Veterans Committee finally elects someone... Joe Gordon

digicat

The pre 1943 committee voted Joe Gordon into the Hall of Fame... but the post 1942 committee elected NO ONE.

Post 1942 results: (48 votes needed for election)
Ron Santo: 39 votes, 60.9%
Jim Kaat: 38, 59.4%
Tony Oliva: 33, 51.6%
Gil Hodges: 28, 43.8%
Joe Torre: 19, 29.7%
Maury Wills: 15, 23.4%
Luis Tiant: 13, 20.3%
Vada Pinson: 12, 18.8%
Al Oliver: 9, 14.1%
Dick Allen: 7, 10.9%


Pre 1943 results: (9 votes needed for election)
Joe Gordon: 10 votes
Allie Reynolds: 8
Wes Ferrell: 6
Mickey Vernon: 5
Deacon White: 5
Bucky Walters: 4
Sherry Magee: 3
Bill Dahlen: < 3
Carl Mays: < 3
Vern Stephens: < 3



That's a pretty spectacular move for Gordon, who's previous showings in the Veterans Committee voting were as follows (75% needed for election):
2007 = 10 votes (12.2%)
2005 = 14 votes (17.5%)
2001 = 19 votes (23.5%)

I guss the 10 guys who voted for him in 2007 were on the 12 man committee this year.

Morgoth

That earns the old WTF, seriously Joe Gordon was a good player and more valuable than he is credited with but I don't think after all this time he gets in over Santo.

IchiroDeported

lame.

rube26105

fame -" im gonna live forever "-
oh im back now
damn aliens
santo & katt are getting close
------------------------------------------------------------
fire - to begin with the dance of the dead- blackened is the end
master, master of puppets-that would be jim henson

IchiroDeported

Rube you are a singing star.

baseballfan

<< <i>That earns the old WTF, seriously Joe Gordon was a good player and more valuable than he is credited with but I don't think after all this time he gets in over Santo. >>



i agree how does santo not get in again with the others that have recently got in (maz-rizzuto ect..) the unfortunate thing is that he'll probably get in but he will have passed away before he does. i also think hodges should get in. i don't like when a player dies while waiting for an honor like this, i hope it doesn't happen to santo. what more does torre have to do win with the dodgers also? now i have to go look at gordon's numbers

RonBurgundy

LOL that Allie Reynolds almost made it. Good pitcher and all, but come on now.



RB

rube26105

< i don't like when a player dies while waiting for an honor like this>
me either fred, i think it sux, bunning and maz got in, mediocre players at best

<Rube you are a singing star.>
i know
i do mob weddings and parties for 10 grand a pop + free bar

stevek

I thought Torre would get in considering his successful manager career - he will get in eventually.

BunchOBull

Torre will get in as a manager that's for sure, but that'll be awhile.

Alfonz24

<< <i>That earns the old WTF, seriously Joe Gordon was a good player and more valuable than he is credited with but I don't think after all this time he gets in over Santo. >>



Those were two different committees.

paleocards

Back in July 2004 I bought these two autos thinking that they both had a good shot of election to the HOF by the Veterans Committee. I thought that Santo would get in this year with the re-constituted committee but that makes it three votes in a row that he's been denied. I'd like to see him elected while he's still alive...

digicat

With the new Committee make up of 64 voters, it actually looks like the possibility of election for some of the post-war guys has decreased.

Each of the 10 candidates recieved a smaller percentage of the vote vs the 2006 election, except for Luis Tiant, who came up 2% from 18.3% in 2006 to 20.3% in 2008.


Ron Santo: 60.9% (-8.6%)
Jim Kaat: 59.4% (-4%)
Tony Oliva: 51.6% (-5.7%)
Gil Hodges: 43.8% (-17.2%)
Joe Torre: 29.7% (-2%)
Maury Wills: 23.4% (-16.8%)
Luis Tiant: 20.3% (+2%)
Vada Pinson: 18.8% (-0.7%)
Al Oliver: 14.1% (-3%)
Dick Allen: 10.9% (-2.5%)

leathtech

The HOF Veterans Committee is a joke how would some of these morons feel if they were just on the outside looking in... I truly feel bad for Ron Santo

WinPitcher

Joe who?


Santo and Kaat should be getting in soon.

Did these 2 guys at least see the votes go up?

Steve

milbroco

His election fits the criteria for players to be elected to the Hall. He was a decent player and he played for the Yankees. Anyone who plays for the Yankees eventually gets in.

digicat

<< <i>Santo and Kaat should be getting in soon.

Did these 2 guys at least see the votes go up?

