60 Years In 60 Days: 1964

Dick Allen in 1964

 I was born in 1964.  Some people may call that my rookie year, but if you know about baseball you know my birthday on 9/23 was just a late September call up and my Rookie year would be in 1965.

  In a similar fashion, Dick Allen (my first White Sox hero) debuted for the Philadelphia Phillies on 9/3/1963 came back in the spring of 1964 and played his rookie season.  He played all 162  games for the Philadelphia the only Phillie to do that in 1964 and just 1 of 12 in the majors. 

When I was growing up I wanted to be the starting third baseman  for the Chicago White Sox.  In 1964 22 year old Allen was the starting 3rd baseman for Philadelphia. Allen had an amazing season, one of the finest rookie seasons in MLB history. He led all of MLB with 125 runs scored.  His 13 triples were tied for first with Cubs 3rd baseman and fellow hero of my youth, Ron Santo.  He had 201 hits and 29 homeruns (5th overall for both achievements.  

Allen  had many successes but a few bumps in the road that eventually saw him be voted N.L.  Rookie Of the year.  He was an adventure at 3rd base amassing 41 errors at the hot corner.  He also led the national league in strikeouts which is great when your a pitcher but not so good when you have a bat in your hand. Allen struck out 138times  in his rookie year   but still managed  to hit .318 in '64 with a slugging percentage of .557.  

Allen's Phillies spent 135 days in first place that year but lost 10 games in a row from September 21st to the 30th in one of the greatest sports collapses in the 20th century. That most of these 10 losses happened in my first week alive is merely coincidence.  At least I hope it is. 

 Bleacher Report has an excellent article about Allen which talks about how claims that Allen was somehow to blame for the collapse have no basis in fact.  That article can be found  by clicking here.

Dick Allen as I remember him

1964 was a great year to be born and a fine year to play your first full season in the majors.  I discovered Dick Allen for myself in the early 70's and he is one of the main reasons I became a White Sox fan,  

Closing Thoughts: 

The scout that signed Dick Allen to the Phillies also saw Babe Ruth play and said of Allen that he was the only player he had seen that hit harder than Ruth.  

Dick Allen died December 7th 2020 in at the age of 78.

He is considered by many to be the best  baseball player not to be enshrined in Cooperstown.  

Jim Kaat Full Baseball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Speech and Jim Kaat on Dick Allen

Amy gave me some White Sox Ticket vouchers as a Christmas gift and while I am excited for the future of the White Sox, I still love the past of the White Sox. Here are some videos featuring HOF pitcher Jim Kaat, The former White SOx hurler. The first is his induction speech at the Hall if Fame last summer.

 

The second is an interview he did on the MLB network after the passing of Dick Allen.

 

I was very glad to see Kaat finally make it to Cooperstown. It's too bad Allen did not make it in his lifetime, I hope that He will make it soon. Love, Crazy Uncle Dave

A is for Awana, Allen, and Ample.

                                                                

Good morning and welcome to another year of the A to Z Challenge.  This year I chose 3 themes for the challenge: Limericks, MLB Sluggers in my life time, and A to Z Wordles.  For more information about these themes click here.  

I did not grow up attending the kind of churches that participate in the children's program Awana.  So, it was not until Amy and I started our own family that we participated as parents and volunteers.. Awana is a program that among other things promotes the memorization  of bible verses from children 2 -18.  They are in many ways similar to a youth scouting program and one of their biggest events is the Awana Grand Prix which is very similar to the Pine Box Derbiesthat  I participated in as a Cub Scout.    Awana is something that worked for out family for many years which I 0ne reason why I penned this limerick 8+ years ago.

                                                         Tell folks, tell friends, tell an iguana.

There's plenty of fun at Awana

                                                         We learn that God is King

                                                         We play games and we sing

                                                         But never Hakuna Matata

                                                         From My Facebook page 3/5/2014

Dick Allen (1942-2020) was my hero when I was a young White Sox fan. His 3 year tenure on the White Sox (1972-1974) is a big reason I became a White Sox fan. When you look at the list of the 10 best homerun hitters from 1964-1975, 7 of them are in the Hall of Fame. Only Dick Allen , Boog Powell and Frank Howard are not. Powell was a MVP winner and Frank Howard won the Rookie of the Year award. Allen had more homers than either of those men and won both awards. Allen hit 331 homers from 1964 -1975. 189 with the Phillies, 85 with the White Sox, 34 with the Cardinals and 23 with the Dodgers. Allen averaged 33 homers per every 162 games played.

Note: Correct letters in the correct places will be shown in bold. Correct letters in incorrect places will be shown in italics.

My starting word on March 1st for Wordle was ample.

A M P L E

With the P and the E in the correct place. I tried to think of words that would fit. The first thing that came to my mind was Rupee.

R U P E E

Much to my delight and surprise it was correct, I found out a week or so later that Rupee caused a little bit of an sensation on wordle with many people breaking their win streaks on this word for Indian currency. For me it was a rare 2 time solve, but a good way to start my a to z wordle openers.

