HOF Elections - Results

[TexasTerror]

In...Cal Ripken...98.5%

In...Tony Gwynn...97.6%

That's a wrap...

Gossage had 71.2%
Jim Rice 63.5%

[UNHWildCats]

2007 BBWAA Hall of Fame Voting Results

Candidate Votes % of Votes
Cal Ripken Jr. 537 98.5
Tony Gwynn 532 97.6
Rich Gossage 388 71.2
Jim Rice 346 63.5
Andre Dawson 309 56.7
Bert Blyleven 260 47.7
Lee Smith 217 39.8
Jack Morris 202 37.1
Mark McGwire 128 23.5
Tommy John 125 22.9
*Steve Garvey 115 21.1
Dave Concepcion 74 13.6
Alan Trammell 73 13.4
ave Parker 62 11.4
Don Mattingly 54 9.9
Dale Murphy 50 9.2
Harold Baines 29 5.3
Orel Hershiser 24 4.4
Albert Belle 19 3.5
Paul O'Neill 12 2.2
Bret Saberhagen 7 1.3
Jose Canseco 6 1.1
Tony Fernandez 4 0.7
Dante Bichette 3 0.6
Eric Davis 3 0.6
Bobby Bonilla 2 0.4
Ken Caminiti 2 0.4
Jay Buhner 1 0.2
Scott Brosius 0 0.0
Wally Joyner 0 0.0
Devon White 0 0.0
Bobby Witt 0 0.0

[Mr. C]

Got to feel sorry for Gossage coming within a handful of votes (21) of getting in. You would have to think next year that the Goose finally gets his rightfully deserved honor.

[89Hen]

2007 BBWAA Hall of Fame Voting Results

Candidate Votes % of Votes
Lee Smith 217 39.8
Orel Hershiser 24 4.4
I'm not a huge baseball person, but is anyone else :confused: about this one? I'm not saying Orel should be in, but he has very similar numbers to other pitchers who are in. Lee Smith did set a record for saves at the time, but a relief pitcher who averaged 1.26 innings per appearance? Give me a break. :cool:

[spelunker64]

**** Bert Blyleven didn't get in.


This is funny if you "listen" to Twins baseball.

[GannonFan]

2007 BBWAA Hall of Fame Voting Results

Candidate Votes % of Votes

Jay Buhner 1 0.2


Hey, is Jay Buhner on the voting committee??? ;)

[bluehenbillk]

The only 2 guys that really deserved it got in. I like baseball's process much better than football which lets in marginal guys ~cough Harry Carson~

[GannonFan]

The only 2 guys that really deserved it got in. I like baseball's process much better than football which lets in marginal guys ~cough Harry Carson~

Agreed - football HOF has become like the Walk of Fame in Hollywood with any person of any accomplishment getting a star on the walk - in baseball, really only the best get in since so many close to deserving guys are left out. I'd rather be more strict about who gets in than not be.

[AZGrizFan]

2007 BBWAA Hall of Fame Voting Results


Candidate Votes % of Votes
Cal Ripken Jr. 537 98.5
Tony Gwynn 532 97.6
Rich Gossage 388 71.2
Jim Rice 346 63.5
Andre Dawson 309 56.7
Bert Blyleven 260 47.7
Lee Smith 217 39.8
Jack Morris 202 37.1
Mark McGwire 128 23.5
Tommy John 125 22.9
*Steve Garvey 115 21.1
Dave Concepcion 74 13.6
Alan Trammell 73 13.4
Dave Parker 62 11.4
Don Mattingly 54 9.9
Dale Murphy 50 9.2
Harold Baines 29 5.3
Orel Hershiser 24 4.4
Albert Belle 19 3.5
Paul O'Neill 12 2.2
Bret Saberhagen 7 1.3
Jose Canseco 6 1.1
Tony Fernandez 4 0.7
Dante Bichette 3 0.6
Eric Davis 3 0.6
Bobby Bonilla 2 0.4
Ken Caminiti 2 0.4
Jay Buhner 1 0.2
Scott Brosius 0 0.0
Wally Joyner 0 0.0
Devon White 0 0.0
Bobby Witt 0 0.0

These guys should have gotten in.

