REVISIT: HALL OF FAME #11: JOSH GIBSON: CLASS OF 1972

Going to do a bit of revisiting today, this time my 1972 "Hall of Fame Induction" card for perhaps the greatest catcher the game has ever seen, Josh Gibson, who rightfully got his place in Cooperstown, though sadly many years after his passing:

Really, what is left to be said about perhaps the greatest Negro League player of all-time?

The "Black Babe Ruth", sadly so many of his achievements are lost to lack of true record-keeping through his extensive barn-storming play.

He was reported to have hit about 800 lifetime home runs, hit a ball completely out of Yankee Stadium (something never done before or since), posted a .384 lifetime average, won nine home run titles and four batting titles.

What DOES remain fact was that throughout the years since his death in 1947 at the young age of 35 from a stroke, Gibson is considered one of the all-time great power hitters, hands-down.

In 2000, when the Sporting News posted their "100 Greatest Baseball Players of All-Time", Gibson was ranked 18th, the highest position of any Negro League player (ahead of Satchel Paige, Buck Leonard, Cool Papa Bell and Oscar Charleston).

The man was, and is, still mythic in baseball lore.

Sadly because of the "gentleman's agreement" instituted at the turn of the 20th century, we'd never see him perform against his contemporaries in the Major Leagues.

 

REVISITING MY 1971 HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CARD FOR SATCHEL PAIGE

Thought it would be fun to revisit another 10-year-old post here on the blog today, this one of my 1971 "Hall of Fame Induction" card of the great Satchel Paige, beginning what was FINALLY some recognition by the powers that be in Cooperstown for the Negro League greats that deserved their place in the Hall:

Paige was inducted into the Hall by special committee, the Negro League Committee, and was an obvious choice.

The stories of Paige in his prime are endless, and while most are embellished beyond any scope of reality, the man was an incredible pitcher that many Major League stars who opposed him during his prime went out of their way to say so.

On the Major League level, Paige made his debut in 1948 with Cleveland at the ripe old age of 41, going 6-1 with a 2.48 earned run average over 21 games, seven of which were starts.

The following season he went 4-7 with a 3.04 E.R.A., but ended up missing all of 1950 before coming back to pitch three more years with the St. Louis Browns, going a combined 18-23 with a couple of shutouts and 26 saves over 126 games, 13 of which were starts.

We're talking about a man who was 46 years old at the end of that run!

Move ahead twelve years, in 1965, and Paige took the mound at the age of 58 as a promotional stunt with the Kansas City A's, yet still managed to pitch three innings, giving up a sole hit with no walks, with a strikeout thrown in for good measure! Hilarious!

In those six truncated seasons in the Majors, Paige went a combined 28-31 with a 3.29 earned run average, 288 strikeouts and two shutouts over 179 games and 476 innings.

But it was his legendary status in the Negro Leagues that made him a baseball immortal within the halls of Cooperstown.

 

REVISITING AN OLD BLOG POST- DECEMBER 29TH, 2014

With all the talk these days about the Hall of Fame and who is worthy or not, I thought it'd be fun to revisit my blog post from just about eight years ago, and my 1970 Hall of Fame "induction" card of former pitcher Jesse Haines:

 

Haines has always been one of the players held up as an example of the nepotism by the Veteran's Committee in the early 70's and who they selected for the Hall. And rightly so.

Here's the original post:

"One of the more controversial picks for induction, former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jesse Haines is the next member of my Hall of Fame sub-set, and the final one selected by the Veteran's Committee in 1970.

Admittedly, when taking a gander at Haines' final numbers, nothing really leaps out at you: 210-158 record, a high 3.64 earned run average, 23 shutouts and 981 strikeouts over 19-years.

But he WAS an important member of the "Gashouse Gang" Cardinal teams of the era, so I'm sure he got some help by former players who were part of the committee.

All told, Haines had three 20-win seasons, two sub-3.00 E.R.A. years, and went 3-1 in World Series play with a sparkling 1.67 E.R.A., including 2-0 with a shutout in the 1926 championship year for the Cards over the Yankees.