Thus begins another April A to Z to see what other prople are posting click here.

Hall of Fame Part III: Who I Would Vote For

 Each year members of the Base Ball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) are given a hall of fame ballot with the names of the players eligible for consideration of enshrinement in Cooperstown. They are instructed to vote for as many as 10 of the players on the ballot.  This years ballot contains 30 players so the writers can vote for up to 1/3 of players on the ballot.  If a player receives 75% of the writers votes they are admitted into the Hall of Fame.  If they receive under  75% but more than 5% they are retained on the ballot for the next year.  The players have up to 10 years on the ballot to earn the 75% needed for enshrinement.

I am not a member of the BBWAA and I do not have a vote but to again  paraphrase Rob Lowe as the Grinder "What if I were? and What if I did?"

I ask myself that question about this time each year. Here is what I've come up with for 2022.

First of all a little about my process.  Each year I imagine what would happen if I was a member of the BBWAA and was asked to vote for a certain number of players  and only that number, no more, no less.  Than I imagine that I was asked to vote for one less than that original number, than one less than one less, until I was asked to just vote for one player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.  By imagining a world like this I add a ranking component that the BBWAA lacks and I am able to shed a little light onto what players achievements I value more than others.  

I also imagine a world where I am able to vote for as many players as I feel worthy of enshrinement. When I hit that number, which is 6 this year, I call that my Official Unofficial Ballot or OUB for short.  

If I had 12 votes ...

Yes, I know that I just said that each BBWAA voter gets as many as 10 votes.  But I also said, I am not a member.  As a non member in good standing, I reserve the right to modify their rules whenever I please.  

My 12th vote would go to Barry Bonds .

My yearly prognostication into all things Cooperstown started a few years before Bonds was on the ballot.  In the nine previous years he has been on the ballot, the all time leader in home runs  has never made my list before.  The reason is very simple, I would never vote for him if I was given a real ballot.  I have also never talked about why I would not vote for him. I just made my list and went on with my life.

So, why am I adding him this year?  Well first of all, I am not adding him to mu OUB, I am not even adding him to the list of 10 players (the maximum BBWAA voters can choose),  But that doesn't really answer the question as to why after 9 years of ignoring him am I putting him on my list this year? The answer is quite simple, even with all the reasons I would never vote for him the truth is had he not participated in that chapter of his life, he would have been a certain Hall of Famer. He may not have bypassed Aaron for the home Run record or even Broke McGwire's single season record, but he would have certainly been in the Hall of Fame by now and  possibly on the first ballot.  So in honor of his contributions to baseball that are not in question and because this is his last year on the ballot, one way or the other, I choose him 12th.

If I had only 11 votes, my 11th vote would go to Roger Clemens.

The 2 paragraphs I just wrote about Bonds could as easily have been written about the Rocket.  I think the only difference is Roger Clemens would have been a certain first ballot Hall of Famer if his name wasn't so linked to the scandal that I endeavor so hard not to mention by name

If I had only 10 votes, my 10th vote would go to Jeff Kent. 

I voted for Jeff Kent 6th last year here is what I said then:

He's like my poster child for outside looking in.  Even thinking about it here, I'm tempted to have Jones and Rolen leap frog him.

Last year, I did not yield to my temptation of voting for Jones and Rolen before Kent.  This year, I did (more on those players a little later).  As Kent is listed as what certainly seems to be his penultimate appearance on the BBWAA ballot, I have decided that in my mind and in my vote Kent is just not Hall of Fame material.

If I had to vote for exactly 9 players this year my 9th vote would go to Scott Rolen.

I voted for Rolen 7th last year and here is what I said then:

Not only would I pick Rolen 7th, 7 is also the number of his gold gloves and all star appearances for this former Rookie of the Year.  I have not picked him in the past but a closer look this year shows me he's right on the cusp of making my OUB.

This year, I am still pondering whether Rolen  will ever make my OUB.  It will have to be in the future as I'm still not  100% convinced he belongs there.  

If I had to vote for exactly 8 player this year my 8th vote would go to Andruw Jones.  

I voted for Jones 8th last year and here is what I said then:

If Jones retired in 2007 when he left Atlanta or if He had Atlantaesque numbers in his final 5 seasons of baseball He'd have a better chance of making Cooperstown than he does now.

The truth is that I'm not sure that Andruw Jones taking a giant step down in his performance in his final 5 years is as much of a detriment to voting for him as I've made it me.  His star is definitely on the rise and I can imagine a time when my evaluation of him would increase to the point where I'd vote for his place in the hall.

If I was told that I had to vote for exactly 7 players on the 2022 BBWAA ballot the 7th vote would go to Omar Vizquel.

I voted for Omar Vizquel 2nd among 4 players on my OUB last year, and hers is what I said then:\

Vizquel is one of those players for whom advanced metrics can't tell the full story of.  He played the game at an extremely  high level for many years. Some say his defense is over rated, I disagree.  He is a Hall of Fame caliber defender and worthy of Cooperstown.

