Baseball HOF Results

[andyfox]

Raines should be in the HOF. I doubt he'll get in next year, though, as McGwire, Ripken, and Gwynn all become eligible too.

[Jack of Arcades]

Raines easily should be in the HOF.

[prohornblower]

He also stole a lot of bases, and had a cannon for an arm. He was a very complete baseball player, IMO.

[TheNoodleMan]

[ QUOTE ]
Raines easily should be in the HOF.

[/ QUOTE ]

[Hopey]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Raines easily should be in the HOF.

[/ QUOTE ]

[/ QUOTE ]

I have to agree (simply because I'm a huge Raines fan), but I can't recall reading a single article that advocated him being in the HOF. I heard a bit more about Dawson before he became eligible, but I've heard nothing about Raines.

[TheNoodleMan]

The only thing Raines has going against him is that he isn't Rickey Henderson. If he hadn't had the bad timing of playing in the same era as Rickey he would get much more respect.

[cognito20]

[ QUOTE ]
How Sutter got elected above Gossage is beyond me. Look at their stats. Now ask yourself: "I am up one run with two innings to go. Who, in their prime, do I want out there?" I know my answer.

[/ QUOTE ]

I know my answer, too. Sutter. Yes, Goose could bring it at 100 MPH. Big league hitters can time straight fastballs, no matter how hard, if they see them enough. Sutter's split-fingered pitch, when it was on, was completely unhittable, kind of like Mariano Rivera's cutter today. Chris Russo, and a few other commentators (and I would agree from what I remember of him in his prime), basically said that once Sutter got 2 strikes on a batter, that was it. The at-bat was over. He was completely automatic. The guy won a Cy Young pitching for the Cubs in Wrigley Field, for Chrissakes. Plus, he was more of a 2-inning type of pitcher than Goose was, since he had other good pitches besides the splitter.

--Scott

[Jack of Arcades]

[ QUOTE ]
Plus, he was more of a 2-inning type of pitcher than Goose was, since he had other good pitches besides the splitter.

[/ QUOTE ]

Of course, none of that changes the fact that Goose has 4 years with higher IP totals than Bruce's best year, and I'm not counting any seasons where he started a game.

[Roy Munson]

How Goose Gossage has failed to gain entry to the Hall of Fame is mind boggling.

Gossage was a closer in an era when saves were not cherry picked by coming in to pitch one inning with no runners on base and always with a lead. Gossage often pitched two or three innings, would come in with men on base and in non save situations.

The Yankee teams of his era were dominant and Mr. Gossage was a key component of that team. Anyone who watched or had to bat against him will attest that he was The premier reliever of his time. One of the criteria for Hall of Fame selection is dominance of his generation. It is safe to say that Goose Gossage was the dominant relief pitcher in the American League as well as a pioneer along with the likes of Bruce Sutter, Sparky Lyle and Mike Marshall.

[Roy Munson]

Bert Blyleven not being selected to the Hall of Fame is a travesty. While pitching for mediocre teams at best for the majority of his career he compiled exceptional totals:

287 Wins
60 Shutouts including 9 in one season
far less than 1 hit per inning pitched
3,701 Strikeouts
3.31 lifetime ERA

Even if you don't want to induct him based on his total body of work at least make an exception and induct his curveball by itself. The Blyleven curve was a marvel. I lost count of how many times I saw him make right handed batters knees buckle.