducted but Goose Gossage and Lee Smith are still not in. Mark McGwire only garnered about 23% of the vote today - is that just a slap on the hand to send a message or a signal to say that no players with a steroid suspicion hanging over their heads will make it? Bert Blyleven is ticked off he's not in the Hall and I'm ticked off that Jim Rice and Luis Tiant aren't there. Rice may make it next year but no one ever mentions Tiant and, in many ways, I think he was BETTER than Blyleven. Maybe none of it matters. Those of us who love baseball love to argue about its history and its players. As I just told my sons the other day, the reality is that it's foolish to even try to compare a ballplayer who played 70 years ago to one who plays today. The game, the equipment, everything has just changed too much and yet we do it all the time.
Just for the record, I don't mind Sutter being in but he shouldn't have gotten there before Gossage and Smith. As for McGwire - NO. He wasn't nearly as dominant before he looked like The Incredible Hulk as he was after that. Blyleven can go in but only if Jim Rice and Luis Tiant are there as well. And I definitely think Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame. In fact, I think he should be in the Hall with special consideration given to his plaque and it's placement. I think HIS plaque should be prominently hung in the Men's Urinal to reflect the honor he's brought to the game.
I've lost so much interest in sports over the past 20 years. There are still great moments, there are still great games, and, occasionally, there are some great ballplayers. But overall, none of it seems to be as much fun as it did once. There aren't just games any more - all sports are big business. Of course, many people will argue that it's always been this way and they're probably right. The games haven't changed - we have. I'm no longer a little kid who can believe that every ballplayer out on that field is just thrilled to be playing in the Major Leagues the way I want to someday. And still, every once-in-a-while a ballplayer comes along, a Tony Gwynn, a Cal Ripken Jr., and he's everything I'd like to believe I would have been had I been given the gifts.
Congratulations Cal, Congratulations Tony . . . and thanks.
