Another year goes by and once again, the Baseball Writers' Association of America proves they lack the mental prowess required to elect baseball players to the Hall of Fame.
Too many of these so-called-experts vote based on personal feeling, team and player allegiances, and stubborn misconceptions.
They're either too dumb, too lazy, too ignorant, or too stubborn to do the research required by their Hall of Fame voting responsibility. I'm so sick and tired of this crap that I honestly don't care anymore.
But I'll take one more crack at the "for the love of God, why the hell isn't Jim Rice in the Hall of Fame" column that I've written every year since he became eligible.
I'll even go slow this time, so the baseball writers can follow what I'm saying.
(Editor's note: A recorded version will be made available for the 20% of baseball writers that are completely illiterate.)
It's simple stuff, really.
To make the Hall of Fame, you needed to be dominant in your era. You need to be respected and feared by your opponents. You need to matchup against the greatest players in the history of the game.
Jim Rice meets all of those qualifications.
Don't believe me? Let's take a look at the facts.
Can you tell me what the following baseball players have in common: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Mel Ott, Hank Greenberg, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Duke Snider, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, Hank Aaron, Billy Williams, and Jim Rice.
Give up?
They're the only Hall of Fame eligible baseball players who averaged .300 and hit 300 or more HRs over a 10-year period. Only 15 players in the history of baseball have done this (not counting active players).
Every one of those players has been elected to the Hall of Fame — except for Jim Rice.
In 1973, Hank Aaron and Billy Williams finished their 10-year stretches of .300 and 300 HRs. This tremendously rare feat was not accomplished again until Jim Rice did it between 1974 and 1984. He was the only player to accomplish this in his era (technically, he did it three times as he also accomplished this from 1975 to 1985 and from 1976 to 1986).
Over the 16 years he played in the major leagues, he led all other American League players with 382 HRs and 1,451 RBI.
And he's not in the Hall of Fame?
He's the only guy to ever have a season where he led MLB in HRs, RBIs, and 3Bs.
He had 400 total bases in 1978, which is something that at the time hadn't been accomplished in 41 years.
He was the only American League player to hit 46 home runs between 1969 and 1987. The only player to reach 46 HRs over a 17-year stretch. Not exactly the juiced ball/player era we're living in today.
Still not sure of his credentials? I'll continue...
Since the BBWAA began electing players into the Hall of Fame, only 17 players with more than 350 HRs and a career average over .290 have been eligible for the Hall of Fame. Sixteen of them are in the Hall of Fame. The 17th player is Jim Rice.
Only one player in major league history had three consecutive seasons with 35+ HRs and 200+ hits. His name was Jim Rice.
Babe Ruth and Jimmie Foxx once had three straight 39 HR, .315 average seasons. Nobody else has done this. Except for Jim Rice.
Want to talk about an unprecedented stretch of continued dominance? Between 1975 and 1986, Jim Rice is first in hits, first in multi-hit games, first in RBIs, first in go-ahead RBIs, first in total bases, first in outfield assists, second in runs scored, second in slugging, second in extra base hits, third in HRs, and eighth in batting average.
No other player appears in the top 10 of all of those categories.
But baseball writers insist year after year that he's not Hall of Fame worthy.
Are you kidding me?
Jim Rice did this without the help of performance-enhancing drugs. He did this in an era where power hitters and for-average hitters were never the same guy. He did this in an era where hitting 30 HRs in a season was actually something special.
Steroid freaks like Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds have cheapened the HR and made us all forget that a great power hitter used to be defined as someone who could top 20 HRs.
Just because 180-pound second basemen push 20 HRs these days doesn't make what guys like Jim Rice accomplished in the pre-steroid era any less amazing.
Jim Rice's career ended in 1989 because he could no longer hit a baseball. Maybe if he had PEDs (or laser eye surgery, for that matter) at his disposal he could have played a few more years and artificially elevated his career statistics up a few more notches?
If he had played three more years and averaged six HRs per season he would have reached the magic 400, making him a sure-fire Hall of Famer.
Are you telling me that if he had the same "stuff" at his disposal that, say, Barry Bonds has at his disposal he wouldn't have been able to do that?
Short of playing a few more seasons, maybe if he treated the writers better while he was playing he'd be in the Hall of Fame? Maybe if he did a few more interviews he'd get a few more votes?
After all, one of the unwritten requirements for the baseball Hall of Fame is keeping the writers happy. If you don't play nice with the media, you're apparently not a great baseball player. Regardless of how you performed on the diamond.
Well, screw the baseball writers.
Jim Rice is a Hall of Famer, even if the BBWAA is too stupid to recognize it.
I'm SeanMC.
SeanMC is the owner of Boston Sports Rants and is also a frequent contributor at The Bleacher Report. His columns will appear every other Thursday on Sports Central.
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