Barry Larkin Elected to the Hall of Fame

From Cooperstown-

Barry Larkin, a 12-time All-Star, nine-time Silver Slugger and three-time Gold Glove winning shortstop, was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers' Association of America in balloting verified by Ernst & Young.

Larkin, 47, will be inducted into the Hall July 22 at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, N.Y., along with the late third baseman Ron Santo, who was elected last month by the Golden Era Committee. Also to be honored over Induction Weekend will be Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun with the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for baseball writing and television analyst Tim McCarver, the former major league catcher, with the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting.

A total of 573 ballots, including nine blanks, were cast by BBWAA members with 10 or more consecutive years' service. Players must be named on 75 percent of ballots submitted to be elected. This year, 430 votes were required.

Larkin, who was in his third year of eligibility, received 495 votes, for an 86.4-percent plurality. His vote total reflected a 24.3-percent gain from the 2011 ballot, the largest jump in one year to gain election since 1948 when pitcher Herb Pennock received 77.7 percent of the vote after having tallied 53.4 percent in 1947. Larkin's jump is the largest for any Hall of Fame election in which at least 400 ballots were cast. The previous highest was the 16.4-percent jump by first baseman Tony Perez from 1999 (60.8) to 2000 (77.2).

http://baseballhall.org/news/press-releases/barry-larkin-elected-hall-fame

Voting for hall of fame about to get tougher

How about a little baseball diversion- HOF voting this week- (Like to see Tim Raines make it)

The Baseball Writers Association of America has the significant task of annually determining who is and isn't worthy of a bronze plaque in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

It can also be considered an unenviable task with the long list of steroids-tainted greats becoming eligible very soon.

Mark McGwire excluded, the BBWAA will wait one more year to mull the topic over as it first must focus on selecting the 2012 HOF class. Voting is released on Jan. 9.

This year's newcomers appear to be a pretty weak bunch, with the likes of Bernie Williams, Vinny Castilla, Javy Lopez and ex-Ranger Ruben Sierra highlighting the group. If anyone has a chance, it's probably Williams, who spent his entire 16-year career with the Yankees.

The Puerto Rican outfielder was a five-time MLB All-Star who earned four Gold Gloves. If Williams is elected, playing a key role on a New York team that won four titles will have just as much to do with it as his statistics.

Ballot holdovers who received more than 40 percent of the 2011 vote include shortstop Barry Larkin (62.1 percent), pitcher Jack Morris (53.5), reliever Lee Smith (45.3) and Jeff Bagwell (41.7).

I'll be surprised if Larkin doesn't get the 75 percent of the votes needed for election. And I'll be surprised if anyone else makes it.

More here-

http://www.timesrecordnews.com/news/2011/dec/27/voting-for-hall-of-fame-about-to-get-tougher/

Penn Hills man wins battle with Baseball Hall of Fame for his great-uncle

From The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Have you ever received an award that got your name wrong? Now imagine that award is a bronze plaque in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.

That's a little of what Ron Hill has been dealing with for a year and a half, since discovering that his great-uncle, John Preston Hill aka Pete Hill, was one of the best hitters and all-around players of the early 1900s.

A star on some of the greatest early black teams -- the Cuban X-Giants, Philadelphia Giants, Leland Giants and Chicago American Giants -- he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006 with 16 other African-Americans who loved the game and excelled at it, most long before Jackie Robinson won the right to play alongside white ballplayers in 1947.

But his plaque says "Joseph Preston Hill."

"We never heard of him," says Ron Hill, 64, his great-nephew from Penn Hills.

So no Hill descendant was in Cooperstown, N.Y., that day in 2006 when the plaque was unveiled. They might never have known they had such a famous relative -- or that his name, birth date and other biographical information were wrong -- if not for some sharp-eyed baseball historians and a cousin's love for genealogy.

Read more:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10220/1077978-51.stm#ixzz0w0hKSTQM

For Pete's sake, Hill family seeks truth

From the Pittsburgh Tribune Review-

Ron Hill showed little interest in his family tree, at least not until learning his great uncle was a former Negro Leagues star inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in July 2006.

Pete Hill of Homewood, who died more than a half-century ago, entered the Cooperstown, N.Y., museum with little fanfare and no family present — and with a glaring error that his descendants are determined to correct.

Recent research has revealed the Hall of Fame plaque honoring their uncle bears the wrong first name. Hill, who played under the nickname Pete, is identified as Joseph Preston Hill instead of John Preston Hill, a mistake that could be unprecedented in a museum that honors the hall's 291 members.

The discovery of his Hall of Fame relative has revitalized Ron Hill, a retired major at the Allegheny County Jail who hasn't been the same since his 23-year-old son — coincidentally, named Joseph Hill — was killed in 2004.

"Ever since my son died, I've been standoffish," said Hill, 62, of Penn Hills. "Since this came up, it gave me a new outlook. I have a relative who is forgotten and no one to speak for him, so I'm speaking for him."

