General Forum

Thurman Munson An AL MVP, arguably one of the top catchers during his playing era, at least top 3, Bench, Fisk. I can easily vote Munson in.

Don Mattingly Again, a top era 1st baseman, but the longevity will hurt him a bit. A career .307 hitter, all those years as a Yankee. I think he defined his position during his era. An A.L. MVP, 9 time gold glove winner. I loved the guy, and I think he belongs in the Hall.

Tommy John His longevity may hurt him. All those years, and not a 300 game winner. 26 years, 288 wins, 231 losses and not 3000 K's.

Dwight Evans Why? Not a top guy, mostly a middle tier guy. 19 years with Boston, I think he is a sentimental pick for Red Sox Nation and that's it.

Lou Whitaker I agree with most, Trammel was the guy in this double play combo.

Steve Garvey I have said it before and will to my dying breath..WHY ISN'T HE IN ALREADY? 5 World Series, 1 championship, 4 straight gold gloves, 6 times 200 hits or more, NL Iron Man, career .338 postseason BA, 2 time All Star game MVP, 74 and 78, 10 time All Star, 8 in a row. He belongs.

Dale Murphy 398 home runs, 2 time NL MVP, 1266 RBI, 7 time All Star on some pretty bad Braves teams. Again, I don't understand why he isn't in also.

Dave Parker 1979 World Series champion, 339 home runs, a 7 time all star, and one of those was at age 39 with the Brewers, 1978 NL MVP. Does he belong? I say yes.

Ted Simmons A .186 batting average in the post season, he was never considered "The Man" like Bench, Munson or Fisk. He wasn't the best at his position during his era. I say no.

Marvin Miller Yes. Yes. Yes. He did more for the players at a time when it was an owner driven league.

For these guys on the list, their numbers are great, for their era. Unfortunately we will always compare them to the steroid era inflated numbers. I mean, really, Bonds, A-Rod, Sosa...? Come on.  Those numbers are cartoonish. Does anyone really believe those 3 guys were better than Aaron, Mantle, Mays? Put anyone of those guys on the juice and 800, 900 home runs are very much possible. But that's why baseball nuts, like myself, love this stuff. We can argue about this stuff all day long, well into the night, a good bottle of bourbon and a clean cigar, and we still won't agree. I love it.

Mattingly would be my first choice on that list. He was such a sensation at the plate and in the field. (It's tough to hold injuries against a guy, but I totally understand why that's a factor.)

After that, I don't know. I might go with Garvey. Like Vvvergeer said, it's a really tough list to figure out.

Marvin Miller!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now that I've had some time, my lists really doesn't change. Mattingly and Murphy. The rest, no.

Tommy John as a baseball pioneer, not as a player. I could live with that.

Look at that. Once you read through my endless post and sort it all out, we basically agree!

I wish they would distinguish WHY someone is in the Hall of Fame, even though it's usually obvious. There could be a pioneer section. Or "Overall Contribution to the Game" section. Bob Lemon should go there, instead with the players. And Tommy John. Joe Torre could go there, because he was on the cusp as a player, but then got in as a manager, so we'll never know if he deserved it as a player. 

But, as I've said before, despite its many flaws, the Baseball Hall of Fame still seems really the best. 

v3

Well, here goes. My evaluation of this group of ballplayers (and one union boss) has only to do my preference...nothing else.

Thurman Munson - Yes. He's a Yankee.
Don Mattingly - Yes. He's a Yankee.
Tommy John - Yes. He's a Yankee. And they named  a career-saving surgery after him.
Dwight Evans - No. He played for Boston. (I'm just kidding! I'm just kidding! Ok, Maybe)
Lou Whitaker - Yes. You just can't separate Whitaker and Trammell.
Steve Garvey - No. He should have stayed in Los Angeles. 
Dale Murphy - Yes. Man, he hit a lot of home runs.
Dave Parker - No. If you wanna hang out you've got to take her out....
Ted Simmons - No. I never realized he was this good, Maybe I should go back and take another look.
Marvin Miller - No. I'm old school. 

Now, that was fun!

I'm behind Murphy 100%. Besides him, I'm not sure I'd vote for any of the others. Maybe Garvey? I've always felt like Sweet Lou was a top 3 second baseman through the 80s, but I think he's just Hall of Very Good. Mattingly and Munson just needed a few more years. And I'm going to be honest, I don't know enough about Marvin Miller to say anything.

Even though I collect a few of these and wouldn't ever others, my opinion will remain objective, at least as much as it can be:

Garvey and Sweet Lou in. Others out, especially Miller. (I live in a right-to-work state.)

If I was a voter, here's my ballot: Mattingly, Garvey, Murphy, Simmons.

Dave Parker - No. If you wanna hang out you've got to take her out....

She don't lie....
She don't lie....
She don't lie....