2007 Baseball HOF Ballots

[Coach]

When you vote, please place your reasoning of your votes.

[milkman]

I would vote for Gossage, Gwynn, McGwire, and Lee Smith.

Gwynn should be a shoe-in.
Best hitter in the game over the last 40 years.

Gossage was quite possibly the most dominating closer ever, and he did it in an era before the role became so specialized, pitching as many as 3 innings in games.

Whether or not you believe McGwire's stats are tainted , the fact, he has the numbers and there is no proof that he ever took steroids.

Lee Smith just fell on the positive side of the bubble.
You simply can't discount his numbers.

The rest just didn't do enough.

[Coach]

I would vote for Gossage, Gwynn, McGwire, and Lee Smith.

Gwynn should be a shoe-in.
Best hitter in the game over the last 40 years.

Gossage was quite possibly the most dominating closer ever, and he did it in an era before the role became so specialized, pitching as many as 3 innings in games.

Whether or not you believe McGwire's stats are tainted , the fact, he has the numbers and there is no proof that he ever took steroids.

Lee Smith just fell on the positive side of the bubble.
You simply can't discount his numbers.

The rest just didn't do enough.

Hmm... no support for Cal?

[milkman]

Hmm... no support for Cal?

I somehow manged to overlook Cal Ripken's name in the poll.

I don't think he was a "great" player, but he was consistent, and his impact on the game can not be measured by numbers alone, except of course for the streak.

Yeah, I would have voted for him had I not overlooked his name.

[2112]

Goose Gossage..Tony Gwynn..Jack Morris..and Ripken(only because of the streak)he was an average ball player otherwise..Lou Gehrig used to have 40-50 HR'S and 190 RBI's a year during his consecutive game streak(absolutely amazing)

[Coach]

I somehow manged to overlook Cal Ripken's name in the poll.

I don't think he was a "great" player, but he was consistent, and his impact on the game can not be measured by numbers alone, except of course for the streak.

Yeah, I would have voted for him had I not overlooked his name.

Yeah, the list is a long one, that's for sure.

I agree with you that he wasn't a great player, but being consistent, in my view, makes a player great. Not to mention that he played 2,632 straight games, which took 16 years to establish.

Also, I feel that he pioneered the way for taller and larger shortstops.

[Coach]

Who the hell voted for Baines?

[milkman]

Yeah, the list is a long one, that's for sure.

I agree with you that he wasn't a great player, but being consistent, in my view, makes a player great. Not to mention that he played 2,632 straight games, which took 16 years to establish.

Also, I feel that he pioneered the way for taller and larger shortstops.

Yeah, but I kinda miss the Fred Pateks of the baseball world.

[2112]

Who the hell voted for Baines?
I was just going to ask that :hmmm:

[Coach]

This list has pretty good players listed.

Mattingly, Dawson, Smith, Gossage, Rice, Ripken, and Trammell.

[Eleazar]

Who the hell voted for Baines?

Who didnt vote for Lee Smith. Didn't he retire as the all time saves leader? :spock:

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Lee Smith, Gossage, Ripken, Gwynn.

I was close on Tommy John (he actually has really good career numbers) and Trammell, but neither one measures up.

McGwire probably deserves a spot given the amount of juicers/cheaters that are in, but I just can't do it. His public cowardice shames me as a Cardinal fan and former McGwire supporter.

[RJ]

Cal Ripken - C'mon guys, that's not even close. 3000+ hits, 400+ HR's, 2 MVP's, ROY, World Series ring, and then that Iron Man thing. No brainer.

Tony Gwynn - If Rod Carew is a HOF' er then so is Gwynn.

Bert Blyleven - How is guy not already in? He won 287 games with a career ERA of 3.31 and his 3701 K's put him 5th all time. Really, why is he not in?

Goose Gossage - Saved 310 games when a save meant something, not like today when the closer can come in to face one batter with a 3 run lead and get a save. Dominant in his day.

Andre Dawson - 300/300 club. ROY, MVP. I believe if he hadn't played in Montreal he'd already be in.


Murphy, Rice, Morris, Trammell all have arguments to be made. McGwire......I'd make him wait.....maybe forever.

[Calcountry]

I voted for Bert Blyleven, scariest curveballer until Barry Zito. Longevity in the league as well.

Goose Gossage was the model closer before there was such a thing, awesome career, and feared out of the pen, by everyone except George Brett that is.(Pine Tar.)

Dave Parker, great bat, and a cannon shot from right field that I will never forget(all star game was signature).

Cal Ripkin, whats to say, IronmanII, non hotdog, decent bat, decent glove. In an era of steroids, he just workmanliked his way into likeability, and he gets my vote.

[Calcountry]

Ripkin, Gwynn, Gossage, and Blyleven are the Planets selection so far this year.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

I forgot to include my vote for Dawson.

[South Dakotan]

Bert Blyleven - How is guy not already in? He won 287 games with a career ERA of 3.31 and his 3701 K's put him 5th all time. Really, why is he not in?

He's essentially Don Sutton without 300 wins. That's the primarily the reason he's not in.

Like Sutton, Blyleven had a long career of consistency but never really stood out in a single season. He was named to only 2 All-Star teams and he got one Cy Young vote in his only 20 win season in 1973.

In 1984, the AL Cy Young voters felt Blyleven was the best starting pitcher in the American League that season, but he finished third in the balloting to two relievers in Willie Hernandez and Dan Quisenberry. A 19-7 pitcher with 2.87 ERA would not lose out to two relievers today unless they had a Eric Gagne 2003 type season.

Sutton had a difficult time getting in too, but being part of the 300 win club is what eventually got him over the hump.

Also, Blyleven served up so many long balls and lost 250 games which doesn't help his cause and those checkmarks have stood out in the back of voters' minds.

I am a Blyleven fan and I voted for him. He deserves to be there, but the problem is trying to change the stubborn thinking of old school voters who don't care for any of the new age statisical analysis.