Steve >>



Nope. Both lost votes.

leathtech

I don't understand how these votes work - it's not like anyones stats are going to improve the longer they wait... It's sad that some of these players will be dead by the time the Veterans Committee votes them in.

mmsportscards

paleo-love the cards


Santo has my vote!! What more could you ask for?

digicat

<< <i>I don't understand how these votes work - it's not like anyones stats are going to improve the longer they wait... It's sad that some of these players will be dead by the time the Veterans Committee votes them in. >>



Basically, the Veterans Committee's job is to vote on folks that the Writers missed. I guess the Veterans Committee sits around and argues about the merits of various players, and then they vote. While I like the idea of Hall of Fame players getting to vote on who joins their ranks, it seems that their minds are made up and none of these guys are going to get in.

rube26105

<Anyone who plays for the Yankees eventually gets in.>

Ladder7

His 25 home runs as a rookie set an AL record for second basemen which stood until 2006.

He ranked sixth in major league history in double plays (1,160) upon retiring, and was sixth in AL history in games (1,519), putouts (3,600), assists (4,706) and total chances (8,566) and seventh in fielding percentage.

Joe hit 20 or more home runs seven times in his 11-year career, which was interrupted by Army service in World War II.

9x All-Star selection

5x World Series champion

1942 AL MVP

All this, in spite of playing in parks that weren't right-hander friendly.
Heck, He's Flash Gordon. How can he not get in. My question is, How long before Paul O'neill gets the nod?

WTG Joe

Estil

I still say Jim Kaat is the most deserving. He was greatest fielding pitcher (sixteen consecutive Gold Gloves) and has FAR more respectible career stats (283 wins, 3.54 ERA) than the greatest fielding 2B/SS of all time (Mazeroski/Ozzie) who are in the HOF.

Let's now hope and pray Mr. Blyleven (along with Mr. Henderson) finally becomes a HOF-Elect in January.

rube26105

if rickey dont get it, he'll just run by real fast and steal it he'll get it this timetoo, katt serves it too, mosre that alot of guy opn list,m or thats in the hall for that matter

Dboneesq

I'm not only disappointed that Gil Hodges did not get in (yes, Santo and Kaat and others deserve it as well), but look how much his %-age dropped! Does not bode well for the future. THAT SUCKS!

Stay Healthy!

Doug

Blackborder

I would have liked to seen Gil get in as well.

Ironmanfan

<< <i>The HOF Veterans Committee is a joke how would some of these morons feel if they were just on the outside looking in... I truly feel bad for Ron Santo >>



Does anyone realize that just maybe Ron Santo doesn't belong in the Hall? When he first became eligible, he didn't garner enough interest to be on at least 5% of the ballots and became ineligible...Keep in mind that the writers who were voting then were the ones who had followed his career and watched him play in person (and 95% plus of those writers voted NO)....Did he get that much better in 30 years? I think not.....

It doesn't mean Santo wasn't "good," he's just not HOF material & its a shame that his and Gil Hodges name gets drug up this time of year, expecting something they are not deservent of.

Salinas

<< <i>Does anyone realize that just maybe Ron Santo doesn't belong in the Hall? >>



I have to agree. Just because he is being considered does not mean he is Hall-of-Fame worthy. True, other players should or should not be in the Hall, but that does not mean because we let in a Tony Perez or the famed trio of Tinker-Evans-Chance (at least Chance could hit), we should let others in. This is a slippery slope. Kaat could field, but the guy was never dominant. Did not win 300 games. Nor the Cy Young. If we let him in, then we HAVE to let in Blyleven and Tommy John and maybe even think about Mussina (with his 270 wins but great consistency!). Hodges was not even close to the best player on his team. Santo, well, Bill James does consider him a top 100 player of all time, but I still am not sold on Santo. Close, but for those who saw him play, was he a great player among his peers (Aaron, Mays, Clemente, Killebrew, Mantle, Kaline, etc.).

And please understand that I am not saying he should not be considered, but I am still old-school. You should have to be the elite of the elite to be in the Hall. This is not the Football Hall of Fame we are discussing after all.

IchiroDeported

"If we let him in, then we HAVE to let in Blyleven and Tommy John and maybe even think about Mussina "

well DUH. Blyleven should already be in the HOF, thats a no brainer, Mussina will be a tougher case, take a minute and look at Bert B. career numbers. He dwarfs a number of pitchers already in the HOF in K's, CG's and Shutouts

Salinas

I do not think it is a no brainer. Otherwise, he would be in already. Blyleven is a close call, but I do think Blyleven should be in. But after him, the talk turns to if we let in Blyleven, we have to let in others with similar numbers. And before long, we get into that slippery slope of letting in Mike Witt or Javier Vaquez because they had a stellar year (names I just threw out there to show that we need to have a bright line where only the elite of the elite are in).

IchiroDeported

i dont think its a close call at all for Blylevn. if he played for the yankees im sure he would be in.

leathtech

I think we have to look at what the HOF is about... does it celebrate greatness or is it just a place that celebrates careers in baseball. There are several examples of people currently in the HOF that were not superstars or have similar stats equal to people not currently in the Hall. Since there is no universal answer I personally feel the hall should not be this exclusive. Deserving players that had good careers and were loved by fans should be allowed in.

Players like Santo, Dawson, Kaat, Blylevn, Hodges, Mattingly, and Grace all deserve a spot in the Hall of Fame.