Ron Hill has made rectifying the error in his uncle's plaque a passion project. Pete Hill blazed a trail for Negro Leagues greats despite coming from a family only a generation removed from slavery, and Hill sees his great uncle as representative of the American dream.

Pete Hill starred for the Pittsburgh Keystones at the turn of the 20th century, is called "the catalyst and captain of the great Chicago American Giants clubs of the 1910s" on his Hall of Fame plaque and was described as "the greatest hitter in black baseball history" by baseball historian Phil Dixon.

His descendants, however, knew of their great uncle only as John Hill.

"His family didn't know who this 'Joseph' was, and he has a lot of family," said Pete Hill's great niece, Leslie Penn, 65, a Peabody High graduate who lives in Los Angeles. "The family history is a passion for me. Pete Hill is an obsession for my cousin Ron Hill."

More here-

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/columnists/s_661071.html

Dawson earns long-awaited Hall call

From MLB_

On the sixth day of the new decade, "The Hawk" took flight.

After waiting eight long years to make it to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Andre Dawson is this year's sole electee, it was announced on Wednesday. Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven, who came oh so close, will have to wait another year.

Dawson, an outfielder with power, who played most of his career on injured and fragile knees, made it on his ninth try, earning 77.9 percent of the votes cast by eligible members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, with his name included on 420 of the 539 ballots. Last year, he missed the cut with 67 percent of the vote.

"If you're a Hall of Famer you're eventually going to get in," said Dawson, whose first 16 of 21 seasons were played with the old Montreal Expos and the Cubs. "It was well worth the wait. I can't really describe the elation when my family and I got the call."

Dawson will be inducted on July 25 in Cooperstown, N.Y., along with manager Whitey Herzog and umpire Doug Harvey, who were elected in December by the Veterans Committee.

More here-

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100106&content_id=7882022&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

No Logic in Hall of Fame Voting

From ESPN (Tomorrow is the HOF vote)

Baseball Hall of Fame voting is kind of like Tiger Woods: the more you try to analyze it, the less sense it makes.

For example, Jim Rice received 29.8 percent of the vote his first year on the ballot. His support slowly increased, and in his 15th and final year he received 76.4 percent and was elected. Don Mattingly -- similar in many regards to Rice: played for a big-market team, won an MVP award, never won a World Series -- started about the same place as Rice, with 28.2 percent of the vote. But his support has fallen to 11.9 percent.

And consider these two players:

Player A: .388 OBP, .459 SLG, 135 HR, 1383 runs, 1139 RBI, 319 SB, one top-5 MVP year

Player B: .385 OBP, .425 SLG, 170 HR, 1571 runs, 980 RBI, 808 SB, one top-5 MVP year

The two players were nearly exact contemporaries. Both were outfielders. Player A scored 100 runs just twice; Player B scored 100 runs six times. Player B actually reached base more times in his career. According to Baseball-Reference.com, both players finished with 1,636 runs created, using a near identical number of outs.

Not a whole of difference between the two, is there? Now, I left out one piece of information: Player A finished with 3,141 hits, while Player B had 2,605. Player A is Tony Gwynn, who was elected with 97.6 percent of the vote. Player B is Tim Raines, who received just 22.6 percent last year.

Here's another one:

Player A: .279 AVG, .323 OBP, .482 SLG, 438 HR, 1591 RBI, 1373 runs, 2774 hits, three top-5 MVP years

Player B: .290 AVG, .339 OBP, .471 SLG, 339 HR, 1493 RBI, 1272 runs, 2712 hits, five top-5 MVP years

The two players were nearly exact contemporaries and spent most of their time in the National League before going over to the AL. Both won MVP awards. Both won multiple Gold Glove awards. Both had cool nicknames. Player B won two World Series; Player A never appeared in one.

More here-

http://espn.go.com/espn/page2/index?id=4797696

Rating baseball's Hall of Fame candidates

A week and a day away! I'm rooting for Bert.

Ranking the candidates

. Best bets for the Class of 2010

Andre Dawson: Got 67 percent of the vote last year, the most of anyone not elected. In four of the last five years, the player with the most returning votes has been elected.

Bert Blyleven: Had 62.7 percent of the vote last year. Eventually, 287 wins and 3,701 strikeouts will get him in.

Edgar Martinez: First year on the ballot. A short career and being stuck at DH will hurt, but a .418 on-base percentage is hard to ignore.

Roberto Alomar: First year. Make 12 All-Star teams and you're going in sooner rather than later.

Barry Larkin: First year. Also has 12 All-Star appearances, and an MVP award for good measure.

. Maybe someday, but not this time

Fred McGriff, Mark McGwire, Jack Morris, Tim Raines, Lee Smith

. Only way they get in is with a ticket

Kevin Appier, Harold Baines, Ellis Burks, Andres Galarraga, Pat Hentgen, Mike Jackson, Eric Karros, Ray Lankford, Don Mattingly, Dale Murphy, Dave Parker, Shane Reynolds, David Segui, Alan Trammell, Robin Ventura, Todd Zeile

http://www.tampabay.com/sports/baseball/rays/rating-baseballs-hall-of-fame-candidates/1060594

Doug Harvey and Whitey Herzog Elected to Hall of Fame

From the New York Times-

The veterans committee of the Baseball Hall of Fame elected the umpire Doug Harvey and the former manager Whitey Herzog on Monday. But Marvin Miller, the influential head of players union from 1966 to 1982, was left out again.