Can someone PLEASE explain to me how Harold Fricking Baines has more votes than Orel Hersheiser? :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

I despise the fact that this is left in the hands of vindictive baseball writers. :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang:

[AZGrizFan]

Got to feel sorry for Gossage coming within a handful of votes (21) of getting in. You would have to think next year that the Goose finally gets his rightfully deserved honor.

That'll depends on what first timers are on the ballot with him. Since there seems to be some preconceived notion about how many people they can vote in in a given year, if there's two locks like this year, I'm bettin' Goose gets screwed again. :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[Lehigh Football Nation]

IMO, the best ballplayers on that HOF list are (in order):

Tony Gwynn
Jack Morris
Cal Ripken
Mark McGwire

after that, Blyleven/Rice/Dawson/Parker/Gossage/Heshisher... and whomever says "Donnie Baseball" belongs in the HOF is high on something.

I still think McGwire belongs in the HOF since, doped up or not, he saved the sport. Like it or not, it seemed like everyone followed baseball that summer where he was chasing 70. Of course, I also think Rose should be in as well, but that's for another thread. I happen to think that not voting people into the HOF for "moral reasons" is simply ridiculous, since if you had a "personality test" on the HOFers already in there, 3/4 of them would flunk out anyway. People need to earn their way in there (Ty Cobb, a horrible human being), not get in just because they're a nice guy and they're from the biggest media market in the world (Phil Rizzuto).

[TexasTerror]

Goose is in next year...

Next year is a down year as far as HOF goes...

Best chance for Goose and Rice...

[kardplayer]

IMO, the best ballplayers on that HOF list are (in order):

Tony Gwynn
Jack Morris
Cal Ripken
Mark McGwire

after that, Blyleven/Rice/Dawson/Parker/Gossage/Heshisher... and whomever says "Donnie Baseball" belongs in the HOF is high on something.

I still think McGwire belongs in the HOF since, doped up or not, he saved the sport. Like it or not, it seemed like everyone followed baseball that summer where he was chasing 70. Of course, I also think Rose should be in as well, but that's for another thread. I happen to think that not voting people into the HOF for "moral reasons" is simply ridiculous, since if you had a "personality test" on the HOFers already in there, 3/4 of them would flunk out anyway. People need to earn their way in there (Ty Cobb, a horrible human being), not get in just because they're a nice guy and they're from the biggest media market in the world (Phil Rizzuto).

McGwire is not out for "moral reasons", he's out because the writers believe he used steroids, and because they believe using those steroids enabled him to reach numbers that he wouldn't have reached otherwise. They believe he is a cheater, not a bad human being.

Rose is out for the contra of why you think McGwire should be in - he tarnished the game and put the credibility of the game on the field at risk. If he only bet on the horses or football, he would be in. But he bet on games involving his own team.

[89Hen]

Next year is a down year as far as HOF goes...
How long do you have to be out to be up for election?

[AZGrizFan]

How long do you have to be out to be up for election?
5 years after retirement. Roger Clemens may be DEAD before he's eligible. :eyebrow: :eyebrow: :eyebrow: :eyebrow:

[Gil Dobie]

5 years after retirement. Roger Clemens may be DEAD before he's eligible. :eyebrow: :eyebrow: :eyebrow: :eyebrow:

Roberto Clemente is the exception, and rightly so.

[Cobblestone]

Roberto Clemente is the exception, and rightly so.

Absolutely.

I think Rice gets in next year. I think we all can agree that Ripken and Gwynn deserved to get in on their first ballot. Gwynn seemed to play forever and was always effective. Mattingly is another who will probably get in on the next ballot or two.

History has shown that there were some terrific players in the old Negro Leagues. I just hope none of those guys have been mistakenly overlooked given the number of decades that have passed.

[andy7171]

OK so 2 ballots were intentional sent in blank because of "niot knowing who was on steriods" objection. Whatever. That leaves 5 people not voting for Ripken and 10 not voting for Gwynn. What the hell about either of them deserves a no vote? There is no excuse for either of them not getting 100% vote in.

Goosage, Rice and Dawson all deserve to be in.

[bluehenbillk]

5 years after retirement. Roger Clemens may be DEAD before he's eligible. :eyebrow: :eyebrow: :eyebrow: :eyebrow:

Roger Clemens? He's got another decade or so to go before he catches up with Julio Franco.

