Well, with Teddy Ballgame’s write-up on Greg Vaughn earlier today, we’ve concluded HOF ’09, our series of profiles of this year’s candidates for the Hall of Fame. It’s been fun and I think we’ve even learned a bit along the way.
As for me, it was an interesting group of players to profile for a couple reasons. A big one was that most of these players were big stars while I was a teenager and young adult when I was forming my serious interest in baseball. Dave Parker, Jim Rice, Tim Raines, Andre Dawson… I have fond memories. Not to mention that some of these players played in the era when the Chicago Cubs finally became a post season threat (I can still remember the ’84 series against the Padres… ugh).
Also, these players came from a time when baseball had more of a balance of power, speed, and pitching. Appropriately enough, that is reflected in the 2009 Hall of Fame ballot. With the speed of Henderson and Raines, the power of McGwire and Rice and the pitching of David Cone, Bert Blyleven and Tommy John, this class is well represented.
Who will get elected? Well, we put our opinions down who we think SHOULD get the call but as to who WILL get elected is another matter. The BBWAA has been rather stingy lately and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s very possible that just one (Rickey Henderson??) will get elected and others will have to wait.
Time is running out for some, though. The midnight hour is chiming for Jim Rice as it’s his last ballot. There are some (myself included) who feel that his career and contribution is worthy of the Hall.
We’ll find out tomorrow and the chips will fall where they may. No doubt, many bloggers and pundits will be unhappy no matter how it goes. I’ll predict at least one writer will have his credentials questioned and will be asked to step down from the BBWAA. Unfortunately, THAT is the safest prediction I make right now.
All that said, here are the opinions we’ve made in the last month. Links go to our profiles on the players.
Thanks for reading!
| Hall of Fame | Hall of Very Good | Why is he even on the Ballot? | |
| Harold Baines |  |
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| Jay Bell | |
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| Bert Blyleven |  |
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| David Cone | |
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| Andre Dawson | |
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| Ron Gant | |
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| Mark Grace | |
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| Rickey Henderson | |
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| Tommy John | |
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| Don Mattingly | |
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| Mark McGwire | |
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| Jack Morris | |
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| Dale Murphy | |
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| Jesse Orosco | |
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| Dan Plesac | |
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| Tim Raines | |
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| Jim Rice | |
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| Alan Trammell | |
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| Greg Vaughn | |
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Acknowledgements
Thanks to Teddy Ballgame and DonS for their help with his project.
Also, a lot of research went in to this. I’d like to give props to the websites that were helpful.
Baseball Reference: I can’t say enough about this web site. If there are baseball fans out there who haven’t seen this site and what it can do, you need to check it out.
Baseball Page: Very helpful for bios and such.
Baseball Musings’ Day by Day Database: Good for finding stats between established periods of time (and lots of other stuff).
Baseball Almanac: another good bio site. Good for the quotes too :)
When I first saw the name Greg Vaughn listed among the other Hall of Fame eligible players, I thought, what the f***?!?! But then, believe it or not, he had some pretty impressive numbers. It’s kind of like getting set up on a blind date with somebody’s cousin, who has a wonderful personality, and you find out, she ain’t half bad.