Personally I don't see how Haines made the cut, but then again I didn't see him pitch so I'll chalk it up to the Veteran's Committee knowing what they were doing.

But Bill James and his awesome book "Whatever Happened to the Hall of Fame" has something to say about it. Worth the read if you haven't already."

HALL OF FAME #45: HACK WILSON CLASS OF 1979

Today we come to the last subject in my thread of elected players to the Hall of Fame during the decade, former Chicago Cubs slugger Hack Wilson:

Selected by the Veterans Committee, Wilson was a true character of the game during the 1920’s and 1930’s, slugging his way into the record books.
While he did have a productive career, it’s arguably the 1930 season alone that got him on the road to Cooperstown when he hit 56 home runs, a National League record that stood until guys like McGwire and Sosa came along, while driving in a STILL record 191 runs, along with 146 runs scored, 208 hits and a .356 batting average.
Easily one of the greatest offensive seasons in baseball history, it kept Wilson on the minds of baseball fans decades after his playing days were over.
He hit a total of 244 homers during his 12-year career, with 1063 RBI’s and 884 runs scored to go along with his .307 batting average.
A bit of a drinker in his lifetime, his career was derailed by the time he was in his early 30’s, having his last productive season in 1932 at the age of 32 with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
He was out of the game by 34 after a handful of games with the Philadelphia Phillies, and sadly died at the age of 48 penniless in part because of his drinking and hard life.

HALL OF FAME #44: WILLIE MAYS: CLASS OF 1979

Here’s the next Hall of Fame inductee in my thread for those that entered the Hall during the 1970’s, all-time great “Say Hey” Willie Mays, about as easy a “no-brainer” as there could be:

What needs to be said about perhaps the greatest player in history?
660 home runs, 3000+ hits, over 2000 runs scored and over 1900 runs batted in, with over 300 stolen bases and a .300+ batting average as well!
He took home the Rookie of the Year Award in 1951, then proceeded to win two Most Valuable Player Awards, the first in 1954 and the second eleven years later in 1965.
Let’s also not forget the 20 all-star nods and 12 Gold Gloves, leaving him in that rarified company of Ruth, Cobb, Aaron and Gehrig as far as accomplishments and legend.
Of course, Hall of Fame voting being what it is, he wasn’t a UNANIMOUS selection because of this silly unspoken rule of “no one gets 100% voting”, something I will NEVER understand.

HALL OF FAME #43: EDDIE MATHEWS: CLASS OF 1978

Next up on the “Hall of Fame Inductee” parade for the 1970’s is former perennial all-star third baseman Eddie Mathews, who bashed his way to a Cooperstown induction in 1978:

Mathews was a beast at the plate, hitting 30 or more homers in a season ten times during his career, with four of those seasons totaling over 40.
He’d also drive in over 100 runs five times and score over 100 eight times while topping a .300 batting average on three occasions while leading the National League in walks four times, homers twice, and getting named to nine all-star teams.
Twice a runner-up in Most Valuable Player voting, he played for the Braves from Boston, to Milwaukee and their inaugural season in Atlanta in 1966, the only player to do so.
By the time he finished his stellar career Mathews collected 512 homers, 1453 runs batted in, 1509 runs scored and a .271 average along 1444 walks and a .509 slugging average.
Until a guy by the name of Mike Schmidt came along, he was THE power-hitting third baseman in the games long history.

HALL OF FAME #42: ADDIE JOSS: CLASS OF 1978

Here’s the first “Hall of Fame Inductee” card for the 1978 set, one portraying tragic figure Addie Joss, who was finally given his due in Cooperstown decades too late:

