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I'm kinda happy Jeter didn't get unanimous. I prefer Mo has the distinction.

I prefer Mo has the distinction of being the first, but I was hoping it would be an end to all this nonsense around unanimous first ballot HOFers.

If Ruth, Mantle, Gehrig, and more recently Jr weren't unanimous, no one should be.

So because sportwriters were dumb once upon a time they now have to continue to be dumb in the name of tradition? All of those guys absolutely deserved to be unanimous, as well as I'm sure at least a dozen others. That doesn't mean we should keep not voting for people in their first year just to keep them from being unanimous too. When someone who is as surefire of a first ballot hall of famer as Jeter (or plenty of others) comes along, the only reason I could see for not voting for them would be if there were actually 10 other players who the voter also felt deserved to be in but were much more marginal cases.
 
I prefer Mo has the distinction of being the first, but I was hoping it would be an end to all this nonsense around unanimous first ballot HOFers.



So because sportwriters were dumb once upon a time they now have to continue to be dumb in the name of tradition? All of those guys absolutely deserved to be unanimous, as well as I'm sure at least a dozen others. That doesn't mean we should keep not voting for people in their first year just to keep them from being unanimous too. When someone who is as surefire of a first ballot hall of famer as Jeter (or plenty of others) comes along, the only reason I could see for not voting for them would be if there were actually 10 other players who the voter also felt deserved to be in but were much more marginal cases.

I'd agree with you in a perfect world. Sports writers are still dumb, and will continue to be though. They'll find petty reasons not to vote for all kinds of guys.
 
I'm not saying Mo was the only one in history deserving a unanimous vote. I just love Mo a little smidge more than Jete. But I'm not talking from a rational perspective and if it were up to me Donnie Baseball would be unanimous by every sports writer ever. And his stache would have its own plaque.
 
The Hall of Fame jumped the shark letting Baines and Mussina in. Walker is just another borderline guy who got in because NO STEROIDZ.

Curt Schilling the person is a stain in my undies after a Saturday night stout share, but he was a ridiculously good postseason pitcher. He'll get in next year and oh boy will the sportswriter bum hurt be glorious.
 
When someone who is as surefire of a first ballot hall of famer as Jeter (or plenty of others) comes along, the only reason I could see for not voting for them would be if there were actually 10 other players who the voter also felt deserved to be in but were much more marginal cases.

Player One: 20 seasons, 2711 G, 11056 AB, 1914 R, 4883 TB, 3436 H (538 2B, 66 3B, 259 HR), 1293 RBI, 1076 BB, 1822 K, .379 OBP, .442 SLG, 356 SB
Player Two: 20 seasons, 2850 G, 10876 AB, 1844 R, 4711 TB, 3060 H (668 2B, 55 3B, 291 HR), 1175 RBI, 1160 BB, 1753 K, .363 OBP, .433 SLG, 414 SB

Baseball-Reference, if you pull up Jeter (Player One, duh), lists Player Two as his most similar comparison. Player Two has no rings, didn't play in NY, and was therefore only voted into the Hall of Fame with 82.7% on his 3rd year of eligibility.

I'm not saying Jeter didn't deserve a crazy high vote, as he was one of the all-time greats for sure. But I am saying that Craig Biggio should have been a first-balloter. The Hall of Fame voters are dumb.
 
I've thought that Walker should have been elected years ago.

I think he waited a while is because he played pre-humidor. Oh, and because a lot of voters are dumb.
Agreed, and Walker's road splits were pretty goddamn good too.





I love that we have so many advanced stats these days to help evaluate. If Walker were on the ballot a decade earlier he doesn't get in, which is wrong.
 
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