My vote for the Hall

I don't get a vote for the baseball Hall of Fame, but I think I should. In lieu of a vote, I will share here who I think should be in.

Putting aside my Pete Rose argument ("Isn't it Time" July 2009) there are a group of interesting candidates this time around. Nobody sticks out as obvious. There are no 300 game winners, or 3000 hit collectors and no iron men. We are left with a group who had good to almost great careers and solid Hall of Fame credentials.

Of course, I think Bert Blyleven needs to be in. Take a look at the pitching record books and you see his name everywhere. 287 wins on some pretty bad teams. Near the top in innings pitched (remember when pitchers pitched nine innings?) and strikeouts. The man is a Hall of Fame caliber pitcher. This is his 13th year on the ballot, come on baseball writers, let;'s get it right this time.

Another one who came close last time and should be inducted this year is Andre Dawson. I admit I had to do a little review of his career before I was sold. He toiled in Montreal for many years which meant playing most of his games away from communication with the rest of the baseball world. He moved on to the Cubs, but the it is easy to become anonymous playing where the ballpark is the attraction. Frankly, I just forgot about him.

If a player is forgettable, then is he a Hall of Famer? Well, I should not have forgotten about Dawson. He had nearly 2800 career hits. Yes, not quite 3000, but you need to play a long time at a high level to amass that many hits. He had over 400 career home runs. Yes, not 500 but in the post 1990-early 2000 era of expansion, small parks and steroids, are we still stuck on 500 as the minimum for induction? Dawson hit a lot of those home runs in Montreal's Olympic stadium, one of the more forgettable baseball venues of all time.

Early on he had a great arm in the outfield. In short, he was a complete player and I am sold on Andre Dawson as a Hall of Famer.

The 800 pound gorilla in the Hall of Fame room is Mark McGwire. 586 home runs, steroid allegations although no definitive proof and no violation of baseball's rules at the time. What to do? I say no on McGwire, but not because of the allegations. He ran up a lot of home runs in an era when balls were flying out of parks, The fact is however, that was all he contributed. He was a minimally adequate defense first baseman. Had he not gone to the Cardinals he probably would have spent the last ten years of his career as a designated hitter in the American League. Basically McGwire is known for hitting home runs in an era when home runs came faster and easier than ever before. Not enough for the Hall of Fame.

Of the first time eligibles, Roberto Alomar is expected to be voted in. Although I still have trouble getting past him spitting in the face of an umpire, the umpire involved seems to have forgiven him, so perhaps I should not hold a grudge. He was the best second baseman of his era, a Gold Glove fielder who contributed offensively. He did it over a 10-12 year period. Roberto Alomar is in.

I like Barry Larkin, but I think he may have to be on the ballot awhile. He put together a solid career, spending it all with one team (something I like). He was overshadowed by Ripken and then A-Rod at the shortstop position in his era. Larkin however, has an Andrew Dawson type resume of offensive and defense excellence over an extended period of time.

While I like Barry Larkin for induction, I cannot say the same for Alan Trammell. There are those pushing Trammell for the Hall of Fame. Yes, he had a 20 year career and was one of the mainstays of the Detroit Tigers' great 1984 team, but his candidacy appears based more on sheer longevity. A nice career, even a good career, is not a Hall of Fame career. I don't think Trammell makes it.

It seems like the hall of Fame is getting more difficult each year. As more of the steroid, expansion era players retire, it will be harder to compare offensive numbers against the past. On the defensive side, pitchers nowadays don't go nine innings and don't win 20 games, so the 300 win career may also be a thing of the past. Sure Glavine, Maddux and randy Johnson will be easy when they become eligible, but what about Mike Mussina and Andy Pettite?

And let's not even start on Barry Bonds...