Joss spent nine years pitching like few others before or after, all with the Cleveland Naps (Indians) between 1902 and 1910.
Of those nine years, the highest his earned run average he ever posted in a season was 2.77, which was his rookie year.
After that, he’d go on to post five seasons of sub-2.00 ERA, with a low of 1.16 in 1908 when he posted a 24-11 record with nine shutouts and 130 strikeouts over 42 games and 325 innings pitched.
In his eight-years of full play he’d have four 20-win seasons, with a high of 27 in 1907, five sub-2.00 ERA seasons, and five seasons of five or more shutouts, posting nine twice (1906 and 1908).
In 1908 in the middle of a heated pennant race, Joss went on to pitch the fourth perfect game in league history when he blanked the Chicago White Sox (and pitcher Ed Walsh) 1-0.
Walsh would give up only 4 hits while striking out 15, and the game is considered by many to be one of the all-time best in baseball’s long history.
It’s worth noting that Addie Joss was robbed of a no-hitter in his very first start as a Major League pitcher in 1902 against the St. Louis Browns when he ended up with a one-hit shutout, the lone hit coming off the bat of future Hall of Famer Jesse Burkett.
Witnesses to the event swear that the hit was actually caught on the fly by outfielder Zaza Harvey, though it was ruled trapped by umpire Bob Caruthers (a former pitcher who should ALSO be in Cooperstown!).
Sadly, after experiencing an injury-plagued 1910 season that saw Joss go 5-5 with a 2.26 ERA over 13 games, he became ill in April of 1911 and died of tuberculous meningitis just three days later.
Joss was very well-liked by his peers, and technically the very first “all-star game” was played as a benefit game for the Joss family on July 24th of 1911.
The Cleveland team invited players from the rest of the American League to play against them, with proceeds going to help the Joss family after their loss, raising $13,000 ($330,154 in today’s money).
Falling of short of baseball 10-year minimum of a career for Hall of Fame consideration, a special preclusion was made for Joss, allowing the Veteran’s Committee to finally get in, even if it was decades later.
Joss finished his career with a 160-97 record with a 1.89 earned run average (second only to Ed Walsh), with 45 shutouts and 920 strikeouts over 286 games and 2327 innings pitched.
Who knows what he may have accomplished had not illness struck him down at such a young age.

HALL OF FAME #39: JOE SEWELL: CLASS OF 1977

Up next in my Hall of Fame Inductee thread of players who entered the Hall during the 1970’s is the “man they couldn’t strike out”, Joe Sewell, who starred for the Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees:

Sewell was a hit machine during his 14-year career, collecting 2226 over 8333 at-bats, good for a very nice .312 career average, along with 436 doubles, 1141 runs scored and 1054 runs batted in.
Of course he will always be remembered as the guy who couldn’t whiff!
In those 8333 at-bats during his career, he struck out 114 times! Heck, Chris Carter or Chris Davis can do that in HALF a season these days!
In 1932 while in the Bronx, Sewell had 576 plate appearances, and whiffed a total of THREE times. Just incredible.
In his 13 full seasons of Major League play, Sewell topped  a .300 average nine times, with a high of .353 in 1923 while with Cleveland, and drove in over 100 runs in both 1923 and 1924, with only seven home runs hit combined.
Though he didn’t get voted in by the BBWA, he was finally given a spot in Cooperstown by the Veteran’s Committee in 1977, and this one was a good pick in my opinion, unlike so many of the others we’ve seen thus far.

HALL OF FAME #38: AMOS RUSIE: CLASS OF 1977

Up next in my “Hall of Fame Inductees” thread is the “Hoosier Thunderbolt”, former fireball pitcher Amos Rusie:

Finally getting his due when the Veteran’s Committee enshrined him in 1977, Rusie was an anchor for the New York Giants at the end of the 19th Century, reeling off eight 20-win seasons (four of them 30+ seasons), while topping the National League in strikeouts five times and shutouts four times, with two ERA titles thrown in.
His final numbers of 246-174, with a 3.07 ERA and 1707 may not seem overwhelming, but if you can imagine, his career was over by the time he turned 30!
As a matter of fact he really pitched his last full season at the age of 27, with a three game appearance in 1901 with the Cincinnati Reds that encompassed only 22 innings of work.
So really those final numbers represent nine years of Major League ball!
And for those of you that may not know this, the trade that got him to Cincinnati for those scant three games in 1901 goes down as one of the all-time worst trades, sadly for the Reds, as they shipped to New York a young collegiate pitcher who’d go on to an even greater career than Rusie, none other than all-time great Christy Mathewson!

