Since hall of fame weekend is coming up, lets take a look at the

[JohnKleeb]

new people on the ballot for 2006. Anyhow I think Sandberg and especially Boggs were hall of fame worthly.
These are the names I got, straight off the hall of fame website.
Rick Aguilera, Tim Belcher, Will Clark, Alex Fernandez, Gary Gaetti, Dwight Gooden, Ozzie Guillen, Juan Guzman, Orel Hershiser, Gregg Jefferies, Lance Johnson, Doug Jones, Roberto Kelly, Mickey Morandini, Hal Morris, Jaime Navarro, Luis Polonia, Mike Stanley, Walt Weiss, John Wetteland, Mark Whiten

I am gonna be honest here, I dont see any of those guys making it, I remember all of them of course though.

[JackDragna]

1. None of them were Hall-worthy.

I'm one of those who believes only the best of the best should be in the Hall. I sure as heck don't think Sandberg deserves to be there - I watched his career and he hit in the clutch about as well as humans digest cardboard. Clark might have been a hallf of Famer, but his career sort of went into the tank.

[JohnKleeb]

2. Sandberg was a fine second baseman, though I was only like 9 when

he tired. Yeah I remember Clark since he played for us briefly, he really had a chance to be great but I believe injuries killed him.

[pnb]

3. Out of the rest of that list

Hershiser is the only guy even worth considering. I don't think he will get in but he desreves a look at least.

[rinsd]

4. A link and some opinion....

http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers_and_honorees/candidate_info/candidate_info_2005.htm

The above is official HOF ballot and bio.

I think only one guys belongs and one guy you can make a case for. Boggs belongs, you can make a case for Rice. Everyone else was simply not one of the best at their position for a long enough time(though some had a brief brilliant stretches ie: Mattingly).

[JohnKleeb]

7. Yeah Rice was good

I wonder how the 1975 World Series would have been with him, remember Cincy Vs Boston, it was a classic.

[rinsd]

20. He was just so dominant even if for a relatively short period (nt)

[JohnKleeb]

21. What kinda numbers?

[rinsd]

22. There are 2 great sites for stats...

www.baseballreference.com has every single players, they also have additional breakdown info, team stats etc etc. JUst a phenominal site for stats. Except they don't have the current year stats.

www.mlb.com has the current stuff

Here's a link to Rice, look at 1975 to 1980 and also remember this was not a HR hitting era. Also a great thing about baseballreference is that they give you his mlb rank for each hitting category(provided he was in the top 15 or so)

http://www.baseballreference.com/r/riceji01.shtml

[JohnKleeb]

23. mlb.com hasnt been working but thanks

Yeah I see that, whoa, not a guy I would want to face in a clutch and late situation. Yeah I know the 60's=early 90's were a pitchers era since I know all about 1968, when Bob Gibson had a 1.12 ERA, that still amazes me.

[rinsd]

24. Ya know you're one of the best....

...when they change the rules to stop you.

Gibson is easily one of the 10 best of alltime.

[JohnKleeb]

25. That certainly is true

Sure is, I feel a certain amount of pride since I have the autograph of hte man I feel is the best lefty pitcher in history, Warren Spahn. Interesting guy, I got his autograph since he went to the Marriott my dad worked at, dad also met Ted Williams, it was cool that he got Spahn's autograph because at the time I was a pitcher in little league, I am a lefty too so it was very cool.

[DaveinMD]

5. its a travesty

that Rich Gossage is not in the hall of fame. He was an amazing reliever. Its time he got his due.

[HuckleB]

6. Boggs should certainly be there.

Bruce Sutter, Lee Smith, Jim Rice and Rich Gossage seem like the only others worthy of consideration, IMHO.

[KitchenWitch]

8. The only one on that list that is even close is Orel Hershiser

I suppose I am going to have to wait for the retirees committee (or whatever it is called) to get "Circle Me" Bert Blyleven in. Tony Oliva is another that deserves the HOF and is not there.

[JohnKleeb]

9. Veterans Commitee

and Rob Never had a great essay on why Blyeven was the better pitcher than hall of famer Don Sutton. Mentioned that Burt was not only the better pitcher but the better post season pitcher too, he thinks what hurt him is that he never played on many too many winning teams and Sutton well got his start playing for the Dodgers in the 70s. Its in my book on all time lineups, if I can, Ill scan the article. About Oliva, I think injuries are part of why he didnt make it, he was great though.

[DaveinMD]

10. yeah Blyleven was awesome

you're too young to have seen him, but he had the best curveball I've ever seen.

[JohnKleeb]

11. Doesnt he do games now for the Twins

http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/blylebe01.shtml
I think another thing that has him hurt is that he only won twenty games once.

[DaveinMD]

12. yep

he's a very good announcer. I have the baseball package and I hear a lot of announcers. He's one of the best. Jim Palmer is very good too.

[JohnKleeb]

13. Yeah well I get to hear Palmer on a day to day basis

He is good, hes been broadcasting I think since Ive followed the Orioles. I would like to have that package deal.

[DaveinMD]

14. Michael Kay is the worst

with Jim Kaat far behind. They are two of the Yankees announcers. Other Yankee announcers are good. INcluding former Oriole Ken Singleton.

[JohnKleeb]

15. I know of Singleton

Good guy, was a great DH for us back in the day. You mean Rizzuto doesnt do games anymore? Was Michael Kay a former player or just a broadcaster?
Palmer is of course a former player but Manfra and Jim Hunter are lifetime broadcasters, we had Flannigan doing games before he went to the front office too.

[DaveinMD]

16. Scooter has been retired a while

what a great guy he was. I grew up listening to him, Bill White and Frank Messer. They were very funny and very good.

Kay was a sportswriter turned broadcaster. He isn't incredibly annoying and very stupid. He is hostile to statistics and is never critical of the Yanks in any way.

[JohnKleeb]

17. Oh sportswriting, thats what I wann do

Yeah you have to be self critical I think, Ive seen Palmer and Hunter criticize our guys before. Yeah IVe seen the old footage of White and Scooter broadcasting. I miss Chuck Thompson, hes deceased now and Jon Miller was a great broadcaster for us, now hes at ESPN, hes a great guy, our graduation speaker brought up how he got in to broadocasting, cool story and Jons a big dem too.

[DaveinMD]

18. sorry

I don't like Miller. Maybe that's because he's paired with Joe Morgan who is the dumbest man on the planet. He forgot what made him great. I hate almost everyone who works for espn.

[JohnKleeb]

19. Thats ok

I really have never been too keen on McCarver and Joe Buck but Ive always liked our local broadcasters best, so even on nationally syndicated games, I still watch comcast or the mid atlantic sportsnetwork.

[jbane]

26. Worst list ever!

That list would not make a very good All Star team.
Is the Hall of Fame committee running out of guys to nominate?
Dave Kingman should be on that list.

[JohnKleeb]

27. Those guys retired in 1999 I believe

Thats why Dave Kingman isnt there, and I dont think Kingman is a hall of famer, great power but other than that a one dimensonal player.

[PDittie]

28. Ron Santo is the best player not in the HOF

Really, it's a damn shame he hasn't been voted in.

[Bluzmann57]

29. 100% in agreement!

OK I am a Cub fan, but the fact that Santo played his entire career with Diabetes, without the technology we have available today should put him in the HoF alone. I think it has something to do with hias disdain for New York and New York arrogance, an attitude which I share. If he came out tomorrow and said "I love New York", I bet he'd be in the next time they vote on Old Timers.