I have not stepped away from any of those opinions in the year since I last voted.  I still think he's a hall of fame type player.  However, some of the controversy that has swirled around his nomination has made me decide to put a pause on voting for him this year and look at him with new eyes next year.

If I was told that I could vote for a many players as I wanted to this year for the Hall of Fame but they all had to be candidates that I was 100% certain I wanted in the Hall the number of players would be 6.

These 6 players would be the ones who adorned my official unofficial ballot for 2022.

The 6th of these players would be A.J. Pierzynski.

I know, it seems like I'm making a joke.  Let me assure you that I am not.  I take my role as an imaginary arbiter of Hall of Fame worthiness very seriously. As such, I think one of my responsibilites as a fictitious voter is to champion local players and keep the discussion going so their exploits can be celebrated (and debated) for more than one single season.  At first sight Pierzynski, does not scream out Cooperstown.  But I will say I have hated A.J. Pierzynski (during his 6 years with the Twins) and loved A.J. Pierzyski (starting with his 8 years for the White Sox and enduring throughout his playing career until now) for basically the same reasons,  He plays to win and does his very best night in and night out to give his team the edge.  Yes he is a ferocious competitor but he is also a beloved teammate.  I think his playing days being the embodiment of those qualities make him very worth of continued Hall of Fame conversation.

If I was told that I could vote for only 5 players on my 2022 ballot my 5th vote would be for Curt Schilling.

Last year Schilling broke onto my OUB and was ranked in 4th place. Here is what I said about him then:

I have not been advocating Schilling as a candidate for Cooperstown until very recently.  In 2020 I would have put Schilling 8th on my list and not in my OUB. He never got a mention from me in his first 7 years on the ballot.  This year as I did my research many of my earlier qualms about his candidacy seemed to disappear into the vapor.  He definitely has the resume for it ...

Last year Schilling received more votes than any other player and only missed enshrinement by 3.9 % of the vote.  He then in the Curt Schilling caricature that he has portrayed himself over the course of his candidacy he asked for his name to  be removed form consideration during his final year on the ballot.  The Hall of Fame did not remove his name but I am certain that kind of request will bring down his percentage and eliminate any chance of him getting to Cooperstown via the writer's ballot.  That doesn't change the way he played the game which is the only reason he has my vote this year.

If I was told I could vote for only 4players on my 2022 ballot my 4th vote would be for Todd Helton

Last year I voted for Todd Helton on my OUB and he was ranked third.  Here is what I said about him last year: 

...  I eventually didn't hold it against Edgar Martinez that he played most of his career as a designated hitter, I don't begrudge Helton for playing his entire career for the Rockies.  

The more I think about it the more I see Helton in the Hall. I hope that his numbers trend up this year and that a few years from now we can be celebrating his getting in.

If I was told I could only vote for 3 players this year my 3rd vote would be for David Ortiz.

I have a hard time voting for players for the Hall of Fame based on a certain issue.  This year I am putting that aside and voting for Big Papi on my OUB.  Years ago his name was leaked for failing a ped test that was supposed to be voluntary and confidential.  The players who volunteered for this test proved to be the catalyst for the mandated testing that came in it's aftermath.  The test resutls were never published so it's still unknown what he tetsted positive for.  The facts remain that he never failed a mandated test and that he's always maintained his innocence.  In this one case I let his numbers which are prodigious speak for themselves and gladly vote for his induction.

If I was told  could only vote for 2 players this year my 2nd vote would be  for Mark Buehrle.

Last year I voted for Mark Buerhle on mY OUB and I ranked him first above all other players.  Here is what I said about him then: 

He is a pitcher from another era, that's for sure, but those players of his caliber from that era are already in the hall of fame.

Last year 11% of the voters agreed with me and he's up for consideration on his 2nd year on the ballot. Smart money would say his 2nd and final year on the ballot as it doesn't look like hill get the 5% of the vote needed in this years proceedings,  I would certainly vote for him only time will tell at this point.

If I could vote for only 1 player on my Official Unofficial 2022 Hall of Fame ballot that player would be a write-in candidate.  I would write in the name of the player not in the hall of fame who most deserves to be there and that player is Dick Allen.

Last year I wrote Dick Allen's name on my ballot and ranked him 5th just shy of my OUB.  Here is what I said about him then: 

Allen who passed away late last year should already be a hall of famer. I think he will probably make it to  the next time the veterans committee of his era re-convene.  If not then he may be revisiting this list in the years to come.  

Allen came up one vote shy on the veteran's committee for the 2nd time in a row.  The battle against performance enhancing drugs was an important battle for MLB to engage in. It is not more important than the battle against racism and it's racism pure and simple that kept Allen out of the Hall of Fame.  His numbers are there.  I have written much about this in the past and I will continue to do so.  Allen will be up for reexamination bty the Golden Era committee in 5 years until then expect to see Allen's name at the top of my subsequent OUB's.

Now a quick prediction.