HALL OF FAME #38: JOHN "POP" LLOYD: CLASS OF 1977

Next up in our “Hall of Fame Inductees” thread is another Negro Leagues great, one of the best shortstops to ever suit up, John “Pop” Lloyd.
Check out the card I whipped up:

Jumping around from team to team since, as he put it, “wherever the money was, I went”, he played for no less than ten organizations during his Hall of Fame career, batting a cumulative .343 as far as recirds show.
Referred to as the “Black Honus Wagner”, he also played in the Cuban League between Negro League stints (and even during off-seasons) for 12 seasons, hitting a combined .329 there as well.
He finally got the recognition he deserved when the Negro League Committee elected him into Cooperstown’s hallowed halls in 1977, securing his place in baseball history.

HALL OF FAME #37: MARTIN DIHIGO: CLASS OF 1977

Today’s Hall of Fame inductee is long time Negro League and Cuban legend Martin Dihigo, “El Maestro”., who was inducted into Cooperstown in 1977.
Check out my card first:

Dihigo starred in the American Negro Leagues for such teams as the Homestead Grays, as well as the Mexican and Cuban leagues as both a second baseman and a pitcher.
Though stats were not entirely kept in the leagues he played in, sources cite his final career numbers at a .302 batting average while also winning 252 games as a pitcher.
In 1938 in the Mexican League he posted an 18-2 record with a 0.90 earned run average, while winning the batting title with a .387 average!
He;s also one of two players (Willie Wells being the other) that is inducted into the American, Cuban and Mexican Baseball Halls of Fame, while Dihigo is ALSO in the Dominican and Venezuelan Hall of Fames!
Not too shabby!

HALL OF FAME #36: ERNIE BANKS: CLASS OF 1977

Our travels through 1970’s Hall of Fame inductees takes us to 1977, and none other than “Mr. Cub” himself, Ernie Banks.
Take a look at my card first:

What needs to be said about quite possibly the most well-liked baseball legend there ever was?
Easily a first ballot inductee, Banks was named to 83.8% of the ballots after posting a career that saw him win two Most Valuable Player Awards (1958 and 1959), slam over 500 home runs while knocking in 1636 Cubbies during his illustrious 19-year career.
The man IS what the word “legend” is all about, getting named to eleven all-star teams hitting 30+ homers seven times during his career, with five of those seasons topping 40.
Sadly he’d never taste the sweet taste of a World Series, but that certainly did not take away from all of his successes.
“Mr. Cub” gets his due in 1977, and rightly so!

HALL OF FAME #35: ROBIN ROBERTS: CLASS OF 1976

In 1976 Robin Roberts was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his fourth try, which is absurd in my book considering some of the lame honorees voted in just before and after him. This guy should have been in on his first try.
Take a look at my card before we get into it all...

 

Roberts was a freaking machine during the 1950’s pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies, posting six 20-win seasons with  a 19 and 17 win season thrown in as well.
He led the league in wins four times with a high of 28 in 1952, while also leading the National league in strikeouts twice, complete games five times, innings pitched five times and shutouts once.
By the time he retired after the 1966 season, he finished with 286 wins and a 3.41 earned run average, with 45 shutouts and 2357 strikeouts over 676 games and 4688.2 innings pitched.
Between 1950 and 1956 he was named to the all-star team each year, while also garnering MVP attention every season.
To be honest how he didn’t win the MVP in 1952 is beyond me, as the award went to Chicago Cubs slugger Hank Sauer.
Granted the Phillies finished in fourth place with an 87-67 record, 9.5 games behind the Dodgers.
But the Cubs finished in fifth place, with a 77-77 record.
So what went on there is something worth looking into considering all Roberts did was go 28-7 with a 2.59 ERA, three shutouts, 148 strikeouts and 30 complete games out of his 37 starts!
What does a guy have to do!?

HALL OF FAME #34: FREDDIE LINDSTROM: CLASS OF 1976

OK, another NY Giant Hall of Fame inductee from the 1970's, another questionable call by the Veteran's Committee: Freddie Lindstrom, who was voted in in 1976.

Check out my card:

At the risk of being disrespectful, Lindstrom joins the like of Jesse Haines, Stonewall Jackson et al as players who benefited from cronyism by the Veteran's Committee, putting up a nice, solid Major League career but nothing resembling Hall of Fame status.

