Well, it’s official. Cal Ripken, owner of the consecutive games record that many never thought he could break, and Tony Gwynn, who was built was inspiration for fat kids everywhere as he turned into one of the game’s greatest hitters, are in the Hall of Fame. The Hall’s official site is today’s FamilyFirst pick.
They made it on the first ballot, a feat accomplished by the greatest of the great. That means at least 75% of the members of the Baseball Writers Association of America chose these two for induction.
Both players hit over 3000 hits. And, in an era where a player has a good season and demands (and gets, from wealthy teams) astronomical salaries, these two both spent their entire careers with their respective teams.
I have a sneaking suspicion that St. Louis’s Albert Pujols just might do the same thing.
Anyhow, congrats are in order for these two men, gentlemen in every sense of the word.
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the 2007 voting was where Mark McGwire finished.
The game’s most feared slugger of the 90′s received 23.5% support from the writers.
Big Mac owned up to taking Andro during those years. The performance-enhancing supplement was legal then. It’s not now. That caused a stir.
But what really had an impact was Jose Canseco’s allegations in his book that he and McGwire both took steroids.
McGwire neither confirmed nor denied when called before Congress. He has remained silent. In this case, the silence is very incriminating, at least in the opinion of three fourths of the BWAA.
It’s a real shame if Big Mac did juice. As a skinny rookie, he hit an astounding 49 homers in his rookie season.
I always liked him, and when he joined my beloved Cards I was ecstatic. I screamed my head off when he hit 62. I would like so much to believe that all he took was the legal Andro.
But like the HOF voters, I’m having my doubts.
www.baseballhalloffame.org