I think that only one player's name will be announced later today and that player will be David Ortiz.  Of the remaing players on my OUB I believe Pierzynski will get no where near the 5% needed to be on the 2023 ballot.  Schilling will have his lowest voting percentage in the last 3 elections and will have no one to blame but himself. Todd Helton will probably climb 10 percentage points this year poised to make a run for enshrinement in the next couple of years. Buehrle will not get near the 11 percent form last year and miss or make the 5% cutoff by 3 votes or less.  Dick Allen is not on the ballot, so he probably won't make it this year.  

This was fun.  It is every year.  I'll be back in a few days with a follow up piece.

Nolan Ryan vs. The White Sox You win some and you lose some

If you mention Nolan Ryan and the Chicago White Sox many people conjure  an image of  Arlington  Texas August 4 , 1993. As depicted in the video below White Sox 3rd baseman

 and future manager Robin Ventura took exception to  being beaned by Ryan to start the inning rushed the mound and preceded to get pounded by Ryan.

I originally started this post a few months ago. Until that day, I never saw footage  of this incident.  I lived in Russian from December 1992 to November 1994 and even though I heard about the altercation had not seen the footage until now.  The melee was near the end of a storied career by Nolan Ryan. 

The Hall of Famer threw a record 7 no hitters from May 15, 1973 to May 1, 1991.  He also took 5 other  potential no hitters into the 9th inning.  The first of these disappointments came against the White Sox on 8/7/1974 when Ryan was with the Angels.

Watching the last inning of tthat game was very nostalgic for me.  The 1972-1974 Dick Allen era White Sox represent the beginning of my almost 50 year obsession with the White Sox.  Listening to Harry Caray call the action years before he headed over to the north side and  watching the likes of Allen, Jorge Orta, Ken Henderson and Bill Melton harkened me back to those early days. v

This game  features  3 future hall of famers in prominent roles.  Frank Robinson homered in the 2nd to give the Angels a 1 run lead.  Jim Kaat pitched a 9 inning gem scattering 6 hits and only allowing 1 run on the Robinson smash. Through 8 innings Ryan was the star of the show until the 9th inning when should be hall of famer Dick Allen broke the no hitter by running flat out on a check swing.  Click here to read a great account of the game along with a historical perspective of the time in which it was played.  Perhaps 

Minoso, Kaat, Hodges and Oliva make Hall. Dick Allen snubbed again.

 On Sunday, December 5th of this year.  The Golden Days Era Committee voted on the 10 candidates up for the Hall of Fame.  Before they met I wrote my analysis here.  We had a busy day on Sunday celebrating my Daughter's 16th birthday a day early and picking out and decorating our Christmas Trees.  It wasn't until my daughter's actual birthday the next day, that I saw the results of the voting.  The Committee voted to put Minnie Minoso, Jim Kaat, Gil Hodges and Tony Oliva in the Hall.  In my opinion they are all worthy of induction.  I am especially happy about Minoso and Kaat's election. also the look on my Dad's face when he heard that Gil Hodges, who hit a home run at the first MLB game he ever attended was one of the biggest thrills of my life.  

However as much joy as I feel about who the committee did include pales in comparison to the misery I feel about the exclusion of Dick Allen who for the 2nd time missed the HOF by 1 vote,   Allen was my first White Sox hero and in my opinion more deserving than any of the aforementioned 4 of enshrinement.  

Some might say that I'm not objective, as I've already declared that He was my hero. The truth is he was my hero over 50 years ago and for years I accepted the story that he had not played long enough and was not a high character guy as legitimate reasons for him not being in Cooperstown.

Over the past 10 years as I have  learned more about the racism he encountered in Philadelphia from the fans and the Press and as the advanced stats that were not available until a few decades ago that have validated his career as one of the best players of his generation have made me realize that my first White Sox hero is probably the best baseball player not in the Hall of Fame. (

Here is one of many fine articles that articulate why he should be in the Hall.)

I guess it is possible to be  deeply disappointed and delighted at the same time.  I am delighted that Minnie Minoso long career has finally been validated, and at the same time,  I am deeply disappointed that Dick Allen's family could not celebrate along with Minoso's.  I am also hopeful that in 5 years time when the committee meets again that Dick Allen's HOF caliber career will finally be recognized. 

Jim Kaat HOF class of 2022

Minnie Minoso HOF class of 2022

Gil Hodges HOF class of 2022

Tony Oliva HOF Class of 2022

Dick Allen

Still Waiting???!!!???!!!

Golden Days Era Ballot

 On January 25, 2022 the attention of the baseball loving public turns once again  to Cooperstown, New York for the announcement of  those who will be inducted into the  2022 class of Baseball's Hall of Fame   

Each year the BBWAA (Base Ball Writer's Association of America) is tasked to pick among the most elite of the previous generation of ballplayers who will be placed with the rest of the legends of the sport.  

This process now can take approximately 15 years as players are placed on the writer's ballot 5 years after retiring from the game and players are allowed to be on the ballot up to 10 years while trying to receive the 75% of the sportswriters votes  needed to be elected to the hall. 

