The HOF vote is in. Not a shocker but Rock Raines doesn't even get 25% of the vote. During the Jay Jaffe chat over at BP he pointed out 4 other players who got a smaller % then Raines but still eventually made it into the HOF. Duke Snider was one of the four and he only got 17% of the vote on his 1st year on the ballot. Duke Snider only got 17% of the vote!!!!! As my Dad would have said in 1965 "egads".
I still get riled up over HOF issues. I can't fathom a HOF with Don Sutton and Catfish Hunter in it and Bert Blyleven not. On the plus side it does look like Bert is starting to build some momentum. Dwight Evans was a better all around ballplayer then Jim Rice and he just disappears off the ballot in a blink of an eye while Rice keeps building some momentum toward his eventual enshrinement. Dwight Evans was a great right fielder, probably the best defensive RF that ever played at Fenway park and he was the equal of Jim Rice with the bat. Jim Rice had an OPS+ 128 and Evans of 127. Just saying if your going to take one of them then you should have taken both of them.
Duke Snider by the way had a career OPS+ of 140 and was a CF to boot. Since integration that would be the 4th best, behind only Mantle and Mays. He's tied with Griffey.
Goose gets in. Hopefully he will be the last relief pitcher until Mariano Rivera is called.