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Bah humbug!!!

FYI, only Andre Dawson got in. Will he go in as an Expo?

Don't we have a Blue Jays board kicking around here somewhere? Posting this stuff here takes traffic away from it.

Also he'll make it one of these years.

That's complete BS -- he really should make it on the second ballot!

Alomar will make it eventually and i'm guessing that Dawson will go in as an Expo.

Robbie might be the best player I've ever seen play.

Couple this with one of the top 3 leadoff hitters of all-time in Tim Raines getting completely jobbed last year and nothing surprises me anymore.

EDIT: I just checked and he was at 73.7% so he likely gets in next year. There's no crime in Robbie not going in on the 1st ballot because as great as he was in his prime, his career totals aren't that impressive.

But Raines is still well back at 30.4% which is completely perplexing.

He'll make it next year with ease...he only fell eight votes short, and there are a couple dozen curmudgeons who refuse to vote for anyone in their first year of eligibility.

Uh oh. Dawson just said on tv that he's not sure what cap he'll wear into the hall. Hmmm, defunct Canadian team or storied American franchise? Boo him. Robbie already stated he'd go in as a Blue Jay.

Yeah, this first ballot BS is ridiculous. Screw those voters.

J-Roc wrote:Uh oh. Dawson just said on tv that he's not sure what cap he'll wear into the hall. Hmmm, defunct Canadian team or storied American franchise? Boo him. Robbie already stated he'd go in as a Blue Jay.

He doesn't have a choice in the matter; they no longer allow the players to make that decision. Dawson should go in as an Expo, but his best season came as a Cub, so you never know.

Robbie has stated that he wants to go in as a Jay, had his greatest success and a Jay, and stayed in Toronto longer than any team, so it's a safe bet they'll honour his wishes there.

They need to fix this terribly flawed voting system. It makes no sense. At this rate, A-Rod wont be first ballot by the time he retires.

Only in MLB can you get in the HOF after 13+ tries.. which is stupid IMO..

it's either you are in or not. should have to end up with this "are you deserving to go in on your first try or 100th try"

Apparently 5 ballots were completely blank. Those people should be stripped of their voting rights.

Schadenfreude wrote:

J-Roc wrote:Uh oh. Dawson just said on tv that he's not sure what cap he'll wear into the hall. Hmmm, defunct Canadian team or storied American franchise? Boo him. Robbie already stated he'd go in as a Blue Jay.

Dawson should go in as an Expo, but his best season came as a Cub, so you never know.

If he didn't hit into that double play against Valenzuela in the 1981 playoffs, I'd care. But he did, and I don't. Master of the solo home run.

As for Robbie, it takes a special calibre of player and person - e.g. Ozzie Smith - to get first balloted, and I'm fine with that. Robbie was a great player, but not That Guy.

Still remember my feeling at the time of The Trade. Those are the moments that make you glad to be a sports fan - i.e. the anxiety over what was lost and uncertainty of what is gained. Then when you see the result, you savour it for a lifetime. That sort of exchange doesn't happen much in basketball, although Gasol for Gasol may in the long run have some of the same vibe.

Jay Mariotti was apparently one of the blank-ballot morons. No surprise there...for some of the BBWAA, the vote isn't about the players, it's a masturbatory exercise in proving their dedication to some non-existent ideal. Mariotti is just that kind of a moron.

Bleh.

The biggest screwjob is Raines at 30%. He is every bit a legit hall of famer as Alomar.

As to Alomar there are two totally different points to consider, which to me conflict

a) Is he valid first ballot hall of famer based on past trends of acceptance? NO, not quite at that level.
b) Should 20-30% of the voting poulace hold this ideal as first ballot hall of famer? Probably not (thankfully there is always that 5% that keeps these goes on the ballot into the second year!!!)

Its very odd for a first ballot player that misses on his first try (but eventually gets in) to get anywhere above 60%. Obviously, there was a large number that thought Alomar was at that "TOP" ring level of hall of famer.

I beleive Dawson and Carter started around 30% in there first years.

Schadenfreude wrote:

J-Roc wrote:Uh oh. Dawson just said on tv that he's not sure what cap he'll wear into the hall. Hmmm, defunct Canadian team or storied American franchise? Boo him. Robbie already stated he'd go in as a Blue Jay.

He doesn't have a choice in the matter; they no longer allow the players to make that decision. Dawson should go in as an Expo, but his best season came as a Cub, so you never know.

Robbie has stated that he wants to go in as a Jay, had his greatest success and a Jay, and stayed in Toronto longer than any team, so it's a safe bet they'll honour his wishes there.

Really? Didn't know that. So how do they decide? An interesting case will be Fred McGriff, if he even gets in. He had his best years as a Blue Jay, but won a ring with the Braves.

The only reason Robbie is not a first time HOF is the spitting incident. I say he was talented enough to bypass that. Happy to see Dawson in. Class act.