[NoCoDanny]

So why does Steve Garvey have an astrix next to his name? Anything to do with his celebrity bill fishing tournaments or his hair cut?

[89Hen]

That leaves 5 people not voting for Ripken and 10 not voting for Gwynn. What the hell about either of them deserves a no vote? There is no excuse for either of them not getting 100% vote in.
Correct. Who in the F do those people think they are? Pretentious a-holes. :nonono2:

[andy7171]

They should be "outed" and have to defend themselves.
And then have their voting rights stripped.

[GannonFan]

Gee, probably not a good time to say I'm not the biggest fan of Cal Ripken, eh? :cool:

[lizrdgizrd]

McGwire is not out for "moral reasons", he's out because the writers believe he used steroids, and because they believe using those steroids enabled him to reach numbers that he wouldn't have reached otherwise. They believe he is a cheater, not a bad human being.

Rose is out for the contra of why you think McGwire should be in - he tarnished the game and put the credibility of the game on the field at risk. If he only bet on the horses or football, he would be in. But he bet on games involving his own team.
I can't remember. Did he bet on his team or against his team? Or on the spread?

[89Hen]

Gee, probably not a good time to say I'm not the biggest fan of Cal Ripken, eh? :cool:
But you don't need to be a fan to appreciate what he did.

[andy7171]

Gee, probably not a good time to say I'm not the biggest fan of Cal Ripken, eh? :cool:
I'm not saying you have to be a fan, just that...
3184 Hits
432 Home Runs
1695 RBI
1982 Rookie of the Year
2 time ML Player of the Year
2 time All Star Player of the Year
19 time All-Star
2632 consecutive games played
...if that's not Hall of Fame caliber, nothing is.

[89Hen]

I'm not saying you have to be a fan, just that...
3184 Hits
432 Home Runs
1695 RBI
1982 Rookie of the Year
2 time ML Player of the Year
2 time All Star Player of the Year
19 time All-Star
2632 consecutive games played
...if that's not Hall of Fame caliber, nothing is.
Plus how huge the timing of his breaking the streak record was for the game. :nod:

[Mr. C]

So why does Steve Garvey have an astrix next to his name? Anything to do with his celebrity bill fishing tournaments or his hair cut?
It denotes his last year of eligibility.

[andy7171]

Plus how huge the timing of his breaking the streak record was for the game. :nod:
Or how he revolutionized the short stop position.

[pantherclaw]

Don't you have to recieve 5% of the vote to remain on the ballot, since that is what i have been informed, that means these guys won't be back next year:
Orel Hershiser 24 4.4
Albert Belle 19 3.5
Paul O'Neill 12 2.2
Bret Saberhagen 7 1.3
Jose Canseco 6 1.1 No surprise there. Mr. Steroids himself.
Tony Fernandez 4 0.7
Dante Bichette 3 0.6
Eric Davis 3 0.6
Bobby Bonilla 2 0.4
Ken Caminiti 2 0.4
Jay Buhner 1 0.2
Scott Brosius 0 0.0
Wally Joyner 0 0.0
Devon White 0 0.0
Bobby Witt 0 0.0

[GannonFan]

I'm not saying you have to be a fan, just that...
3184 Hits
432 Home Runs
1695 RBI
1982 Rookie of the Year
2 time ML Player of the Year
2 time All Star Player of the Year
19 time All-Star
2632 consecutive games played
...if that's not Hall of Fame caliber, nothing is.

My biggest gripe with Ripken, and his stats, is that how many of them are longevity stats that make them look good. Now I know that just the sheer longevity by itself should mean something - he was good enough to be around that long so that's a positive, but I also think he hung on much longer than he should've. He has the 4th highest number of AB's ever, so that by itself makes the things like hits and HR's much easier to acheive. He has all those HR's but was never a HR hitter, at least for much of the remainder of his career. He probably should've sat down long before he broke Gerhig's consecutive game streak, so even that achievement (hey, I know people faun over it but how important is that streak anyway, especially if you don't play well during a portion of it?) is lessened in light of that. Sure he had 19 All-Star games, but that's just a measure of his popularity, not his stature on the field. For probably most of the 2nd half of his career he wasn't even one of the top 3 SS in the game at the time (ARod, Jeter, and I'd even throw in Larkin). And look at his numbers compared to Larkin - I'm not sure Larkin should be a HOF (definitely not a lock for a first ballot) but he's got better numbers as a ratio of his at bats except for HR's and RBI's, and even then he's still got a comparable slugging % to Ripken's (.447 to .444) and Larkin hit almost 20 points better in his career, had more Gold Gloves (although after Abreu won a Gold Glove the other year that award has lost all meaning), and was a significant base stealer (top 75 all time despite playing almost entire career in an era that has forgotten how to steal bases).

