Three former Dbacks, Jay Bell, Matt Williams and Mark Grace earned their way onto the 2009 Hall of Fame ballot.
Now, it's time to say No.
Bell was a solid citizen and underrated player but the closest he's getting to Cooperstown is the Hoyle of Fame.
Any outside shot Matt Williams had at induction plummeted due south, along with curious prescriptions from a Florida dentist, but it should be noted Matty accumulated four gold gloves and more MVP shares (1.86) than HOF third basemen Eddie Mathews (1.61) or Paul Molitor (1.43), and more than a host of other inductees incl Willie McCovey and Jackie Robinson.
Chicagoan Dan Bickley argued that Mark Grace's numbers, presumably clean, will benefit from a second look in the steroid era. That's true, but to suggest Grace deserves serious consideration requires a giant leap of common sense. This was a media darling who never finished in the top dozen in NL MVP voting. No amount of pharmaceutical correctness can reposition Grace into an arguably great player, let alone the equal of John Olerud.
Song of the Day: Dont Look Back - Temptations (Lead: Paul Williams)
2 comments:
Agreed that Grace isn't a Hall of Famer any more than Keith Hernandez is, but his candidacy----which on the surface would elicit head shakes and no ways----is actually not THAT far off and his years of major production are numbered at 14, while Keith's are at 12. If Grace had been able to hang around until he was 43 and compile 2800-3000 hits, 220 homers, etc. he might've gotten in eventually.
I indicated Grace wasnt any better than John Olerud. Hernandez was better than Grace. Keith was a better fielder and a better hitter. He was better on Seinfeld. Mark was better on the bases and in bars. I think that about covers it :-)
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