This is not the only avenue available for players to be enshrined into Cooperstown.  There is a path for players not elected by the BBWAA as well as managers, umpires and executives to be included into the HOF.  This path formerly called the veteran's committee now has 4  individual committees  based on the era that the individuals were involved in the sport: The Today's Game Committee (1988 to Present) , Modern Baseball Committee (1970-1987), The Golden Days Era Committee (1950 to 1969) and the Early Baseball Era Committee (1871-1949).

At least one of the committees meets each year at the annual Baseball Winter Meetings . The Today's Game and Modern Baseball Committees meet twice every 5 years.  The Golden Days Era meets once every 5 years while the Early Baseball group meets once every 10 years.  On December  5th of this year the Golden Day's Era Committee and the Early Baseball era  Committee (each comprised of 16 members)will both vote on 10 people to be considered for Cooperstown.  Any one receiving 75% of the vote or more will be among those announced in the Hall of Fame on 1/25/2020 and inducted on Sunday, July 24th 2022. 

The remainder of this article is about the Golden Era Ballot.  

These are the  9 former players and 1 former manager who are under consideration on the Golden Era Ballot

Dick Allen  Years Played:  1963-1977 Teams: Philadelphia Phillies , Chicago White Sox , LA Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals,   and Oakland Athletics 

Allen was the 1964 NL Rookie of the Year when playing for the Phillies and the 1972 AL MVP for the  White Sox as well as a 7 time all star.  Allen has been considered by the committee on 3 past occasions missing enshrinement by 1 vote in 2015. Dick Allen passed away on December 7, 2020 at the age of 78.

Ken Boyer Years Played: 1955-1969 Teams: St. Louis Cardinals, LA Dodgers, NY Mets, and Chicago White Sox.

While Dick Allen was earing his NL Rookie of the Year award in Philly, Boyer was the  NL MVP  for the 1964 World Champion Cardinals. He was also  an 11 time all star with 5 gold gloves at third base.  Boyer has also been considered by the committee on 3 past occasions.  Ken Boyer died on September 7. 1982 at the age of 51.

Gil Hodges Years Played:1943 - 1963 Teams: Brooklyn & LA Dodgers and New York Mets.

Hodges was an 8 time all star with 3 gold gloves,  He played for the World Series Champion 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers and 1959 WS Champ LA Dodgers.  He managed the 1969 Mets so he has caused a little misery to both Chicago teams over the years.  Hodges has been considered by 4 previous veteran's committees, the most recent being in 2015. Gil Hodges only  lived to the age of 47 dying on April 2, 1972. 

Fun Fact: Gil Hodges homered in the first baseball game my Dad ever saw on 6/28/1953 in County Stadium in Milwaukee.  Fellow Golden Era nominee Dick Allen homered in the first White Sox game I ever went to but I think I had been to a few Cubs games before that.

Jim Kaat Years Played 1959-1983 Teams Washington Senators and Minnesota Twins (same franchise), Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees. 

Kaat is a 3 time 20 game winner (twice in a row with my beloved White Sox), a 3 time all star and owner of a whopping 16 consecutive gold glove awards. Kaat pitched in the 1965 World Series for the Twins as they lost to the Dodgers and in 1982 pitched in the World Series as his Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers. Kaat has been considered on 3 previous occasions missing enshrinement by only 2 votes in 2015. Jim Kaat is one of 3 living former players on the ballot and turned 83 earlier this month.

Roger Maris Years Played 1957-1968 Teams New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians. St. Louis Cardinals,  and Kansas City Athletics.  

Maris won back to back AL MVP awards in 1960 and 1961  for the Yankees  In 1961 Maris broke Babe Ruth's home run record with 61. Maris was in 7 all star games , 7 World Series (winning with the Yankees in '61 and in '62 and with the Cardinals in '67. Maris has been on the veteran's ballot 1 previous time in 2007. Roger Maris lived until 1985 dying at the age of 51.

Minnie Minoso Years Played: (1946-1980) *includes his time in the negro leagues and his return to baseball in 1976 and 1980* Teams: Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, New York Cubans, Washington Senators, St. Louis Cardinals.

Minoso had a life time batting average of .298 and was 37 hits shy of 2000.  A 9 time American League All Star (4 time all star with the negro leagues). Minnie had 4 gold gloves and his only post season play was when the New York Cubans won the Negro League World Series in 1947. Minoso was the first black player to play for the White Sox.  Minoso has been on 4 previous Veterans committee ballots, in 2015 he received 8 of 16 possible votes.  Minnie Minoso died in 2015 less than 9 months before he would have turned 90.  

Danny Murtaugh Years Managed (1957-1976) Team Pittsburgh Pirates

Murtaugh is the only person on this years Golden Days Era Ballot that I had not previously heard of. Murtaugh played  second base for the Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Braves, and Pittsburgh Pirates from 1941 to 1951 in between serving in WW II.  As a manager, Murtaugh led the Pirates to two World Series championships in 1960 and 1971 and managed 3 all star games..  Murtaugh has been twice considered by veterans committees previously in 2008 & 2010. Danny Murtaugh died at the age of 59 on December 2, 1976 just 2 months after retiring as the Bucs manager.  

