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CBL-Commish · 03-24-2003, 01:28 PM

"tangled mess of HOF qualifications" doesn't even begin to describe it. The problem is that there have never really been any set qualifications. Not that I'm in favor of saying, say, 500 HRs automatically gets you in, but the definition of a Hall Of Famer has always been "Whatever the current powers-that-be say a HOFer is. Note: this will probably change tomorrow."

Add into that the fact that the original Baseball Encyclopedia wasn't published until 1969, so for the first 30 years of the Hall there was no comprehensive source for player stats. One rumor has it that the only reason Lloyd Waner was ever inducted is that the Vet's Committee got his brother's stats by mistake. A lot of players like McCarthy, or Bobby Wallace or Tinker/Evers/Chance were inducted without anyone really knowing how good or bad they were.

The result is that there are probably 1500 players who are every bit as good as the worst HOFer, but only a few hundred who've actually been inducted.

03-24-2003, 01:28 PM	#9 (permalink)
CBL-Commish All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Maryland Posts: 1,467 Thanked 4x in 3 posts	"tangled mess of HOF qualifications" doesn't even begin to describe it. The problem is that there have never really been any set qualifications. Not that I'm in favor of saying, say, 500 HRs automatically gets you in, but the definition of a Hall Of Famer has always been "Whatever the current powers-that-be say a HOFer is. Note: this will probably change tomorrow." Add into that the fact that the original Baseball Encyclopedia wasn't published until 1969, so for the first 30 years of the Hall there was no comprehensive source for player stats. One rumor has it that the only reason Lloyd Waner was ever inducted is that the Vet's Committee got his brother's stats by mistake. A lot of players like McCarthy, or Bobby Wallace or Tinker/Evers/Chance were inducted without anyone really knowing how good or bad they were. The result is that there are probably 1500 players who are every bit as good as the worst HOFer, but only a few hundred who've actually been inducted. __________________ For the best in O's news: Orioles' Hangout.com Last edited by CBL-Commish; 03-24-2003 at 01:31 PM.