Joining a very exclusive club
Every sport has career milestones that are (or were) considered an "automatic" trip to the sport's Hall of Fame. In the National Hockey League it is scoring 500 goals in a career. 40 players who are no longer active and are HOF eligible have done so and 33 of them are in the HOF. Most fans of the NHL think the other seven were snubbed, for various reasons.
In the National Football League, for a running back, 10,000 career rushing yards is about the same, or is it? 29 men have achieved the feat but 7 of them are not yet eligible for the HOF. Of the remaining 22, 8 of them were not elected to the HOF. For NFL quarterbacks the career benchmark is 30,000 passing yards. 39 men reached that level. 11 of those are either still playing or not yet eligible for the HOF. Of the remaining 28, 14 are not in the HOF. Two of those who were snubbed are in the top ten all-time passing leaders, Drew Bledsoe and Vinny Testaverde.
In the National Basketball Association, that mark is scoring 20,000 points in a career. 40 players have done so. 11 of them are not yet HOF eligible. 28 of the remaining 29 are in the Hall of Fame. If I were a voter in the HOF balloting, I would certainly vote for that one excluded player, Tom Chambers.
In Major League Baseball, there are two different offensive benchmarks that are considered a lock for a trip to Cooperstown. 3,000 hits or 500 home runs. For pitchers, the benchmark is 300 career wins. David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox joined the 500 home run club. The question is, will there be a plaque for David Ortiz at Cooperstown? Perhaps not.
The main reason that 500 homers isn't a lock these days is the issue of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs). Sammy Sosa his 606 home runs and when you consider he couldn't get even 7% of the votes in the last balloting for the HOF (75% is required for induction), it won't happen for him. Barry Bonds won't be elected this year in spite of having hit 762 dingers because of the PED issue.
But the comparison I find most valid in the case of David Ortiz is with Gary Sheffield. Both are 9-time All-Star selections. Both have won at least 5 Silver Slugger awards. Both hit over 500 homers. By the time Ortiz retires, both will have over 2,400 hits. However, Sheffield got only 11% of the votes last year. He was named in the Mitchell Report, a list of players who reportedly engaged in using PEDs. Now let's make one thing clear. Taking PEDs was not a magic bullet that would ensure huge improvements in performance. Because a player named F. P. Santangelo was named in the Mitchell report and taking PEDs didn't help him at all.
David Ortiz was not named in that report. However, he did test positive for PED use in 2003. Will that kill his chance at the Hall of Fame? Stay tuned.
In the National Football League, for a running back, 10,000 career rushing yards is about the same, or is it? 29 men have achieved the feat but 7 of them are not yet eligible for the HOF. Of the remaining 22, 8 of them were not elected to the HOF. For NFL quarterbacks the career benchmark is 30,000 passing yards. 39 men reached that level. 11 of those are either still playing or not yet eligible for the HOF. Of the remaining 28, 14 are not in the HOF. Two of those who were snubbed are in the top ten all-time passing leaders, Drew Bledsoe and Vinny Testaverde.
In the National Basketball Association, that mark is scoring 20,000 points in a career. 40 players have done so. 11 of them are not yet HOF eligible. 28 of the remaining 29 are in the Hall of Fame. If I were a voter in the HOF balloting, I would certainly vote for that one excluded player, Tom Chambers.
In Major League Baseball, there are two different offensive benchmarks that are considered a lock for a trip to Cooperstown. 3,000 hits or 500 home runs. For pitchers, the benchmark is 300 career wins. David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox joined the 500 home run club. The question is, will there be a plaque for David Ortiz at Cooperstown? Perhaps not.
The main reason that 500 homers isn't a lock these days is the issue of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs). Sammy Sosa his 606 home runs and when you consider he couldn't get even 7% of the votes in the last balloting for the HOF (75% is required for induction), it won't happen for him. Barry Bonds won't be elected this year in spite of having hit 762 dingers because of the PED issue.
But the comparison I find most valid in the case of David Ortiz is with Gary Sheffield. Both are 9-time All-Star selections. Both have won at least 5 Silver Slugger awards. Both hit over 500 homers. By the time Ortiz retires, both will have over 2,400 hits. However, Sheffield got only 11% of the votes last year. He was named in the Mitchell Report, a list of players who reportedly engaged in using PEDs. Now let's make one thing clear. Taking PEDs was not a magic bullet that would ensure huge improvements in performance. Because a player named F. P. Santangelo was named in the Mitchell report and taking PEDs didn't help him at all.
David Ortiz was not named in that report. However, he did test positive for PED use in 2003. Will that kill his chance at the Hall of Fame? Stay tuned.
posted by me at 7:34 PM
<< Home