Thursday, August 03, 2017
Baseball Hall of Fame Inductions-2017
They opened
the doors of the Hall, just slightly last weekend, to permit three
players and two executives to pass into the Hall. Each is honoured
with a plaque, a permanent reminder that each contribute
significantly to the game of baseball. The Hall is located in
Cooperstown, New York, an easy day's drive from this part of Ontario.
It is a wonderful place, and a delightful town, well worth the
effort.
Former
Commissioner Bud Selig and John Schuerholz were inducted. But this is
really about the players. The Baseball Hall of |Fame is the toughest
of all four major sports' halls to enter. They don't just induct you.
You become “enshrined”, almost like having your baby boots
bronzed.
Tim Raines
entered the Hall as a Montreal Expo. He played for the Expos from
1979 to 1990, with a brief stint in 2001. He also played for the
White Sox, the Yankees, the A's, the Orioles, and the Marlins.
During one
ten year stretch in his career, he was an elite player. From 1991
onward, he had more hits, more runs scored, and more times reaching
base than any other player. Tim Raines could run. He stole more than
70 stolen bases in 6 straight years. He finished his career with 808
stolen bases. He was an all star outfielder his first seven seasons
in the major leagues. He won the batting title in 1986. And he won
two World Series rings with the Yankees, but not with the Expos. That
is indeed a sore spot.
Ivan “Pudge”
Rodriguez spent most of his career with the Texas Rangers. He was
there from 1991 to 2002, also briefly in 2009. he also had stops in
Florida, Detroit, with the Yankees, the Astros, the Nationals, and
again with the Marlins. He won a World Series with the Marlins in
2003. He won 13 Gold Gloves as the best catcher in the league, and
attended 14 All Star games.
Pudge hit
.296 over the 21 seasons he spent in the major leagues. He finished
his career with more hits, doubles, and total bases than any other
catcher in the history of the game. He also caught 2 427 games to
establish a mark for other catchers.
Jeffrey
Robert Bagwell played his entire career with the Houston Astros from
1991 to 2005. He had a career batting average of .297. Other
impressive numbers? He scored 1 517 runs, he drove in 1 529 runs over
his 15 year career, and he hit 30 home runs in nine different
seasons. He even chalked up 202 stolen bases. He was a durable
player, with 160 or more games played in six seasons.
Bagwell was
the “Rookie of the Year” when he broke in in 1991, and was the
league MVP in 1994. He was an all star 4 times.
Expo fans
anxiously await the results of next year's ballot. There is a good
chance that Vladimir Guerrero will make the grade. Other potential
inductees include Trevor Hoffman and Jim Thome. Always a fine
occasion. See you there next July.
James Hurst
August 1,
2017.
# posted by James Hurst @ 8:38 AM 