Harvey was a National League umpire from 1962 through 1992. Herzog managed for 18 years, mostly with Kansas City and St. Louis, winning six division titles, three pennants and the 1982 World Series for the Cardinals.

“He started building a ball club according to the ballpark in which he played, and the fundamental aspects of the game were some of the things he always highlighted,” said the St. Louis Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith, referring to Herzog. “In those years, when the New York Mets may have had a better ball club, that allowed us to win the division. It simply came down to the way he prepared us to play the game.”

Tommy Lasorda, the Hall of Fame manager for the Los Angeles Dodgers, said Herzog always kept him guessing. Lasorda and Herzog won five of the eight N.L. pennants from 1981 through 1988.

More here-

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/08/sports/baseball/08base.html

Rickey, Rice take rightful places in Hall

From the Hall of Fame Cooperstown- (Joe Gordon who was elected posthumously is pictured)

Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice stood on the same stage as baseball's all-time greats on Sunday, taking their rightful places among them as the newest inductees into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Amid a few droplets of rain at Clark Sports Center in baseball's historic burgh, the two left fielders -- Henderson, the quintessential leadoff hitter; Rice, the perennial power man -- saw their status as legends cemented at the annual ceremony, which this year was attended by 50 members of the Hall of Fame's 65 living members.

In front of an announced crowd of about 21,000, Rice and Henderson were joined in the hallowed Hall's Class of 2009 by former Yankees and Indians second baseman Joe "Flash" Gordon, who was honored posthumously.

With broadcaster Tony Kubek and sportswriter Nick Peters also receiving honors for their achievements, the ceremony rolled on through threatening skies that never quite followed through on the threats.

In fact, the sun occasionally broke through with impeccable timing as Induction Day once again became a beacon of light into baseball's grand history.

There stood Rickey, smiling that familiar smile, and Rice, smiling a newly familiar smile almost never seen on the field, among the greats literally and officially.

"It's like being welcomed at home plate after hitting a walk-off home run," Rice said, beaming throughout most of his gracious speech. "I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be than right here, right now."

Henderson -- whose loose, fun personality made his induction speech a highly anticipated one -- played it mostly straight and finished in a sincerely respectful tone, once again invoking his idol, Muhammad Ali.

More here-

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090726&content_id=6067938&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

Rickey Henderson, Jim Rice elected to Hall of Fame

Rickey Henderson on the first ballot and Jim Rice on the last. Perfect symmetry ! For you soccer fans out there, Henderson's on the right and Rice on the left.

Rickey Henderson sped his way into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot Monday, and Jim Rice made it in on his 15th and final try. Henderson, baseball's career leader in runs scored and stolen bases, received 94.8 percent of the vote from the Baseball Writers' Association of America, well above the 75 percent needed.

Rice, among baseball's most feared hitters in the late 1970s and early 1980s, got 76.4 percent of the vote after falling just shy with 72.2 percent last year.

"The only thing I can say is I'm glad it's over with," Rice said. "I'm in there and they can't take it away."

The undisputed standard for leadoff hitters, Henderson became the 44th player elected in his first year of eligibility. Rice was only the third elected by the BBWAA in his final year, joining Red Ruffing (1967) and Ralph Kiner (1975).

The pair will be inducted into the Hall during ceremonies on July 26 in Cooperstown, N.Y. They will be joined by former Yankees and Indians second baseman Joe Gordon, elected posthumously last month by the Veterans Committee.

"I feel great about it. It's been a long time coming," said Henderson, who wanted to be a football star before excelling in pro baseball. "I was nervous, waiting."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gD7TJ227PWxl0UzJ5cqNR6_axrMQD95LRMR00

Gordon, Overlooked Yankee, Gets His Due

Missed this earlier in the month. For you soccer fans out there, the veterans committee considers players for the Hall of Fame whom they feel the sportswriters have overlooked.

When baseball’s Hall of Fame announced last Monday that a veterans committee had elected Joe Gordon, an All-Star second baseman for the Yankees during the Joe DiMaggio era, elderly fans who consider their gray hairs to be pinstripes nodded knowingly. But younger Yankees followers might have wondered, Joe Who?

Nearly 60 years since Gordon last played, he had been pretty much forgotten if not ignored, even by the Yankees. His name seldom appeared except when a Yankee was voted the American League’s most valuable player. Gordon earned that award in 1942 with a .322 average, 18 homers, 103 runs batted in and a dazzling glove for a pennant-winning team, even though Ted Williams won batting’s Triple Crown that season.

DiMaggio endured as the Yankee of that era, but Gordon once prompted his manager, Joe McCarthy, to say, “The greatest all-around player I ever saw, and I don’t bar any of them, is Joe Gordon.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/14/sports/baseball/14anderson.html?8dpc