Baron’s Corner
Frustration overflows over the fact Dick Allen isn’t a Hall of Famer. Got to get it off my chest and lower my blood pressure,
For the second straight time members of a 16-person Hall of Fame Golden Era committee failed to select Allen for enshrinement into Cooperstown, NY. I was stunned, shocked and angered when I didn’t hear his name mentioned on Sunday night.
For the second straight time by this committee, he lost by one vote. One bleeping vote!
It gets worse.
Five of the 16 committee members did not even include him on the ballot at all. There’s that one missing vote. Who were the fab-five? We’ll probably never know.
BBWAA writers who vote for Hall of Famers will release who they voted for and why. Can’t the Golden Era voters do the same?
Numbers
It’s been said Dick didn’t have the numbers. Well, what are the numbers? Traditional average, slugging, homers, RBI? Or the newer metric measurements that are flooding the game?
Dick is not in, Gil Hodges is. Hey, Gil was a great first baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Not denying that.
Dick was a Rookie of the Year and A.L. MVP, 7-time All-Star. Gil was an 8-All-Star playing three more seasons; no ROY or MVP.
Numbers that don’t lie:
**Since Gil played more seasons his basic career numbers are higher, games, runs, hits, doubles, home runs, RBI. Doesn’t come close to Dick in triples and stolen bases. Minor points, I know.
**Three times Gil led the league in offensive categories. Twice in games played, once in most strikeouts. Dick led a league in runs, triples and RBI once each, homers twice and strikeouts three times.
**Dick led in OBP twice, slugging three times, OPS four times. Gil? Zero.
**Modern day metrics: Dick led in OPS+, three times. Gil? Again, 0.
**WAR is so popular these days. OK, Allen’s career WAR, 58.7. Gil, .43.9. I believe a higher number is more meaningful!
**Career OPS+: Allen 156. Gil 120. Winner Allen again.
**Traditional career numbers: Allen .378 on-base percentage, .534 slugging, .912 OPS. Gil, .359/.487/.846. Winner Allen.
**Finally, career batting average: Allen .292. Gil, a lusty .273. Yes .273 isn’t a typo.
I read where it is was great that Hodges, a gentleman, was selected. “So nice for his 95-year-old widow”.
Dick has a widow, brothers, children, grandsons, and other relatives. Perhaps he wasn’t a gentleman. But since when is that a requirement to be a Hall of Famer. Ty Cobb’s plaque is in Cooperstown.
Jackie Robinson went through hell as baseball’s first black player, Philadelphia included. He’s a hero, deservedly so.
Richard Anthony Allen years later went through hell as the first black super star ballplayer in Philadelphia and first black ballplayer in Little Rock. He’s cast as a rebel.
The real rebels are the five Golden Era committee members who didn’t even include him on their ballot.
Now, I’m finished with writing about the injustice. Onward…………..