Tony Oliva Years Played (1962-1976) Team Minnesota Twins

Oliva like Murtaugh did as a manager, retired from playing baseball after the 1976 season.  In the American League( like Dick Allen in the NL)  was  the 1964 Rookie of the Year. Oliva won back to back AL batting crowns in 64&65 and a third in 1971 and was an all star for 8 consecutive years beginning in his sensational '64 campaign. Olivia received as much as 47.3% of the BBWAA votes in his 15 years on their ballot.  This is his 5th time being considered by committees and like Allen he missed enshrinement by only 1 vote  in 2015.  Unlike Allen, Tony Oliva who turned 83 earlier this year may still be alive if Cooperstown does finally come calling.  

Billy Pierce Years Played 1945-1964) Teams Chicago White Sox, San Francisco Giants, Detroit Tigers, 

Pierce is among  5 former White Sox players being considered for the HOF by the committee this year.  While he neither began or finished his illustrious career with the Sox, he hurled 13 seasons for the pale hose and had his # 19  was retired by the club back in 1987. Pierce was a 7 time all star and was the AL pitcher of the Year in 1955 with an  era of 1.97.  Pierce was on the veterans ballot for the first time in 2015.  Billy Pierce died in 2015 at the age of 88.  

Maury Wills Years Played:1959:1972 Teams Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Montreal Expos.

Wills was a 7 time all star with back to back gold gloves at shortstop in 1961 and 1962. In 1962 Wills was the NL MVP as well as the All Star MVP.  He played in 4 World Series for the Dodgers winning the championship 3 times. This is Wills 4th time being considered by the veterans committee  receiving 9 of the minimum 12 votes needed for enshrinement back in 2015.  Maury Wills turned 89 this past October.  

Fun Fact: Wills, Pierce and Hodges all played in the 1959,  World Series.  This does not include Minnie Minoso  who  played for the White Sox   in all but 2 seasons between 1950 and 1961.  Alas, one of those season was 1959, otherwise 4 of the 10 players on this years ballot would have been in that  series.  

Analysis:

This is a very deserving class and itis more than a little mind numbing that some of these players were not enshrined long ago.  I have a well earned reputation as a Sox homer so it should not be surprising that I think I can make a good argument for inclusion into the HOF for 4 of these former southsiders. That being said, I think the two most logical candidates for enshrinement this time out are the two players (Dick Allen and Tony Oliva) who missed it by one vote in 2015.  This would allow for my first  White Sox hero to achieve in death what I think he most certainly earned in life and to have Oliva avoid the same speedbump on his eventual road to Cooperstown. 

If there are more than these 2 enshrined look to Kaat, Wills and Minoso as the logical candidates. The rest of the field are also quite deserving and have 1 two time MVP in Maris and 1 MVP in Boyer not to take anything away from Pierce, Hodges or Murtaugh.  I guess we will have to wait until December 5th to find out if any of these fine baseballers are Cooperstown bound.  We've been waiting  so long for some of them, what's another 10 days?

Last 5 Next 10

 I enjoy reading and I enjoy writing.  It is sometimes difficult for me to write about either writing or reading.  Each Summer I try to read books and then post short reviews on one blog or the other.  Each summer I fail miserably in the review department.  I started strong but I can't keep up with the individual posts.  This year I'm going to try something different.  let's see how I do.  After finishing 5 books, I will mention them here and then list off ten books that I am either in some process of reading (I read several books at a time) or am planning to read soon.  

Before I begin, lets define what I mean by reading. I mean by reading either reading the printed page, reading an on line version of a book,  or listening to a book on tape, c.d., play-a-way or on line or being read to by someone live or reading to someone live.   I am less reticent about this practice than I was when I wrote Is listening the new reading? a couple years back.

LAST 5 BOOKS READ

I am using the following  scale. to quickly rate these books:

hate dislike okay like love

 

Dick Allen: The Life and Times of a Baseball Immortal by William C Kashatus

Why I chose this book: I have been a White Sox fan since 1972 and Dick Allen was a big reason why I became a fan and was my first White Sox hero. Mr. Allen passed away in the latter part of 2020 and I have been finding out more about him since then.

Type: Book (Read it to myself)

How Obtained: Inter-library loan through my local library.

Rating: Closer to Like than Love

The Quick and the Dead by Louis L'Amour

Why I chose this book: Allen Levi, one of my favorite musicians reccommended the works of Louis L'AMour by singing about him.  In "The Reason I Read Louis L'Amour" Levis distills a basic L'amour plot and in the chorus describes the basic recipe for a L'Amour book ...

A little bit of gunfire, a little bit of romance, a little bit of mystery and a little bit of gore. No matter what fix he's in, you know the good guy's gonna win. That's the reason I read Louis Lamour.

This and other Allen Levi songs and albums are available at band camp.

Type: Book (read it to myself)

How Obtained: Borrowed from collection at my local library.

Rating: Much closer to like than okay.

