This year's Veterans Committee Ballot

[metsguy234]

No one should go into the HOF until Pete Rose goes in!!!!!

Agreed

[TheNamelessPoet]

oh boy

[RickD]

I am going to unplug for the day MetsGuy agreed with me....I need a cup of coffee.....

[Arctic Blast]

I am going to unplug for the day MetsGuy agreed with me....I need a cup of coffee.....

Just...just take it easy, Rick. Relax. Maybe read a book or something, and try and get that heart rate down. We don't need you stroking out on us, not over this! Slow that breathing...everything is going to be okay!

[RickD]

I'm back....went for a walk and read my latest issue of Yankees magazine.....that was a close one!

[dps]

Walters. No. Not even close IMO.

Gordon. No. Over-rated.

Vernon. Maybe. Didn't have the power you really want at first, but definately a good player.

Stephens. Maybe. Under-rated, and more worthy than his contemporary and opposite number Rizzuto, but being more worthy than Rizzuto in and of itself isn't enough to make anybody worthy of the Hall, and putting him in might move him from under-rated to over-rated.

Reynolds. No. Was really good for a few years, but not at a dominant enough level to offset having a relatively short career.

White. Yes, but I'm not as enthusiastic about him as HGM seems to be.

Dahlen. Yes. Probably the best choice on the ballot.

Magee. No, but looking at his numbers, he's closer than I thought.

Mays. No. Mays was no doubt a good pitcher, but not a clear HoFera pretty unsavory character, and while I put a lot more weight on performance than character, it becomes more of a factor when the player is borderline anyway.

Ferrell. Maybe. His numbers aren't that weak in context of his era and teams, but they're not that great, either. More deserving than his brother, who's already in.

BTW, on a side note:

So, these guys only belong in the Hall of Fame IF another player is in? I never once understood that opinion. If they belong in the Hall, they belong in the Hall.

I understand the opinion, though I wouldn't characterize quite that way. Rather, I'd suggest that, ideally, we should induct the most deserving candidates first. So, logically, if we were to apply that test strictly and if we feel that, say 4 of these guys are deserving, but that Hodges is more deserving, then it makes sense to delay putting them in until Hodges is in. On the other hand, while I understand the opinion, I don't think we should be too strict in applying it, because it often happens, as it does with this ballot, we don't always have the option to induct the player we might think is most deserving.