During his 13-year career between 1924 and 1936, Lindstrom batted .300+ seven times, but really had only two all-star seasons while donning a big league uniform, and one of them was during the bloated 1930 season in the National League.

In 1928 he batted .358 with a league-leading 238 hits and 107 runs batted in for the Giants, and in 1930 he had his best season, as he batted .379 with 231 hits, 106 RBI's and career highs in runs scored with 127 and home runs with 22.

As we all know that 1930 season was an aberration, with everyone and their mother seemingly putting up career numbers in the N.L.

So with that being stated, take a look at the rest of his career and you have to wonder how this guy is in, but guys like Pete Browning, Vada Pinson, Dave Parker or even Gil Hodges aren't in.

It's a shame really. But again, no disrespect to the players themselves as I'd like to think they had nothing to do with their inductions. It's just a shame that those Veteran's Committee guys like Frankie Frisch had to resort to such gimmicks to get their buddies into Cooperstown regardless of merit.

Anyway, by the time Lindstrom retired he had a career .311 average with 1747 hits, 895 runs scored and 779 RBI's with 103 homers and 84 steals thrown in.

Dick Allen anyone? Or how about Lefty O'Doul?

HALL OF FAME #32: BOB LEMON: CLASS OF 1976

Former Cleveland Indians pitching great and former manager Bob Lemon is the next inductee to get a card in my running series for the 1970's.

Check it out:

Lemon was nearing the end of his Hall eligibility in 1976 when the BBWA finally voted him in with 78.6% of the vote.

By no means a "sure thing", he did however put up some very impressive numbers that were hampered by military service during World War II.

Over the course of his 13-year career, he only actually put in 10 full seasons, yet he posted an incredible seven 20-win campaigns!

Along the way as part of the legendary Indians rotation that also included Early Wynn, Mike Garcia and a dude named Bob Feller, Lemon led the league in wins three times, complete games five times, shutouts (with 10) once, and was named to seven straight all-star teams between 1948-1954.

When he retired after the 1958 season, he finished with a 207-128 record with a 3.32 earned run average, 31 shutouts and 1277 K's over 460 games (350 of which were starts), and 2850 innings pitched.

After his playing days were over he went on to a respectable managerial career, leading the Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees between 1970 and 1982.

Of course he's remembered as the skipper who took over the famous "Bronx Zoo" Yankees in 1978 and led them to an incredible drive that saw them go 48-20.

That drive eventually tying the Boston Red Sox and forcing the "Bucky &^%$% Dent Game", and a World Championship over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

If not for the War, we could easily be looking at a near-300 game winner being that he didn't even start playing until he was 25.

Nevertheless, Cooperstown came calling and he found his place alongside former teammates Feller and Wynn. 

Three Hall of Fame starters on one rotation. Awesome…

HALL OF FAME #31: ROGER CONNOR: CLASS OF 1976

Here's a "Hall of Fame Induction" card for former 19th-century slugger Roger Connor, who was inducted in 1976, hence the template used.

Take a look:

As many of you already know, Connor was the player who held the career home run record before a guy named Babe Ruth came along.

In his stellar 18-year career, he slammed 138 homers, which was an impressive total for the dead-ball days of yore.

A big dude (6'3"/225lbs), Connor wasn't only a slugger however, by the time he retired in 1897, he totaled 2467 hits, 1620 runs, 441 doubles, 233 triples and 1323 runs batted in. He also managed to steal 244 bases as well, though records for some of these stats were loosely kept, I'll admit.

Nevertheless, the man topped 100+ runs scored eight times, 100+ RBI's four times, 10+ homers seven times, and 10+ triples 12 times.

A very worthy player from the 1800's to be elected into the Hall of Fame…

HALL OF FAME #30: OSCAR CHARLESTON: CLASS OF 1976

Next up on the Hall of Fame train, we move on to 1976 and former Negro League legend Oscar Charleston, who played and managed in the league for 30 years between 1915 to 1945.