Rider of Lost Creek By Louis L'Amour

Why I chose this book: For the same exact reason I read The Quick and the Dead. In fact, I borrowed them at the same time from my local library.  

Rating: I liked this a little better than Quick and the Dead, a solid Like.

I am a Church Member - Thom S Rainer 

Why I chose this book: It is part of the curriculum for church membership in our church. 

Type: Book (alternated reading it to my wife and having her read it to me)

How obtained: Our church gave it to us as part of the membership class.  

Rating: It was a pretty good book, but Amy and I noticed several typo's.  We enjoyed the experience of reading to each other a little more than the content so I'll give it a solid Like.  If I had just read it to myself, i'd probably rank it just below the L'Amour books. 

 

Utah Blaine by Louis L'amour

Why I chose this book: I enjoyed the first two L'Amout books so I picked up 2 more the next time I was at my local library 

Type: Book (read to myself)

Rating: Between Like and Love, but I'm pretty sure that one of the draws of L'Amour's fiction is that whichever of his books you happen to be reading it becomes your new favorite. ( I am currently reading my 4th L'Amour and I think I like it just a little better than this one.)  

2021 Book Stats as of 3/13/21

5 books read in 72 days that's an average of 1 book read for every 14.4 days.  Those numbers are a little skewed as I didn't finish my first book of the year until February.  Even so, at that rate I should finish 25 books this year.  I do expect that projection to go up in future installments but we shall see,

10 Books I'm Reading or Planning to Read Soon

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

Hank Aaron: Groundbreaking Baseball Slugger - Doug Williams

 

How To Win The Culture War - Peter Kreeft

Hondo - Louis L'Amour

Farmer Boy - Laura Ingalls Wilder

Humor and the Presidency - Gerald Ford

For the Love of Mike - Mike Royko

Schulz and Peanuts - David Michaelis 

Jimmy Stweart, Bomber Pilot - Starr Smith

Little House on the Prairie - Laura Ingalls Wilder 

I would not be surprised if at my next installment I have read books that are not on this list, nor would I be surprised of some of the books on the next 10 list drop off for a while or permanently.  I am very eclectic and  this certainly shows in my reading choices.  

You'll notice that there is been no attempt made my be at all to review any of these books.  I do leave the door open to that possibility in the future. I think that will work better in my goal of chronicling my reading foot print for the year 2021.

Hall of Fame Voting Results 2021

 The 2021 BBWAA voting for the Hall of Fame was announced on January 26th.  For the 3rd time since 1996 no one received the 75% of the vote needed for enshrinement this year.  

Here is a quick list of the voting results with years on ballot this years % & last years percentage (where applicable) and where they appeared on my unofficial ballot(Those ranking 4th or higher would have been on my official ballot if I had one). Ranked in descending order of vote received.

Curt Schilling 9th year on ballot 71.1 % in 2021 70% in 2020 Schilling was 4th on my 2021 ballot.

Barry Bonds 9th year on ballot 61.8% in 2021 60.7% in 2020 I did not vote for Bonds.

Roger Clemens 9th year on ballot 61.6% in 2021 61% in 2020 I did not vote for Clemens

Scott Rolen 4th year on ballot  52.9% in 2021 35.3% in 2020 Rolen was 7th on my 2021 ballot.

Omar Vizquel 4th year on ballot 49.1% in 2021 52.6% in 2mmy021 Vizquel was 2nd on my 2021 ballot.

Billy Wagner 6th year on ballot 46.4% in 2021 31.7% in 2020. I did not vote for Wagner in 2021.

Todd Helton 3rd year on ballot 44.9% in 2021 29.2 in 2020. Helton was 3rd on my ballot in 2021.

Gary Sheffield 7th year on ballot 40.6% in 2021 30.5% in 2020.  Sheffield  would have appeared 11th on my 2021 ballot. (official ballots can only have as many as 10 players on them)

Andruw Jones 4th year on ballot 33.9% in 2021 and 19.4% in 2020. Andruw was 8th on my ballot in 2021. 

Jeff Kent 8th year on ballot 32.4% in 2021 27.5% in 2020. Kent was 6th on my ballot in 2021.

Manny Ramirez 5th year on ballot 28.2% in 2021 and 2020. I did not vote for Ramirez.

Sammy Sosa 9th year on ballot. 17% in 2021 13.9% in 2020. I did not vote for Sosa.

Andy Pettitte 3rd year on ballot. 13.7% in 2021 11.3% in 2020. I did not vote for Pettitte in 2021.

Mark Buehrle 1st year on ballot received 11% this year  and was 1st on my ballot.

Torii Hunter 1st year on ballot received 9.5% this year and was 9th on my ballot.

Bobby Abreu 2nd year on ballot received 8.7% in 2021 5.5% in 2020 Bobby was 10th on my ballot in 2021 

Tim Hudson 1st year on ballot received 5.2% in 2020 and I did not vote for Hudson this year.