Like I said, the biggest thing in Cal's favor, after people's deification of him, is his longevity - he played a whole lot. But he's not the best ever at his position (even when he played) so it's not too hard to fathom he wouldn't be a unanimous pick for the Hall.

[89Hen]

And look at his numbers compared to Larkin - I'm not sure Larkin should be a HOF (definitely not a lock for a first ballot) but he's got better numbers as a ratio...
:eyebrow: You could put an awful lot of players in based on ratios. Baseball itself is a game of longevity and long drawn out stats (part of the reason I'm not a baseball fan) so you could say that Ripken is the epitome of baseball and all it stands for.

[GannonFan]

:eyebrow: You could put an awful lot of players in based on ratios. Baseball itself is a game of longevity and long drawn out stats (part of the reason I'm not a baseball fan) so you could say that Ripken is the epitome of baseball and all it stands for.

Agreed, but certainly there would be a minimum threshold for years - Larkin had 18 years in the pros so he's not a ratio-enhanced product at all. But at the same time maybe there should be a cap for longevity as well - heck, otherwise maybe Julio Franco should be a lock for the HOF just because he's going to hang around until he's 50 (hell, he's probably older than his current 48 y/o anyway). And remember, I'm not arguing that Cal shouldn't be in the HOF, I'm arguing the counterpoint that Cal should be a unanimous pick for the HOF on the first ballot, no questions asked. I'm asking the question, though. ;)

[andy7171]

I hear you GannonFan. And trust me, as an O's fan since '82, I can't count the times I've cursed his tendendcy to hit into a double play. But for his position, with the exception of Ernie Banks, you can't find offensive stats at shortstop. SS was a defensive first position, see Ozzie Smith, base stealer. Cal won 2-3 gold gloves in the mid-90's to go along with his offensive stats.

FYI, his career stats averaged 23HRs, 91 RBI, .279 not mind blowing. But factor in he played for 20 years and only hit over 30 HR once. It's pretty steady.

[GannonFan]

I hear you GannonFan. And trust me, as an O's fan since '82, I can't count the times I've cursed his tendendcy to hit into a double play. But for his position, with the exception of Ernie Banks, you can't find offensive stats at shortstop. SS was a defensive first position, see Ozzie Smith, base stealer. Cal won 2-3 gold gloves in the mid-90's to go along with his offensive stats.

FYI, his career stats averaged 23HRs, 91 RBI, .279 not mind blowing. But factor in he played for 20 years and only hit over 30 HR once. It's pretty steady.

Honus Wagner had some pretty good offensive numbers. And I think it was just 2 Gold Gloves for Cal (although, like I said, Bobby Abreu's winning of one has cheapened it for everyone now! ;) )

[AZGrizFan]

Roger Clemens? He's got another decade or so to go before he catches up with Julio Franco.

difference is Roger will actually GET into the hall of fame. :read: :read: :read:

[89Hen]

as an O's fan since '82, I can't count the times I've cursed his tendendcy to hit into a double play.
xlolx Like my dad with Mike Schmidt and striking out. Really the only time I ever saw my old man pissed. :p

[Lehigh Football Nation]

As a Red Sox fan, my bete noire was never Rice, but Mike Greenwell. Nothing exemplifies the latent racism of Red Sox fans by the fact that Rice was vilified yet this complete bozo Greenwell was seen as the Second Coming. A .300 hitter with no power, he had the most irritating knack of swinging on the first pitch to kill rallies with double plays or popups. Countless times he would come up, men of 1st and 2nd with 2 outs, and the crowd would start to get excited - and with one pitch, it would all disappear.

If there was a stat "most blown RBI opportunities", I'm betting Greenwell tops that list. :twocents:

[spelunker64]

Where's Roger Maris?

[andy7171]

Where's Roger Maris?
He's taking a dirt nap.