Check out my card:

Though he played for many organizations during his illustrious career, it was his time with the Pittsburgh Crawfords that really established his legendary career.

As player-manager, he guided was many consider the greatest Negro League team ever, stocked with other legends like Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige and Judy Johnson.

According to some researchers, Charleston finished his career with a batting average hovering around .350, with a slugging percentage of about .575.

Since his induction to the Hall of Fame, he is frequently mentioned when there is discussion as to the greatest players of all-time, regardless of Major or Negro League.

In 1999 he was ranked #67 on the Sporting News list of the "100 Greatest Baseball Players", and he was also nominated for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.

HALL OF FAME #29: RALPH KINER: CLASS OF 1975

Up next in the "Hall of Fame Inductee" parade is former slugger Ralph Kiner, who was admitted into Cooperstown's hallowed halls in 1975.

Check out my card design:

Imagine averaging 97 runs, 37 homers and 1010 runs batted in over your ENTIRE career?! Just awesome.

As we all know, Kiner broke in with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1946 and promptly led the National League in homers with 23, then proceeded to lead his league in that same department for the next six years, with FIVE of those seasons with 40 or more, all consecutively.

In 1947 he smashed 51 homers, then topped himself two years later when he outright demolished the ball, hitting 54 home runs while setting his personal best in slugging with a .658 mark

In his 10 short years as a Major League player he led the league 17 times in a positive offensive category.

Injuries curtailed what could have been a monster career, but he produced plenty enough for the BBWA to induct him in 1975, cementing his place in baseball history, and he was already entrenched as the long-time New York Mets TV announcer, where he even copped an Emmy Award and kept us all in stitches with malapropisms for over 50 years.

HALL OF FAME #28: JUDY JOHNSON: CLASS OF 1975

Here's a 1975 "Hall of Fame Induction" card for one of the greatest third basemen in Negro Leagues history, Judy Johnson:

There's surprisingly little written about him considering he's a Hall of Famer, and I can find much more written about other Negro League players.

But what is known is that he starred in the Negro Leagues between 1918 and 1936, playing for the Hilldale Club, Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords, playing alongside such players as John Henry Lloyd (who mentored the young Johnson) and Josh Gibson (who Johnson in turn mentored himself).

A two-time all-star in the league, he also won a Negro League title with the Hilldale club in 1925 and hit as high as .416 in a season (1929).

After his playing days he went on to scout and coach in the Majors, becoming the first African-American coach in Major League history after signing on with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1954.

HALL OF FAME #28: BILLY HERMAN: CLASS OF 1975

Next up on the "Hall of Fame" thread is second baseman Billy Herman, who put in 15 solid seasons as a Major League star. Check out my card design:

Inducted to Cooperstown by the Veteran's Committee in 1975, Herman wad a worthy pick in my eyes.

A 10-time all-star, he put in some some stellar seasons both offensively and defensively playing for the Cubs, Dodgers, Pirates and Boston Braves between 1931 and 1947 (he lost two seasons to military duty duty in 1944/1945).

After playing 25 games with the Cubbies in 1931, he busted out the following season, batting .314 with 206 hits, while collecting 102 runs scored, 42 doubles and seven triples.

And over the course of the rest of his career he would not disappoint, topping .300 six more times (with a high of .341 in 1935), top 200 hits another two times (with two more seasons of 190+ hits as well), while leading the league in hits, doubles and triples once each.

In 1935 and 1936 he slapped 57 doubles each year, and in 1943, now with the Brooklyn Dodgers, he managed to drive home 100 runs (for the only time in his career), with a scant TWO home runs, while hitting .330 with 193 hits and 41 doubles.

By the time he retired in 1947, Herman had 2345 hits, 486 doubles, 1163 runs scored and a .304 career average, with three top-5 MVP finishes (1935, 1936 and 1943).

Defensively, Herman led his league in assists three times, turning double-plays four times, putouts seven times and fielding percentage three times, with numerous second and third place finishes for all categories.

He never did get much support from the BBWA when it came to Hall of Fame election between 1948 and 1967, so as I stated earlier, he'd have to wait until 1975 to get voted in, thus closing out a very nice career as a ballplayer.