Question of the Week

Paul, Sacramento, CA
Subj: Hall Of Fame
Has there ever been a person voted into the baseball hall of fame by 100% of the voters? If not, why?

Not yet, Paul, although several players have come tantalizingly close. Ty Cobb got the ball rolling back in 1936 when he came within four votes of being named a unanimous selection. Since then, Hank Aaron, Tom Seaver, George Brett, Nolan Ryan, Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. have all been ushered into Cooperstown with the support of at least 97% of voters. So, why is it so difficult to become a unanimous selection? In some cases it’s just a matter of bad timing. Just look at Babe Ruth. The Bambino received only 95.13% percent of the vote because he had the misfortune of sharing the ballot with Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson and Honus Wagner. Snobbery is also another big issue. Many voters relish the fact that no one has been elected unanimously and believe that doing so would tarnish the legacies of other legendary players. In their opinion, a player like Wade Boggs shouldn’t merit 100% of the vote if exalted figures like Ted Williams and Cy Young both received less than 94% during their respective years. Finally, some players have received fewer votes than they deserved because they never endeared themselves to the journalists who constitute the Hall of Fame’s voting pool. Given these three mitigating factors, it’s highly unlikely we’ll ever see a player swept into Cooperstown with unanimous support.

Question of the Week

Ray, Victorville, CA
Subj: The best of both worlds
Hey Ryan, my friend and I are having a debate. Do you think Bo Jackson could have made it into the Hall of Fame if he had concentrated solely on baseball and had stayed reasonably healthy?

That’s an intriguing question. Let’s examine Jackson’s production. Bo played for four full seasons before his hip injury, during which time he averaged 27 home runs, 76 RBIs, 20 stolen bases and 111 hits per year. If he continued at the same pace and played until he was 38 (an age at which many sluggers call it quits) he would have finished with career totals of 405 home runs, 1140 RBI, 300 stolen bases and 1665 hits. Putting those totals into proper perspective reveals that Bo would have been 43rd on the all-time homerun leader board, 162nd on the RBI leader board, 149th on the stolen base leader board and 423rd on the hits leader board. Bear in mind that Bo was also a big whiffer who averaged 151 strikeouts a year, so he also would have finished his career with 2,265 Ks. That stat is particularly relevant because it would represent the third highest total in major league history. In fact, the only players who struck out more are Reggie Jackson, who played for 21 seasons and Sammy Sosa, who likely won’t make it into Cooperstown because of his suspected steroid use. Given the fact that superior sluggers – and league MVP’s - like Dale Murphy aren’t enshrined makes it hard to imagine how voters would allow Jackson to slip in. Let’s face it: Bo may have “known” cycling, soccer, cricket, surfing, weightlifting and auto racing, but I highly doubt he would have known what it feels like to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Speculation on Sirius Satellite Radio

I recently had the pleasure of appearing on Speculation, a seriously hip call-in show hosted by fellow sports junkies Dave Golokhov and Matt Cauz. You can listen to my segment by clicking here. Simply follow the link to the archive section beneath the Speculation logo.