These 17 players are eligible to return to the ballot on 2022

Other 1st year playes receiving votes were Aramis Ramirez (who would have been 13th on my ballot) LaTroy Hawkins and Barry Zito.  5 players (AJ Burnett, Shane Victorino, Dan Haren, Michael Cuddyer and Nick Swisher) failed to receive any votes.  

This years vote was the first time since 2013 that no one was voted in by the members of the BBWAA a look back at the 2013 ballot should give the players shutout on this years a vote a reason for hope. 17 players from the 2013 ballot returned to the 2014 ballot. These 13 did not include Dale Murphy who was in his last year of eligibility.     4 of those players were on the ballot for the first time are still on the ballot (Schilling, Bonds, Clemens & Sosa). 9 Of the 13 remaining have since been inducted to Cooperstown. 

Here is a list of those 9 in descending order of votes received in 2013

Craig Biggio was in his 1st of year  eligibility and received 68.2 % of the vote in 2013.  He increased his % to 74.8% of the vote in 2014 (just missing the 75% threshhold for enshrinement) and then in 2015 in his third year on the ballot was inducted with 82.7% of the ballot.  

Jack Morris was in his 14th year of eligibility in 2013. This was back when  candidates were on the ballot for a maximum of 15 years rather than 10.  He received 67.7% in 2013 61.5% in 2014  on his last chance for enshrinement through the BBWAA.  In 2018 Morris was elected to the Hall of Fame through the veterans committee. 

Jeff Bagwell was in his 3rd year on the ballot in 2013 where he received 59.6 % of the vote.  In 2014 he went down to 54.3 and up to 55.7% in 2015. His percentage increase by more than 15% in each of the next 2 years culminating with his election to Cooperstown in 2017

Like Schilling, Bonds, Clemens, Sosa, & Biggio, Mike Piazza was on the BBWAA ballot for the first time in 2013.  Piazza received over 55% of the vote in 2013 and increased into the 60's the next 2 elections until garnering 83% in 2016 on his way to Cooperstown.  

Tim Raines was in his 6th year on the ballot in 2013 where he received 52 % of the vote.  In 2014 his votes went down to 46.4% due to the election of Frank Thomas, of 7 Maddux and Tom Glavine in their first year of eligibility.  In 2015 received 55% of the votes and then went up to 69.8%  in 2016 and over 80% in 2017 achieving the Hall of Fame. 

Lee Smith was in his 11th year on the ballot in 2013 where he received 47.8 % of the vote. In 2014 after receiving between 35 & 51 % of the vote in first 11 years of the ballot Smith saw his numbers drop.  He went from 47.8 % in 2013 to 29.8 % in 2014.  His numbers increased a little in each of his last 3 years on the ballot and his final BBWAA % was 34.2% in 2017. 2 years later in 1019 the Veteran's committee came calling and he was inducted into Cooperstown.

Edgar Martinez was in his 4th year of eligibility when he received 35.4% of the vote in the 2013 ballot.  His % decreased to the 20's the following 2 years due mainly  to the influx of 7 1st year hall of famers on those ballots and the 10 player limit imposed on the writers.  In 2016 Martinez rose to 43.4% and increased by about 15% each year until 2019 where he received 85.4% of the vote in his last year of eligibility.

Alan Trammell received 33.6 % of the vote in 2013 on his 12th year on the ballot. This percentage dropped to 20.8 in 2013 increased to 25.1 in 2015 and went up again to 40.9% in 2016 on his final year on the writer's ballot.  The Veteran's Committe elected him to Cooperstown in 2018.

Larry Walker was in his 3rd year on the ballot in 2013 when he received 21.6% of the vote. Walkers votes went down in 2014 and 2015 and slowly climbed back up year after year until reaching 76.6% of the vote last year.  

Fred McGriff, Mark McGwire, Don Mattingly and Rafael Palmeiro returned to the 2014 ballot and have all since been eliminated from election by the BBWAA.  They could still make it to Cooperstown by means of the Veteran's Committee.

Of the 9 Hall of Famers (so far) from the 2013 ballot 6 were elected on the writer's ballot and 3 by the veteran's committee. 

In 1996 there were also no players receiving the need 75% of votes on the writer's ballot needed for induction to Cooperstown. Since then 7 players from that ballot have been inducted Although Joe Torre was inducted in 2014 as a manager and not a player.  .  The other 6 are Phil Niekro (1997 BBWAA), Tony Perez 2000, BBWAA), Don Sutton (1998 BBWAA),  Ron Santo (2012 Veteran's Committee), Jim Rice (2009 BBWAA) & Bruce Sutter (2006 BBWAA).  There are several players from that ballot including Dick Allen who may someday join the other 7 inductees via the Veteran's Committee.  

While the tales of the players from the 1996 & 2013 ballots may encourage the players from the 2021 ballot about their future in the hall their immediate inclusion seems less likely.  No players are aging off the ballot this year and players  like David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez are being added to the 2022 ballot.  Curt Schillings seems to have the next chance for Cooperstown in 2022 as he has 4% of voters to gain.  He recently asked to be removed from the ballot and while that doesn't seem likely this may not increase his chances on maintainig his votes let alone garnering new support.